Son Of Shaft / Sang And Dance
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Album Summary
The Bar-Kays were deep in their groove during one of the most fertile periods in Memphis music history when they laid down 'Son Of Shaft / Sang And Dance' in 1971. Released on Volt Records — that magnificent subsidiary of the legendary Stax Records family right there in Memphis, Tennessee — this single arrived at the precise moment when Isaac Hayes' 'Shaft' soundtrack was setting the whole country on fire. The Bar-Kays, already battle-tested as some of the tightest musicians in the Stax stable, brought their brass-heavy, rhythm-locked sound to bear on a record that felt both timely and unmistakably their own. It was the kind of release that could only come out of Memphis, soaked in that city's soul tradition but pointing hard toward the harder-edged funk that was reshaping Black music in the new decade.
Reception
- The single found its footing on the R&B charts, riding the wave of 'Shaft' fever that had gripped Black music audiences across the country following the blockbuster film's release that same year.
- Funk and soul radio audiences embraced the record as an energetic and credible entry into the Shaft cultural moment, though the release carried more weight as a single than as a broader commercial statement.
- Critical notice was measured at the time, as the Bar-Kays were still viewed largely through the lens of their Stax session and touring work rather than as headline recording artists — though their reputation for tightness as a band was never in question.
Significance
- 'Son Of Shaft' stands as a vivid document of the early 1970s tradition of artists recording response and tribute records to blaxploitation film themes, a testament to just how deeply those soundtracks had burrowed into the heart of Black popular culture.
- The release underscores Memphis funk's essential role in shaping the sonic vocabulary of the blaxploitation era, with the Bar-Kays serving as a living bridge between the classic soul tradition and the harder, more percussive grooves that were rising to the surface.
- As part of the Bar-Kays' early 1970s output on Volt, this single reflects the broader creative vitality of the Stax ecosystem during a period when Memphis was still one of the undisputed capitals of Black American music.
Samples
- "Son Of Shaft" — one of the Bar-Kays' most sampled recordings, with its driving groove and brass stabs drawn upon by hip-hop producers across multiple decades, cementing its place as a touchstone of the genre's crate-digging tradition.
Tracklist
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A Son Of Shaft —
3:20
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B Sang And Dance —
3:07
Artist Details
The Bar-Kays are a funk and soul powerhouse that rose up out of Memphis, Tennessee in the mid-1960s, originally coming together as the house band for Stax Records and backing the legendary Otis Redding before tragedy struck in 1967 when most of the original members perished in the same plane crash that took Redding himself. The group rebuilt, reinvented, and came roaring back into the 1970s with a harder, grittier funk sound that put them right in the pocket alongside the heaviest grooves of the era, earning them a devoted following with cuts that made dance floors shake from coast to coast. Their survival and reinvention stands as one of the most remarkable comeback stories in Black music history, cementing their legacy not just as musicians, but as a testament to resilience and the enduring spirit of Memphis soul.
