(June 17, 2022) You can track the evolution of R&B and soul music history by following the arc of the Bar-Kays’ history. They were one of the house bands at the legendary Stax Records and they had their share of hits as an instrumental band, including the smash “Soul Finger.” The Bar Kays worked as Otis Redding’s backing band and several members were on that fateful flight in December 1967 when the plane they were riding from Cleveland to Wisconsin crashed into a lake, killing Redding and most of the band’s members.
Trumpeter Ben Cauley, the only survivor on the ill-fated plane, and bass player James Alexander, who flew on a different plane, remade the band. The Bar-Kays evolved from being one of the groups that crafted the Memphis Sound to becoming a self-contained funk band, and they were one of the biggest funk bands of that era.
(June 17, 2022) You can track the evolution of R&B and soul music history by following the arc of the Bar-Kays’ history. They were one of the house bands at the legendary Stax Records and they had their share of hits as an instrumental band, including the smash “Soul Finger.” The Bar Kays worked as Otis Redding’s backing band and several members were on that fateful flight in December 1967 when the plane they were riding from Cleveland to Wisconsin crashed into a lake, killing Redding and most of the band’s members.
Trumpeter Ben Cauley, the only survivor on the ill-fated plane, and bass player James Alexander, who flew on a different plane, remade the band. The Bar-Kays evolved from being one of the groups that crafted the Memphis Sound to becoming a self-contained funk band, and they were one of the biggest funk bands of that era.
Highly adaptable, the Bar-Kays moved from Memphis Soul to movie soundtrack funk, cutting the tune “Son of Shaft” in 1972, to dancefloor funk tunes like “Move Your Boogie Body,” “Holy Ghost,” the 1980s synth funk of “Freakshow” and one of the best slow jams of that era with “Anticipation.”
The Bar-Kays have endured more than their share of the ups, downs, triumphs and tragedies, but they have returned with a new song “Choosey Lover.” It is not a remake of the Isley Brothers hit by the same name, although the track definitely has an early 1980s vibe with a percussive arrangement that alludes to “Juicy Fruit.” The Bar Kays “Choosey Lover” describes a woman who is selective and who will not give a guy a second chance to make that great first impression. Check out the Bar-Kays new jam here.
By Howard Dukes
The Bar-Kays – “Choosey Lover”