Terry Manning, Key Architect of Stax Records’ Memphis Sound, Dies at 77

Terry Manning, a noted music producer and recording engineer who worked at Memphis’ Stax Records during a transformative time in pop and R&B, died on March 25 due to a heart aneurysm. He was 77.

Famously affiliated with the Memphis studio, where many hits were recorded by the likes of Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, Booker T. & The MG’s, Al Green and Sam & Dave, in addition to other influential acts of the 1960s and 1970s, Manning played a key role in the production team for The Staple Singers, working on such classics as “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There” while at Stax. The melding of the Memphis soul sound with rock and pop was a trademark of his production work, which also marked early and significant commercial collaborations between white and Black musicians.

He went on to work at another iconic studio in the city, Ardent, where Big Star’s seminal 1972 debut #1 Record was recorded (Manning, who became friends with singer Alex Chilton, is featured on keyboards and backing vocals in addition to production), and later was credited on albums by Led Zeppelin (notably, Led Zeppelin III), ZZ Top (including 1983’s Eliminator, which yielded the smash singles “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs”), George Thorogood and Joe Cocker, among many others. In the 1980s, Manning moved to London where he spent time at Abbey Road Studios. In 1992, Island Records founder Chris Blackwell came calling, enlisting Manning to revitalize his Compass Point Studios in Nassau, Bahamas where the likes of Shania Twain, Shakira and Lenny Kravitz would record some of their most successful projects.

Expanding beyond the boards, Manning founded a boutique audio company called Lucas Engineering, which manufactured high-end microphones among other pro products. He was also an accomplished photographer — a hobby that can be traced back to his years at Stax where he chronicled all manner of personalities who passed through the studio and accompanying record store, including candid snapshots of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. the day before his 1968 assassination at a nearby Memphis motel. Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix, Dusty Springfield and Kravitz were also photographed by Manning.

Raised in El Paso, Texas, Manning grew up playing guitar and performing with local musicians, including his friend Bobby Fuller (of “I Fought the Law” fame). He moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where he quickly landed at Stax, the fledgling label founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton. A decade into their music business foray, Stax, which signed a distribution deal with Atlantic Records in 1965, would see massive crossover success with Otis Redding, opening the door to acts like Wilson Pickett and Sam & Dave and to writer-perfomers like Isaac Hayes. Heading into 1970, Hayes would establish himself as the label’s top selling act with his album Hot Buttered Soul. That release, which sold more than 3 million copies, was followed by 1971’s soundtrack to Shaft, which would win Hayes an Oscar.

With Stax increasingly gaining a reputation for becoming the Motown of the south, the label’s roster would take center stage at WattStax, the 1972 all-star concert and 1973 concert film, for which Manning served as music supervisor. Often referenced as a Black Woodstock of the west coast, the film has since been preserved in the Library of Congress.

In 1970, Manning released a solo album, Home Sweet Home, which was recorded at Ardent Studios and released on Stax’s Enterprise label — a collectors item today. He has continued making music sporadically over the decades, including a tribute album to Bobby Fuller, West Texas Skyline, released in 2013.

“Terry was a devoted husband and father, whose kindness and generosity touched countless lives,” read a statement issued by Manning’s widow, Janet Manning, on March 31. “In his honor, the Manning family will be launching a charity dedicated to supporting male health awareness, aiming to encourage early detection and prevention of critical health conditions.”

A private funeral is planned for April 3 in El Paso. Details on a livestream are forthcoming.