by CHRIS RIEMENSCHNEIDER

via Star Tribune

"Green Onions" Booker T. & the MGs (1962)

"Soul Man" Sam & Dave (1967)

"(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" Otis Redding (1968)

"Theme From Shaft" Isaac Hayes (1971)

"I'll Take You There" Staple Singers (1972)

FAMOUS STAX SONGS COVERED BY OTHER ARTISTS

"Respect," Otis Redding (redone by Aretha Franklin)

"What a Man," Linda Lyndell (Salt-N-Pepa & En Vogue)

"Wrap It Up," Sam & Dave (Fabulous Thunderbirds)

"That's How Strong My Love Is," Redding (Rolling Stones)

"I Can't Turn You Loose," Redding (Blues Brothers' theme)

"I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down," Sam & Dave (Elvis Costello)

"I Thank You," Sam & Dave (ZZ Top)

"Hard to Handle," Redding (Black Crowes)

THE MAKING OF...

"(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay," remembered by Steve Cropper: "Probably the toughest job of my whole life was mixing that record. I did it in a 24-hour period. They still hadn't found Otis yet. That was tough. I'm not even sure why I said yes. They called and said, 'We've got to get a record out on Otis real quick. What have you got?' I started it on a Tuesday morning, put it on a plane on Wednesday. They didn't find Otis' body until that Friday, I think. So it's not always fun to reminisce about 'Dock of the Bay.' "

"Hot Buttered Soul," by Isaac Hayes: "I figured out what I had to say couldn't be said in 2 minutes, 30 seconds. So I just went off. [Stax president] Al Bell said, 'Do what you wanna do,' and that's what I did. I told the musicians what I was going for, they played it, and then I ended it. That's the record."

"Knock on Wood," by Eddie Floyd: "We came up with the title of it first. I didn't know it at that time, but Steve actually took 'In the Midnight Hour,' turned the chords around in reverse, and that's 'Knock on Wood.' So getting the lyrics together, I told him the story about being from Montgomery, Ala., and how the storms are, 'Thunder and lightning and so frightening you'd hide under the bed. ... ' "

FAVORITE HIDDEN GEMS ON THE LABEL

Isaac Hayes: "Some of the Luther (Guitar Junior) Johnson records. He did a lot of good songs that me and David [Porter] wrote. I think some of those songs got lost."

Deanie Parker (longtime Stax publicist): " 'Live Wire Blues Power,' by Albert King. You gotta get that record! But fasten your seat belt before you put it on."

Steve Cropper: "The 'Jammed Together' album [featuring Cropper, Albert King and Pop Staples]. Even when I listen to it, I can't believe we were never in the studio at the same time. That record was all overdubs. It worked well."

Duck Dunn: "I think Otis' version of 'Respect' deserves more respect. I heard that Paul McCartney based 'Drive My Car' off my bass line in that song. I hope that's true."

THE STAX MUSEUM

Officially dubbed the Stax Museum of American Soul Music (unofficially: Soulsville, U.S.A.), it has become a shrine for rock and R&B fans. It opened in 2003 on the demolished site of Stax Records, at 926 E. McLemore Av. in Memphis, with the old theater marquee and even the recording studio resurrected. Inside, there's a colorful and absolutely electric array of displays on the label's history. When visiting Memphis, true music nuts go to Soulsville before Graceland. Web: www.soulsvilleusa.com