Watch the documentary, experience the legacy of HBO's STAX Documentary
Nominated for two Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series!
HBO's Stax: Soulsville, USA documentary debuted May 20, 2024. Archival footage, interviews spanning decades, and iconic vocal performances by Stax artists including Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave, Booker T and the MGs, The Staple Singers, The Bar-Kays and Rufus and Carla Thomas tell the story of the global soul music explosion: a revolution ignited around Stax Records in the Memphis neighborhood that would come to be known as Soulsville.
In four parts, the documentary explores the music, artists and studio executives behind the creative movement that caught on worldwide. But it also explores the unique conditions in Memphis, and the nation, that were catching at the time: an era of civil rights pain and progress forever entwined with the period's popular music, and soul music in particular. Curious about the Memphis locations you see in the documentary? Scroll for an itinerary to help you plan your set-jetting visit.
Clockwise from top left: Outside the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel; outside the Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum; live music on Beale Street; inside the hall of records at the Stax Museum of American Soul Music
Ready to plan a Memphis #Soultrip inspired by HBO's Stax: Soulsville USA documentary? Start here:
- Visit the epicenter: The Stax Museum of American Soul Music stands on the original site of Stax Records and packs in A/V stations and artifacts including Isaac Hayes' Cadillac.
- Beale Street was once the heart of Black Memphis life. Tour the street's Memphis Rock 'n' Soul Museum, where the city's historical and musical roots blend together, and request the Beale Street audio walking tour to imagine what Beale Street was like at the turn of the 20th century. (Today, it's still a great place to catch nightly live music at dozens of clubs and outdoor venues like W.C. Handy Park.)
- Find more ways to experience the legacy of Memphis soul stars and other music legends connected to the city.
- The Stax Records story is entwined with the civil rights story of Memphis and the U.S. at large. Tour the National Civil Rights Museum for interactive exhibits and A/V stations built into the Lorraine Motel, where Stax artists once congregated to create and relax, and where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his homebase in Memphis. Memphis is home to seven additional sites on the U.S. Civil Rights Trail to further your exploration.
- Beyond Beale Street, you can experience live music every day in Memphis. Follow our concert calendar, check this guide to Memphis music venues and keep an eye on the Overton Park Shell lineup, which in 2024, is presenting free concerts from the Stax Music Academy (June 29) and The Bar-Kays (Sept. 28).
Watch the official trailer for HBO's documentary Stax: Soulsville USA, winner of the SXSW Film & TV Festival 2024 "TV Premiere Audience Award," and visit the official page here.
