Jim Stewart (music)
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| Jim Stewart | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 29, 1930 |
| Origin | Middleton, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Soul |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, record executive |
| Instrument(s) | Violin |
| Years active | 1957 – 1975 |
| Label(s) | Stax |
Jim Stewart (born July 29, 1930), was a record company executive and producer who co-founded Stax Records.
[edit] Biography
A native of Middleton, Tennessee, Stewart was a part-time fiddle player who moved to Memphis, Tennessee and joined a local country music group called the Canyon Cowboys. Stewart worked days as a banker at Union Planters Bank. In 1957, Stewart launched his own record label, then called Satellite Records, which issued country music records. His sister, Estelle Axton, mortgaged her home to invest in her brother's venture by buying an Ampex 300 tape recorder. In 1959, the label moved into the former Capitol Theatre in Memphis. The auditorium was converted to studio space and the stage converted to a control room. To save money, Stewart did not level the floor. This created unique acoustics, which showed up in the recordings made there. After Stax went bankrupt in 1976, Stewart kept a low profile and intensely protected his privacy. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, he sent his two granddaughters to the induction ceremony to accept the award on his behalf.
