Stax Museum Opens Its Doors

Soul greats Isaac Hayes, BOOKER T AND THE MGS, Wilson Pickett, SOLOMON BURKE and Al Green will join rapper Chuck D to mark the opening of the STAX MUSEUM OF AMERICAN SOUL tonight (30APR03).

The performers will take to the stage at Memphis, Tennessee's ORPHEUM THEATER for the soul extravaganza.

The new museum, which opens officially tomorrow on the site of the legendary STAX RECORDS, will include more than 2,000 pieces of memorabilia including a replica of the label's famed Studio A with instruments donated by the MGs and a powder blue Cadillac once owned by Hayes.

Most of Stax's 300 albums and 800 singles, by Otis Redding and others, will be on display, as will video features with testimony by Bono, Aerosmith and others.

Stax songwriter DAVID PORTER says, "The place almost brings me to tears. It's full of so many wonderful memories - the outfits, the songs, the film, everything."