Los Angeles, CA (June 11, 2025)—60 years ago this summer, Stax Records’ biggest stars landed in the City of Angels for a two-night residency at South LA’s 5-4 Ballroom. Billed as the Stax Revue, the whirlwind visit was a milestone for the young Memphis soul label and marked the first time that many of the artists on the bill—Rufus & Carla Thomas, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, The Mar-Keys, The Mad Lads, Wilson Pickett, and William Bell—had played to a Los Angeles audience. But the high-profile engagement, which took place on August 7th and 8th, 1965, was also set against a backdrop of racial tension—just days before the Watts Rebellion.
The audio from this historic concert was shelved for decades, with highlights initially released in 1991 as Stax Revue Live At The 5/4 Ballroom. Now, Craft Recordings proudly presents Stax Revue: Live in ’65!—a deluxe collection that not only includes the electrifying Los Angeles engagement, but also unearths a rare hometown showcase, captured earlier that summer at Memphis’ Club Paradise, featuring David Porter, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, The Astors, and Wendy Rene. As a special bonus, the expanded album features previously unreleased recordings from both cities’ shows, including a charismatic set by Porter, a searing performance of “In the Midnight Hour” by Pickett, a lengthy jam of “The Dog” by Rufus Thomas, and a high-energy rendition of “Boot-Leg” from Booker T. & The M.G.’s which is available to stream as an advance single today.
Available August 8th on 2-LP, 2-CD, HD digital, and standard digital, Stax Revue: Live in ’65! features newly remastered audio by GRAMMY®-nominated engineer Joe Tarantino, while lacquers for the LP were cut by Jeff Powell at Take Out Vinyl. Rounding out the physical formats are insightful new liner notes from GRAMMY-winning author and journalist Lynell George and the compilation’s GRAMMY-nominated producer, Alec Palao. Click here to pre-order or pre-save the album and read more about both concerts below.
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1965 was a milestone year for Stax Records. Founded just a few years earlier by Jim Stewart and co-owned with his sister, Estelle Axton, the independent Memphis label was a rising force in the soul scene, with a handful of charting R&B and pop songs, as well as a growing roster of stars, including Otis Redding, The Mad Lads, Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, and Booker T. & The M.G.’s (who, along with The Mar-Keys, also served as the label’s house band). At the top of the year, Stax signed a distribution deal with Atlantic Records—a move that would help the label reach a new stratum in the industry. Helping to fuel its output was the newly established songwriting team of David Porter and Isaac Hayes, who would soon pen some of the label’s biggest hits. Over the next year, meanwhile, Stax would become a household name, with best-selling albums and regularly charting singles by the above-mentioned artists, plus Sam & Dave, William Bell, and Eddie Floyd.
With momentum at an all-time high, Stax booked its first Los Angeles revue with the label’s buzziest artists: Rufus Thomas, Booker T. & The M.G.’s, William Bell, Carla Thomas, The Mar-Keys, The Mad Lads and The Astors, along with Atlantic recording artist Wilson Pickett, who recorded at Stax. The two-night engagement—taking place August 7th and 8th—was scheduled at the storied 5-4 Ballroom as part of local radio station KGFJ’s “Summer Spectacular.” Emceeing the events was The Magnificent Montague, a beloved DJ at the station, known for his famous (and eerily ominous) catchphrase, “Burn, Baby, Burn.”
Located just south of Downtown LA, the venue’s history is notable, given the racial tensions that were simmering in Los Angeles. Once known as the “Apollo of The West,” the 5-4 opened in 1922 as a segregated establishment, remaining as such until 1947. From then on, it hosted the biggest stars in jazz, blues, and R&B, including Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Sarah Vaughan, and Nat “King” Cole. “The site, and the surrounding territory, told a nesting set of stories about Los Angeles—both its freedoms and limits,” writes Lynell George. “Many African Americans…learned right away that ‘freedom’ was two-tiered; L.A. put forward its own spin on Jim Crow segregation.” On August 11th, just a few miles away, the Watts Rebellion began—a six-day-long response to longstanding racial discrimination and police brutality in the city.
Despite the looming events, the shows are remembered in a positive light—as a calm before the storm. “Stax…was its own revolution, then, a small but mighty entity, whose playlist consoled, inspired, and uplifted a listening nation who most needed it to face their day-to-day life-battles,” explains George. That stirring power certainly translated to tape. “The recordings we hear on Stax Revue: Live In ’65! have that wonderful quality of verité—the capture of a fleeting moment that has unforeseen portent,” writes Alec Palao.
While the sweltering, packed club was audibly thrilled for the line-up, both nights were likely just as exciting (or nerve-wracking) for those on stage—many of whom had barely performed outside of Memphis. “This trip…is the first where a lot of the core instrumentalists…played a more sophisticated kind of gig than where they had come from,” explains Palao. George adds that it was “A next-level opportunity…. The audience would finally be able to put faces to the voices that coaxed, calmed, and serenaded them.”
