The Bar-Kays - Let's Have Some Fun 7" (1977)

The Bar-Kay's are one of those bands who most people are familiar with but can't quite say why. The reason is they performed on a lot of Stax records coming out of Memphis during the late 60's and 70's. The band originally formed in Memphis in 1966 as a session group backing Stax artists and in 1967, were chosen by Otis Redding to play as his backing band on tour. On December 10, 1967, tragedy struck when on their way to perform in Madison Wisconsin, Redding and four of the band members died in a plane crash. The surviving two members rebuilt the band and went on to continue backing major Stax acts including Isaac Hayes on Hot Buttered Soul.

The early 70's saw the Bar-Kayes move in a new, funkier direction. With the departure of the original trumpeter Ben Cauley in 1971 and the introduction of funk guitarist Lloyd Smith in 1973, the Bar-Kays shifted grooves and established themselves on Mercury Records - which is a notable moment in the progression from soul to funk. This 45 features their super funky 1978 hit, "Let's Have Some Fun" which peaked at #11 on the US R&B charts.

Ripped @320 kbps


Interesting fact: Rapper "Jazze Pha" is the son of Bar-Kay's bassist James Alexander and is named after his late band mate Phalon Jones, who died in the crash.

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