The speaker was James 'Jim' Stewart, president of Stax-Volt Records, as he watched Otis Redding and the Stax Orchestra during a recording session.

The song was "Grooving Time" written by Otis and Steve Cropper. Steve, on guitar, also was producer. Al Jackson hunched over the drums, Wayne Jackson and Ben Cauley mouthed the trumpets, Booker T. (Jones) beat the piano silly, Andrew Love was on sax and Donald 'Duck' Dunn plucked the bass

"Dot dot dit dit." Otis, on a high stool surrounded by the other musicians, punctuated the beat with his right hand, forefinger extended.

* * *

"We are putting together an album and as many singles as we can," Mr. Stewart said. "Then we'll put out the best on a Volt label."

"You played it right," Steve said, "but there's something wrong with it."

"They're rehearsing the song and writing the horn lines and getting the rhythm pattern," Mr.Stewart said. "The music is conceived right on the set. That's the difference in how we record here and how it's done in New York. There, they play from the music. Here, it comes from...well, we call it soul."

Otis and band stopped to discuss the number, from time to time each instrument sounding a few notes. They piled up the notes just as a brick layer piles up bricks in building a house.

* * *

Steve gave directions while Otis beat out the rhythm he wanted drummer Jackson to sound.

"Da de da da...zum zum zum..."

"Bop bob de pop," went the drums.

"1 2 3 4-1..." called Steve.

The horns tried the beat. They talked about it and tried again.

It was 4 o'clock when Mr. Stewart said, "I guess we're ready to take one."

Otis went to a mike in a little plywood stall, the horns retreated to another mike in a partitioned-off stall, and The Memphis Sound flowed.

At the finish, Otis stuck his head out and said, "They didn't come in right at the fadeout."

They tried the fadeout over.

This time, Mr. Stewart said, "Let's try another. 'Grooving Time' is not quite grooving."

They tried again and listened to the playback.

All in all, it was a long session.

* * *

Ardent Studio, at 1457 National, is putting in a new eight track recording machine. Terry Manning of Ardent said this will be one of the first eight-track recorders between New York and Hollywood. "It will cost about $14,000," Mr. Manning said, "and will give greater freedom to mix instruments up and down, and also in over-dubbing."