Now in their sixth decade, The Bar-Kays’ place in the R&B pantheon is assured.  From the Memphis soul stew of their first single “Soul Finger” in 1967 through the funk-drenched workouts of the 1970s, the common factors have been the band’s authenticity, grit, and musicianship.  Now, the full story of the band has been told on Cherry Red and Robinsongs’ recent release The Definitive Collection, a 3-CD, 46-song anthology spanning their 1967-1989 recordings on the Stax/Volt and Mercury labels.

Unimaginable tragedy struck the band early in their career.  The Bar-Kays got their start at Stax Records and had just scored a hit single on the label (the brash, brassy dancer “Soul Finger,” a Billboard No. 3 R&B/No. 17 Pop hit) when tragedy struck on December 10, 1967.  Four members of the band – Jimmy King, Ronnie Caldwell, Phalon Jones, and Carl Cunningham – perished in the same plane crash that took the life of Stax superstar Otis Redding.  Trumpeter Ben Cauley was the lone survivor of the crash.  He and bassist James Alexander – who had been on a different plane – determined to carry on in honor of their fallen comrades.  In addition to backing Isaac Hayes at Stax, the reconstituted group recorded for the label through 1974; the first eight tracks on CD 1 of The Definitive Collection draw upon their Stax years including the David Porter-produced “Sang and Dance,” the socially conscious “Six O’Clock News Report,” and Hayes-inspired “Son of Shaft,” a No. 10 R&B hit.  At Stax, the band brought in rock elements and in doing so, stood out from their Stax family members.  “We didn’t want to be Johnnie Taylor.  We didn’t want to be Rufus Thomas,” commented singer Larry Dodson in Christian John Wikane’s comprehensive liner notes for this release.

When Stax shuttered amidst grave financial troubles, The Bar-Kays (now sans Ben Cauley, who departed the ranks in 1971) moved onto Mercury Records and re-established themselves in an urban funk-disco mold with an eight-member line-up.  The stylistic and label shifts worked.  “Shake Your Rump to the Funk” from their Mercury debut Too Hot to Stop earned the band its biggest hit since “Soul Finger” when it went to No. 23 on the Hot 100 and No. 5 on the R&B survey.  While the Bar-Kays’ bread and butter were its irresistible funk grooves, they also made room for ballads, too, which won over their listeners’ hearts as well.

Their albums sampled on The Definitive Collection featured talented behind-the-scenes personnel including Motown veteran arranger Paul Riser and Stax producer Allen A. Jones.  Inspired by Rick James, they branched out into concept albums with 1981’s Nightcruising as they continued to rack up successful chart albums and major R&B hits like “Hit and Run,” “Do It,” and “Freakshow on the Dance Floor.”  The ’80s’ new technology wasn’t lost on the ever-adaptable band, either.  They had begun incorporating electronic sounds with Nightcruising, and techno-funk soon became the order of the day.  Always able to take inspiration from their colleagues and turn into something new, the band’s Michael Jackson-influenced “Dirty Dancer” and Prince-inspired “Sexomatic” both charted within the top 20 R&B.

1987’s Contagious marked major changes within the group.  Bassist James Alexander departed after two decades for what would turn out to be a five-year hiatus.  Allen E. Jones sadly passed away that year, but not before bringing his magic touch to a number of the album’s tracks.  The album’s “Certified True,” produced by R.J. “The Wiz,” gave The Bar-Kays another top 10 R&B hit.  A slimmed-down quartet line-up recorded their final Mercury album, 1989’s Animal.  Two tracks from the LP close out this collection.

Since leaving Mercury, the band has recorded five more albums and continued to perform, including at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration.  In 2017, Larry Dodson (now retired from the group) released an autobiography, and he’s generously shared his thoughts for Wikane’s exemplary essay.  The Definitive Collection‘s 24-page booklet also includes album and single artwork as well as credits for each track, but sadly, discographical annotation is missing.  Alan Wilson, who has remastered Robinsongs’ previous Bar-Kays album reissues, is credited with remastering here, as well.

The Definitive Collection, housed in a four-panel digipak, is an absorbing survey of a legendary band’s transformation from Memphis soul to funk, disco, dance, and beyond.   It’s available now from Cherry Red and Robinsongs at the links below!

Bar-Kays, The Definitive Collection (Robinsongs/Cherry Red ROBIN37CDT, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1`

1. Soul Finger
2. Bar-Kays Boogaloo
3. Don’t Stop Dancing (To The Music)
4. Sang and Dance
5. Son of Shaft
6. Six O’Clock News Report
7. Money Talks
8. Holy Ghost
9. Too Hot to Stop
10. Shake Your Rump to the Funk
11. Cozy
12. Spellbound
13. Whitehouseorgy
14. Standing on the Outside
15. Attitudes
16. Shut the Funk Up
17. Let’s Have Some Fun

CD 2

1. Give It Up
2. Get Up ‘n Do It
3. I Lean on You/You Lean on Me
4. Shine
5. I’ll Dance
6. Move Your Boogie Body
7. Up in Here
8. Today Is the Day
9. Running In and Out of My Life
10. Boogie Body Land
11. Body Fever
12. Freaky Behavior
13. Traffic Jammer
14. Hit and Run
15. Nightcruising
16. Busted

CD 3

1. She Talks to Me with Her Body
2. Do It (Let Me See You Shake)
3. Anticipation
4. Sexomatic
5. Dirty Dancer
6. Freakshow on the Dance Floor
7. Your Place or Mine
8. Banging the Walls
9. Contagious
10. Certified True
11. Don’t Hang Up
12. Animal
13. Struck by You