Bar-Kays

Following the fatal 1967 plane crash that took four founding members along with Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays regrouped and established themselves among the leading R&B ensembles of the seventies. Originally a Memphis instrumental unit, the group notched an R&B success on Volt via the energetic 1967 release “Soul Finger.” Guitarist Jimmy King, organist Ronnie Caldwell, drummer Carl Cunningham, and saxophonist Phalon Jones died with Redding, leaving trumpeter Ben Cauley and bassist James Alexander to rebuild the lineup. After sharpening their skills through session duties at Stax, the reconstituted Bar-Kays launched an extended run of R&B successes in 1976 with Mercury’s “Shake Your Rump to the Funk,” achieving a durability few would have foreseen for the label’s onetime second-tier house band.

The Bar-Kays originated in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1964, evolving from a local ensemble known as the Imperials. Drawing inspiration from established Memphis soul instrumental acts such as the Mar-Keys and Booker T. & the MG’s, the initial lineup comprised guitarist Jimmy King (distinct from the noted blues artist), trumpeter Ben Cauley, organist Ronnie Caldwell, saxophonist Phalon Jones, bassist James Alexander, and drummer Carl Cunningham. Selecting a playful variation on their preferred rum brand, Bacardi, the musicians performed extensively in Memphis and attracted Stax/Volt’s interest, leading to a contract in early 1967. Assisted by house drummer Al Jackson, Jr., the label prepared the sextet as an alternate studio ensemble to relieve Booker T. & the MG’s when needed. That spring they recorded their debut single, “Soul Finger,” a lively instrumental highlighted by neighborhood children chanting its title. The track climbed to the pop Top 20 and peaked at number three on the R&B chart, raising the group’s profile, though the follow-up “Give Everybody Some” only reached the lower R&B Top 40. Producer Allen Jones took notice, becoming their manager and advisor, while Otis Redding selected them as his regular touring unit that summer.

Tragedy occurred on December 10, 1967, when Redding’s plane plunged into frozen Lake Monona en route to Madison, Wisconsin, killing the singer, his road manager, and four Bar-Kays members. Only trumpeter Ben Cauley survived, while bassist James Alexander had stayed behind; together they undertook the difficult work of reassembling the band. Compounding the setback, the original lineup’s final single, a version of the Beatles’ “A Hard Day’s Night,” received scant attention. With Allen Jones’s guidance, Cauley and Alexander recruited guitarist Michael Toles, keyboardist Ronnie Gordon, saxophonist Harvey Henderson, and drummers Roy Cunningham and Willie Hall. Their early recordings echoed the prior sound, and they served as the house band for numerous Stax/Volt sessions while also supporting Isaac Hayes on his landmark 1969 album Hot Buttered Soul. Still unable to score their own hit, Cunningham and Gordon departed in 1970, the latter replaced on keyboards by Winston Stewart.

The 1971 album Black Rock introduced the Bar-Kays’ first lead vocalist, Larry Dodson, and blended psychedelic-tinged rock and funk elements reminiscent of Sly & the Family Stone and Funkadelic. After contributing to Isaac Hayes’s hit Shaft soundtrack, Cauley and Toles joined his permanent backing group, making way for trumpeter Charles “Scoop” Allen and guitarist Vernon Burch. This configuration pursued a more mainstream funk approach, achieving a modest success with the playful reinterpretation of Jimi Hendrix’s “Foxy Lady” titled “Copy Cat.” Its successor, the similarly lighthearted “Son of Shaft,” became their first Top Ten R&B entry since “Soul Finger” in 1972. That summer the band delivered a strong performance at Wattstax, yet commercial progress stalled as Stax/Volt approached bankruptcy in 1975.

With the addition of guitarist Lloyd Smith (who arrived after Burch’s 1973 exit), drummer Michael Beard, and trombonist Frank Thompson, the Bar-Kays moved to Mercury in 1976 and entered their most commercially active period. Writing much of their own material and incorporating synthesizers, their Mercury debut Too Hot to Stop succeeded largely on the strength of the major R&B single “Shake Your Rump to the Funk.” They strengthened their position by touring extensively as openers for George Clinton’s P-Funk collective, absorbing that freewheeling style while adapting readily to disco. The next release, 1977’s Flying High on Your Love, earned the group’s first gold certification, and the 1978 Fantasy compilation Money Talks yielded another Top Ten hit with “Holy Ghost.” Drummer Sherman Guy and keyboardist Mark Bynum joined thereafter, initiating a sequence of successful albums: 1979’s Injoy (containing the Top Five R&B single “Move Your Boogie Body”), 1980’s As One, 1981’s Nightcruising (producing “Hit and Run” and “Freaky Behavior”), and 1982’s Propositions (featuring “Do It (Let Me See You Shake)” and “She Talks to Me with Her Body”). All except As One attained gold status.

Sherman Guy and Charles Allen exited in 1983, signaling a shift toward the urban contemporary sound of the early eighties. The 1984 album Dangerous delivered one of their biggest successes, “Freakshow on the Dancefloor,” along with additional R&B chart entries “Dirty Dancer” and “Sex-O-Matic.” Their style grew increasingly imitative, and although they continued recording for Mercury until 1989, shifting tastes ended their string of hits. By 1987 only Larry Dodson, Harvey Henderson, and Winston Stewart remained; Allen Jones died of a heart attack that year, and the group achieved its final Top Ten R&B placement with “Certified True.” Upon completing their Mercury contract they disbanded with the 1988 release Animal. Dodson and original bassist James Alexander briefly reformed the Bar-Kays for the 1994 album 48 Hours on the independent Basix label.