The Mar-Keys

The Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were a studio session band for the Stax label. Their backing music formed the foundation for the early 1960s Stax sound. They also recorded organ and saxophone oriented singles of their own, scoring a number three hit nationally with "Last Night" in 1961. Keyboard was played by Jerry Lee "Smoochy" Smith. Other singles of theirs from the early 1960s include "Philly Dog" and "Pop-eye Stroll." Read more

ll." Members of this rhythm section later formed other nationally prominent Memphis studio session groups, including The Memphis Horns, The Packers, and Booker T. & The MG's. Each of these offshoot groups also recorded popular instrumental albums of their own, in addition to serving as the backing band on albums by dozens of rock, r&b, and soul music stars on Stax, Volt and other national labels. The legacy of the Mar-Keys and later groups was that of having been key players in the development of soul music styles like Southern soul and Memphis soul. Members * Steve Cropper - guitar * Donald "Duck" Dunn - bass * Charles "Packy" Axton - tenor sax * Don Nix - saxophone * Terry Johnson - piano * Wayne Jackson - trombone, trumpet * Jerry Lee "Smoochie" Smith - keyboards * Booker T. Jones - keyboards * Isaac Hayes - organ * Al Jackson, Jr - drums Read more