Video: Al Bell
HTML 5 accessible player with share button. This is the player we use on AIGA.org.
Filmed on: October 8, 2009
About this video
Al Bell welcomes the AIGA Design Conference to Memphis,
Tennessee, a rebellious, innovative river town noted for the founding of
FedEx as well as the country's first self-service grocery store. But
nowhere is this unbridled spirit more evident than in its music
industry—past, present and future. Stax Records, which launched the
likes of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Sam & Dave and dozens of other
music icons, started in a tiny garage and grew to become one of the most
important labels in the world. It thrived in the face of racism,
corporate greed, political corruption and other challenges. But the
creativity that formed the culture of Stax Records lives on today and
its legacy is still changing the world.
Speaker bio
A recording industry legend, Al Bell has been responsible for shaping the
American music scene for over 50 years. Bell started his music career as
an on-air personality in Little Rock, Memphis and Washington, DC, and
soon became chairman of Stax Records and subsequently the president of
Motown Records. His innovative promotional efforts drove the “Memphis
sound” internationally and made Stax the second-largest African
American-owned business in the 1970s. Bell is largely responsible for
the careers of such artists as Booker T and the MG’s, Otis Redding,
William Bell, The Staple Singers, Sam and Dave, Little Milton, Albert
King, Johnnie Taylor, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, The Bar-Kays, The
Dramatics and Richard Pryor. Bell is currently the chairman and CEO of
Al Bell Presents.