Estelle Axton
Estelle Axton (born September 11, 1918 , Middleton, Tennessee ; † February 25, 2004 , Memphis ) was an American entrepreneur and, together with her brother Jim Stewart , the founder of Stax Records .
Life
Axton grew up on a farm and later went to Memphis to train as a teacher. She married Everett Axton and was working in a bank when her brother Jim Stewart suggested she work at Satellite Records . Satellite should host local country and rockabilly artists. She took out a mortgage on her house and became an equal partner with Satellite Records. In 1960 they converted the Capitol Theater, a former cinema in a black part of Memphis, into a recording studio and record shop.
They changed the name of their company to Stax Records ( ST ewart AX ton ) because there was a company of the same name in Los Angeles. They started making recordings mostly with black artists (e.g. Rufus Thomas , Otis Redding , Booker T. & the MG's and Isaac Hayes ).
In 1968 the founders sold Stax Records to the film company Gulf & Western . In 1970 the siblings bought the company back, but in 1975 they had to declare bankruptcy. The master tapes were bought by Fantasy Records for $ 1.3 million. She was also the 1973 founder of the Memphis Songwriters Association, an association designed to support local songwriters. Axton founded Fretone Records in 1977 with which she had a big hit.
In 2004, the co-founder of Memphis Soul died at the age of 85.
Web links
- History of Rock - Stax Records (Engl.)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Axton, Estelle |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American entrepreneur, founder of Stax Records |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 11, 1918 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Middleton, Tennessee |
| DATE OF DEATH | February 25, 2004 |
| Place of death | Memphis , Tennessee |