Also available from Robert Gordon

Respect Yourself

The story of Stax Records unfolds like a Greek tragedy. A monument to racial harmony in blighted south Memphis, Stax explodes as a national player during the civil rights movement. Then, Icarus-like, the heights its leaders achieve result in their tragic demise. A generation later, Stax is rebuilt brick by brick and is once again transforming disenfranchised youth into stellar young musicians.

Set in the world of 1960s and ’70s soul music, Respect Yourself is a story of racial integration, black power, economic independence, and an explosive city struggling through volatile years: Memphis, Tennessee. Its characters include Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, and Stax’s house band Booker T. and the MG’s. Told by one of our leading music journalists, Respect Yourself is the definitive story of one of our most treasured cultural institutions and the city that created it.

“A joyous and heartbreaking story that says a lot about America.” —Richard Hell, The Wall Street Journal

“A spellbinding history of one of the most prolific hit-making independent record companies in the history of American music.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“The voices of the members of the Stax family, and Gordon’s deep knowledge of Memphis, give the book a significance that extends beyond a single recording studio.” —The New York Times Book Review