Standout moments from L.A. include The Mad Lads performing their Top 20 R&B hit, “Don’t Have to Shop Around,” William Bell crooning his signature soul classic, “You Don’t Miss Your Water,” and Rufus Thomas tearing the house down with a previously unreleased, nearly 20-minute-long rendition of “The Dog” (available exclusively on the 2-CD and digital versions of Stax Revue). Also making its debut is Wilson Pickett’s powerful performance of “In the Midnight Hour,” which had just reached No.1 on the R&B charts and crossed into the Billboard Top 40. “At this moment we hear [‘In the Midnight Hour’] before it has become a rock standard,” notes Palao. “It still belongs very much to the Black community.” Looking back on the whirlwind engagement, William Bell recalls, “We were so well-received. The people were just so fantastic. And, we, we were like on Cloud Nine.”
While the Los Angeles residency helped cement Stax as a force on the national soul scene, its artists were acutely aware of the shows’ high stakes. In contrast, the hometown recordings from Club Paradise find the performers in their comfort zone. “You hear more obscure artists, the crowd milling around, and a more relaxed feel,” writes Palao. “They’re having fun with it.” While the long-shelved Paradise tapes came with little information, it’s presumed that they were recorded in June or July 1965 during a radio DJ convention.
The Paradise tracklist offers a generous set by Booker T. & The M.G.’s, including their bestselling 1962 R&B chart-topper and Top 5 pop smash, “Green Onions,” a vibey rendition of the Gershwin classic, “Summertime,” and a previously unreleased recording of their Top 10 R&B hit, “Boot-Leg” (also on the 5-4 setlist). Also featured are The Astors, who perform their 1963 ballad, “What Can It Be,” while Wendy Rene gets the audience moving with her lively “Bar-B-Que” (both previously unreleased).
The evening also includes multiple selections from legendary songwriter and producer David Porter (whose credits would soon include “Hold On, I’m Comin’” and the GRAMMY-winning “Soul Man,” both written for Sam & Dave alongside Isaac Hayes). While Porter wouldn’t release an album of his own for several years, he takes the stage here as a solo act. “The good-looking singer could have probably made a go of it at the time, given the favorable audience reaction,” notes Palao. Highlights include his rare 1965 single “Can’t See You When I Want To,” as well as a heartfelt rendition of Gene Chandler’s “Just Be True” (both recordings make their debut in this collection).
In his liner notes, Palao ponders why these recordings (particularly the 5-4 sets) remained shelved for so long—particularly in an era when concert albums (like James Brown’s bestselling Live at the Apollo) were becoming all the rage. Whether it was sensitivity around the Watts rebellion disputes with Montague, or perhaps a more mundane reason as the label became busier, these performances certainly deserve to be heard again. 60 years later, they are just as electrifying. As Palao sums it up, “The 5-4 Ballroom show still packs the enviable punch of Stax in its prime, performing before its core audience. And the Club Paradise set reveals further, fascinating perspective upon this timeless tributary of American popular music.”
Click here to pre-order/pre-save Stax Revue: Live in ’65!
Stax Revue: Live in ’65! Tracklist (2-LP):
Club Paradise
A1. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Green Onions
A2. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Boot-Leg*
A3. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – You Can’t Sit Down
A4. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Summertime
B1. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Soul Twist
B2. David Porter – Just Be True*
B3. David Porter – Can’t See You When I Want To*
B4. The Astors – What Can It Be*
B5. Wendy Rene – Bar-B-Q*
5-4 Ballroom
C1. The Mar-Keys – Last Night
C2. The Mad Lads – Don’t Have To Shop Around
C3. The Astors – Candy
C4. William Bell – Any Other Way
C5. William Bell – You Don’t Miss Your Water
D1. Carla Thomas – Every Ounce Of Strength
D2. Booker T. & The M.G.’S – Boot-Leg
D3. Wilson Pickett – In The Midnight Hour*
D4. Rufus Thomas – Walking The Dog
*Previously unreleased.
Stax Revue: Live in ’65! Tracklist (2-CD/Digital):
Disc 1: Club Paradise
1. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Green Onions
2. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Boot-Leg*
3. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – You Can’t Sit Down
4. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Summertime
5. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Soul Twist
6. The Astors – What Can It Be*
7. David Porter – I’ll Be Doggone*
8. David Porter – Just Be True*
9. David Porter – Out Of Sight*
10. David Porter – Can’t See You When I Want To*
11. Wendy Rene – Bar-B-Q*
Disc 2: 5-4 Ballroom
1. The Mar-Keys – Last Night
2. The Mad Lads – Don’t Have To Shop Around
3. The Astors – Candy
4. William Bell – Any Other Way
5. William Bell – You Don’t Miss Your Water
6. Carla Thomas – Every Ounce Of Strength
7. Booker T. & The M.G.’s – Boot-Leg
8. Wilson Pickett – In The Midnight Hour*
9. Rufus Thomas – Walking The Dog
10. Rufus Thomas – The Dog*
*Previously unreleased.
