Booker T. Jones & Sam Moore to be joined by Tom Jones, Beverley Knight & Ruby Turner for BBC Prom


Original Stax artists Booker T. Jones and Sam Moore to be joined by Sir Tom Jones, Beverley Knight, James Morrison and Ruby Turner for Late Night BBC Prom

The BBC Proms has today announced that Stax legends Booker T. Jones and Sam Moore will appear alongside Sir Tom Jones, a longtime fan and interpreter of the Stax songbook, Beverley Knight, James Morrison and Ruby Turner at this year’s festival, as part of a star studded line-up for the Late Night Prom, The Sound of Soul: Stax Records (Friday 1 September).

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Stax/Volt Revue’s first tour of the UK, Booker T. Jones and Sam Moore, both of whom were part of the 1967 tour, will join previously announced Stax artists William Bell, Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd in a concert underpinned by Jools Holland And His Rhythm And Blues Orchestra.

Performing tracks such as (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay, Soul Man (marking 50 years since its release) and Private Number, they come together to pay tribute to the Memphis-based record label, founded in 1957 and synonymous with Southern Soul - a distinctive blend of funk, gospel and R & B championed by the likes of Otis Redding, Rufus Thomas and the Staple Singers.

As for every Prom, around 1,000 Promming (standing) tickets will be made available on the day of the concert, priced just £6, and available to buy in person from the Royal Albert Hall (with a limited number available online between 9am-noon). Advance tickets are sold out (returns only). The concert will be broadcast at 10.15pm on Friday 1 September on BBC Radio 3 and BBC Four and on BBC Radio 2 on Friday 15 September at 8pm.

The 2017 BBC Proms begins on Friday 14 July and runs until Saturday 9 September, presenting over eight weeks of world-class music making from a vast array of leading orchestras, conductors and soloists from the UK and around the world. Visit the BBC Proms website for full information about the season.

Jools Holland says: “Over the years on my TV shows it’s always been a personal joy and honour to welcome some of the great artists who started with Stax. Now I’m over the moon because the visionary bigwigs at the BBC have seen fit to give us a Prom at the Royal Albert Hall celebrating Stax music. I have invited British greats Sir Tom Jones, Beverley Knight, James Morrison and Ruby Turner to join me and my Orchestra and most importantly some of the legendary surviving Stax artists who are old friends. Please join us on the BBC for an evening of some of the greatest music to have made it out of Memphis.”

Steve Cropper says: “I am overwhelmed and grateful that the Proms are honoring Stax/Volt for a 50th reunion of the Stax/Volt tour in 1967. I still can't forget those who are not with us anymore: Wayne Jackson, Andrew Love (The Memphis Horns), Al Jackson (drums), Donald Duck Dunn (bass), Phil Walden (manager), Tom Dowd (engineer and producer), artists Dave Prater, Arthur Conley and Otis Redding. I am reminded how well the Stax music of the 60's still holds up - we have been playing most of it live for over 50 years.”

Booker T. Jones says: “I am so happy to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Stax's European Tour with good friends! The music onstage will tell the wonderful story!”

Sir Tom Jones says: “I’ve always sung soul and I’ve always loved Stax. I sang Otis Redding’s (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay on my television show in 1969 and I intend to sing it at this Prom again! I loved Otis and Sam Moore, Steve Cropper and the whole Stax crew and I’m really looking forward to playing with them at the Albert Hall alongside my old friend Jools Holland and his great Rhythm And Blues Orchestra, together with Beverley Knight and James Morrison. It’s guaranteed be a great night!”

Beverley Knight says: “Having recently made an album in Memphis, the home of Stax as well as world famous studios like Royal and Sun, I am especially very excited to be a part of the BBC Proms’ celebration of Stax. To be sharing the stage with legends such William Bell and Sam Moore will be a huge honour for me and we will be bringing you energy, funk and a whole lot of soul!”

Sam Moore says "I never imagined I'd be coming across the pond to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of one of the most exciting times in my life, the 1967 Stax/Volt Tour. The love and enthusiasm from the British audiences back then was like nothing any of us had ever experienced before. Performing at the Proms now at Royal Albert Hall with some of those we'd influenced is spectacular. I just wish that Otis, Arthur, Al, Duck, Wayne, Andrew and Dave were here to celebrate with us... Maybe they're all looking down and patting their feet to the beat."

James Morrison says: “I couldn’t be more excited and honoured to be taking part in the Stax Prom event. These guys are the legends of music for me, with the most incredible catalogue, songs I grew up loving and listening to endlessly. The chance to perform with these guys makes me feel both nervous and excited in equal parts. I just hope I can do them justice, but I know I’m going to enjoy myself and it will be an incredible night. Christmas comes early this year for me!”

July 3, 2017 7:32am ET by BBC Radio 2  

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