Stax Museum & Stax Music Academy offer Free Virtual Black History Month Experiences in February 2022

?In February 2022, the Soulsville Foundation’s Stax Music Academy and Stax Museum of American Soul Music in Memphis will present free Black History Month virtual productions for the second time. The events offer two distinct but complementary celebrations of Black American music and are designed to help youth all over the world experience the evolution of American Soul music. Both events will be available globally at no cost but participants must register to receive the links.

Educators around the world are encouraged to share these virtual experiences with as many young people as possible.

REGISTER HERE FOR THE STAX MUSIC ACADEMY VIRTUAL CONCERT

REGISTER HERE FOR THE STAX MUSEUM VIRTUAL TOUR

The Stax Music Academy’s virtual concert,?“SOUL OF AMERICA: An Evolution of Black American Music Presented by Valero Benefit for Children,”?features the Stax Music Academy students as they explore the people, places, politics, economics, and culture that gave birth to Black American Music. In this virtual celebration, they perform a series of videos featuring music from the early sounds through today, with songs from legends like B.B. King, the Pointer Sisters, Ike & Tina Turner, Rufus Thomas, and Duke Ellington, to current pop music titans including Beyonce.

"Even with the ongoing waves of the COVID virus and other?events that continue changing the?world by the day, our Stax Music Academy students still find a great deal of comfort and happiness in studying, creating, rehearsing, and performing music,” said Pat Mitchell Worley, Deputy Director of the Soulsville Foundation and Executive Director of the Stax Music Academy. “In this year's new Black History Month virtual concert that celebrates American?Black music, they have worked diligently?to create a program that young people from all walks of life will enjoy, particularly those whose access to the arts has been?limited because of current?circumstances."

The Stax Museum’s virtual tour,?“MAGNETIC SOUTH: All Signs Point to Soulsville USA Presented by Valero Energy Foundation,”?will focus on the achievements of four Stax Records icons: Mavis Staples of the Staple Singers, promotions man and eventual label owner Al Bell, songwriter/recording artist Bettye Crutcher, and Booker T. & the M.G.'s drummer Al Jackson, Jr. These unique stories will be told in vignettes featuring Memphis musicians Tonya Dyson, Keia Johnson, and Terence Clark, and actor Kenon Walker.

In addition to the new Stax Museum virtual tour, we will host an in-person Black History Month Kick-Off Event on Thursday, February 3 from 7-9 pm during which we will premier the new virtual film, have live music, and actor Kenon Walker will interview former Stax Records owner Al Bell. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS.

"While we celebrate the accomplishments of African American musicians, singers, writers, and producers every day at the Stax Museum, our virtual Black History Month presentation provides a way for us to take a deeper look at some of the individuals whose contributions at Stax helped shape the history of Memphis, Tennessee," said Jeff Kollath, Executive Director of the Stax Museum. "Ultimately, those changes were felt throughout the United States and the world so this is one more opportunity for the museum to reinforce the rich legacy of Stax Records and the people who helped make it so influential."

Study guides and other activities will accompany the Black History Month productions.

Due to the COVID pandemic, the Stax Museum and Stax Music Academy offered similar virtual experiences in February 2021. More than 130,000 students and adults from around the world viewed the programs.?

In addition to our presenting sponsor for the virtual experiences, Valero Benefit for Children, other sponsors include Newberry Tanks, Southeast Asset Management, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, International Paper, J.P. Morgan Chase Bank, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tennessee Valley Authority, Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Adams Keegan, and Choose901.