The Bo-Keys

Originating in Memphis, the retro-soul outfit known as the Bo-Keys began in 1998 after musician Scott Bomar received an assignment to assemble backing players for Sir Mack Rice. Intent on recapturing the city’s 1960s golden era of Stax/Volt, American Sound Studios, and Hi Records, Bomar recruited scene veterans Ben Cauley, Charles "Skip" Pitts, Howard Grimes, and Archie "Hubie" Turner. Although personnel shifted over time, the ensemble’s deep soulful approach stayed constant. Their command of authentic Memphis style led to numerous studio sessions for other artists as well as appearances in film and television productions seeking genuine period flavor.

Following the initial Mack Rice engagement, Bomar kept the Bo-Keys active, refining the roster for ongoing live performances. Their first full-length release, The Royal Sessions, arrived in 2004. Greater visibility came the next year when they supplied the score for the Terrence Howard–led hip-hop drama Hustle and Flow. That exposure opened doors to additional Hollywood work, among them the 2008 feature Soul Men starring Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. The soundtrack included the Bomar-produced Anthony Hamilton track “Soul Music,” which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance. In 2010 the group supported Cyndi Lauper on her Memphis Blues album, again produced by Bomar.

The Bo-Keys’ sophomore album, Got to Get Back, surfaced in 2011. Between 2012 and 2013 they issued a trilogy of EPs: Writing on the Wall, I Need More Than One Lifetime, and The Dark End of the Street. Their next major statement arrived with the 2016 album Heartaches by the Number, an homage to country-soul.