Stax Museum of American Soul Music

08/19/2026

We’re back open today during our regular hours! Visit us from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 🎶

08/17/2026

Today, we remember Floyd Newman on what would have been his 95th birthday.

Born in Memphis, Newman built a remarkable career as a baritone saxophonist, session musician and bandleader. He toured with artists including B.B. King and Sam Cooke before becoming a key part of the Stax sound as a member of The Mar-Keys and Memphis Horns.

Newman’s 1918 Conn L61 Baritone Saxophone, purchased by his father for $200 from a Beale Street pawn shop in 1949, was the only sax he played throughout his career. Visitors to the museum can see it on display in Studio A!

08/15/2026

As ⭐Elvis Week⭐ comes to a close in Memphis, we're taking a look back at his connection to our city's music history. At the Stax Museum, we explore the musical roots and influences that came together to create Soul music and R&B, from Gospel, Blues, Country and Jazz, to Rock-n-Roll, a genre forever connected to Memphis and Elvis Presley.

During a temporary exhibit at the museum a few years ago, we had the honor of showcasing this red jacket that Elvis purchased from Lansky 126 in downtown Memphis. He wore it frequently as part of his everyday style, in RCA publicity photos, and on the cover of his “Jailhouse Rock” single. And this fall, we’ll bring even more of the Lansky Bros. story to life with a special exhibit at the museum.

While Elvis’ connection to Stax Records was brief, he did record at Stax twice in 1973, with songs from those sessions appearing on later releases, including “Promised Land” and “If You Talk in Your Sleep.” 🎶

08/08/2026

Tomorrow is Stax Museum's FREE Family Day! Our Director of Education and Youth Development, Bria Saulsberry, and her team have been busy getting everything ready, including packing up school supplies to give away.

Join us for a fun-filled day: Stop by The Soulsville Charter School Gym for the vendor fair and performances from the TSCS Band and Cheer Team, then head to the museum for themed arts and crafts with the Metal Museum and live music from Quéludes in Studio A 🎶

08/07/2026

It felt appropriate on International Beer Day to give a shoutout to our friends at Soul & Spirits Brewery in downtown Memphis, whose continued support of the Stax Museum and Stax Music Academy we're always grateful for.�

Back in 2023, they brewed the special-edition Green Onions IPA to celebrate the Stax Museum's 20th anniversary and the 60th anniversary of the release of Booker T. & the M.G.'s hit, "Green Onions." They've continued to be wonderful partners, recently donating a selection of their brews including Bring It Home, Crosscut, and Spanish Harlem, for future museum events.

Thank you to Blair, Ryan, and the Soul & Spirits team. Cheers! 🍻

08/07/2026

Thank you, Memphis Magazine, for including the Stax Museum among the 50 Memphis Musts and for recognizing Stax Records legends Carla Thomas and David Porter, along with Soulsville Foundation Board Member Alex Turley and CEO Pat Mitchell Worley, in this year's Who's Who list.

We're in good company in a city full of people and places worth celebrating. There's no place like Memphis!

08/06/2026

A little piece of Stax, wherever you go. New items in the gift shop! Visit us Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. 🎶

08/06/2026

We're proud to share this piece from Soulsville Foundation CFO, Elizabeth Montgomery Brown, honoring the legacy of Ardent Studios founder John Fry.

John was an early champion of the vision behind the Soulsville Foundation and the Stax Museum, believing that preserving Memphis music history was just as important as creating it. His impact continues to be felt today.

Read Elizabeth's tribute in The Daily Memphian below.

Opinion: 'As Memphis discusses the future of Ardent Studios, I hope we will spend just as much time remembering why Ardent mattered.'

07/30/2026

Time to shake your tail feather! One of the most interactive stops at the Stax Museum is our Soul Train dance floor.

As former Stax Records co-owner Al Bell once said: "With Soul Train, we saw ourselves looking good and feeling good. And what enhanced it so much was its creator. Don Cornelius was a class act. As African Americans, we saw a strong Black man with dignity, character, and integrity. From a cultural standpoint, it's impossible to measure the impact and influence it has on us. It made us proud to be ourselves. It allowed Stax to expose our music to a larger segment of the population... It allowed us to do in one hour what it would take us to do in six months of touring."

07/29/2026

Happy Birthday, Jim Stewart. Today, we honor the man who put the ST in STAX. The visionary whose love of music helped change the landscape of American music forever. From a small recording studio in South Memphis in 1957, Jim Stewart built more than a record label. He built a community of artists, musicians, songwriters, and dreamers whose work continues to inspire generations.