The Bar-Kays
Jimmy King (b. 1949; guitar), Ronnie Caldwell (b. 1948; organ), Phalin Jones (b. 1949; saxophone), Ben Cauley (b. 1947; trumpet), James Alexander (bass) and Carl Cunningham (b. 1949; drums) were originally known as the River Arrows. Signed to Stax, the Bar-Kays were groomed as that label's second string houseband by Al Jackson, drummer in Booker T. & The MG's. The above sextet scored three R&B hits in 1967, spearheaded by the powerful, nagging instrumental Soul Finger which deservedly crossed over into the US and UK pop charts. The Bar-Kays were employed as Otis Redding's backing group on tour, and the tragic plane crash in 1967, which took his life, also claimed King, Caldwell, Jones and Cunningham. Alexander, who fortuitously missed the flight, put a new line-up together with Ben Cauley, the sole survivor of the accident. The latter musician soon dropped out, leaving the bassist at the helm of a frequently changing line-up. Primarily a session group, the Bar-Kays provided the backing on many releases, including Isaac Hayes's SHAFT and several of Albert King's '70s recordings. The group pursued a funk-based direction on their own releases with the addition of vocalist Larry Dodson, but while Son Of Shaft reached the US R&B Top 10 in 1972, consistent success was only secured on their move to Mercury Records. Later singles, including Shake Your Rump To The Funk (1976), Move Your Boogie Body (1979) and Freakshow On The Dancefloor (1984), were aimed squarely at the disco market. Since 1987 the group has featured Dodson, Harvey Henderson (tenor saxophone) and Winston Stewart (keyboards).