The Bo-Keys are a

soul jazz Soul jazz or funky jazz is a subgenre of jazz that incorporates strong influences from hard bop, blues, soul, gospel and rhythm and blues. Soul jazz is often characterized by organ trios featuring the Hammond organ and small combos including ten ...

band from

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, formed as an homage to the city's rich musical tradition.

History

Don Bryant & The Bo-Keys Cosmopolite 2017 (212721)

In 1998,

Scott Bomar Scott Bomar (born June 15, 1974) is a Memphis-based musician, Emmy Award-winning film composer, Grammy-nominated music producer, and recording engineer. Scott Bomar's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing. Early years A native of M ...

was asked to assemble a backing band for former Stax artist and songwriter

Sir Mack Rice Bonny "Mack" Rice (November 10, 1933 – June 27, 2016), sometimes credited as Sir Mack Rice, was an American songwriter and singer. His best-known composition and biggest hit as a solo performer was " Mustang Sally". He also wrote " Respe ...

. His concept was to form an updated version of the quintessential Memphis sound embodied by players like Charles "Skip" Pitts and Ben Cauley, a formidable task he confronted by recruiting the very musicians who served as his inspiration. The Bo-Keys have performed live at various festivals, including The Ponderosa Stomp, London's Barbican Performing Arts Centre, and Lincoln Center's Midsummer Nights Swing Series. In the spring of 2003, The Bo-Keys recorded their debut album, the critically acclaimed ''The Royal Sessions'', at Willie Mitchell's Royal Studio. The group would go on to perform the score for the Academy Award winning film, ''

Hustle and Flow ''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer and produced by John Singleton and Stephanie Allain. It stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who faces his aspiration to become a rapper. It also ...

'', as well as the song "Kick It" for the Paramount/Nickelodeon animated feature, ''Barnyard''. In 2008, The Bo-Keys appeared in the film ''

Soul Men ''Soul Men'' is a 2008 American musical comedy film directed by Malcolm D. Lee, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Bernie Mac, Sharon Leal and Sean Hayes, released on November 7, 2008. It was one of three Bernie Mac films that were released after ...

'', including an on-screen performance with stars

Samuel L. Jackson Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American actor and producer. One of the most widely recognized actors of his generation, the films in which he has appeared have collectively grossed over $27 billion worldwide, making him ...

and

Bernie Mac Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5, 1957 – August 9, 2008), better known by his stage name Bernie Mac, was an American comedian and actor. Born and raised on Chicago's South Side, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined fell ...

. Bomar produced three songs for the film's soundtrack, most notably Anthony Hamilton's "Soul Music," which was nominated for a Grammy. In 2010, The Bo-Keys were featured on

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper Thornton (born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album ''She's So Unusual'' (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achi ...

's ''Memphis Blues'', on which Bomar served as producer. The album was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Traditional Blues Album. The band's second album, ''Got to Get Back!'', was released on June 21, 2011. In 2012, The Bo-Keys featuring Percy Wiggins on vocals recorded a version of "

Stuck in the Middle with You "Stuck in the Middle with You" (sometimes known as "Stuck in the Middle") is a song written by Scottish musicians Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan and performed by their band Stealers Wheel. The band performed the song on the BBC's ''Top of the Po ...

" for a fund raising CD titled ''Super Hits of the Seventies'' for radio station

WFMU WFMU is a listener-supported, independent community radio station, licensed to East Orange, New Jersey. Since 1998 its studios and operating facilities have been headquartered in Jersey City, New Jersey. It broadcasts locally at 91.1 Mhz FM, in ...

. The song "I'm Still in Need" featuring Percy Wiggins from the ''Writing on the Wall'' EP was in the film

Grudge Match ''Grudge Match'' is a 2013 American sports comedy film directed by Peter Segal. The film stars Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro as aging boxers stepping into the ring for one last bout. Stallone and De Niro have both previously been in suc ...

(2013).

Band members

* A chance meeting between Bomar and guitarist Skip Pitts at Memphis'

Stax Music Academy Stax Music Academy is an after school and summer music school in South Memphis, Tennessee. The program has included instruction from many prominent musicians. Alumni include Kris Thomas, a top ten contender on The Voice and Kirby Lauryen, a Roc Na ...

(where both taught at-risk youth) led to the current incarnation of The Bo-Keys. Pitts, long time bandleader for

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwri ...

, appears on Hayes' iconic title track from the 1971 movie '' Shaft'' as well as "Do The Funky Chicken" by

Rufus Thomas Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Rec ...

, "I'll Be the Other Woman" by

the Soul Children The Soul Children was an American vocal group who recorded soul music for Stax Records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They had three top 10 hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' R&B chart – "The Sweeter He Is" (1969), "Hearsay" (1972), and "I ...

, "It's Your Thing" by

the Isley Brothers The Isley Brothers ( ) are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that began as a vocal trio consisting of brothers O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley and Ronald Isley in the 1950s. With a career spanning over seven decades, ...

, and "

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

'65" by

Gene Chandler Gene Chandler (born Eugene Drake Dixon; July 6, 1937) is an American singer, songwriter, music producer, and record-label executive. Chandler is nicknamed "the Duke of Earl" or, simply, "the Duke." He is best known for his most successful son ...

. * Drummer

Howard Grimes Howard Lee Grimes (August 22, 1941 – February 12, 2022) was an American drummer, best known as a member of the Hi Rhythm Section on records by Al Green, Ann Peebles and others in the 1970s. Life and career Born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 2 ...

is a best known as a member of the Hi Rhythm Section that appeared through the 1970s on records by Al Green, Ann Peebles, and Syl Johnson. Grimes first performed in public at the age of 12 with Rufus Thomas. By his late teens, he regularly recorded on sessions for

Satellite Records Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was ...

, the precursor to Stax. He also began working with bandleader and record producer Willie Mitchell at Hi Records. As a key member of the house band at Mitchell's Royal Recording Studios in Memphis, Grimes was instrumental in creating some of the most memorable songs and soul grooves of the 1970s. * Keyboardist Archie "Hubbie" Turner is also a member of the Hi Rhythm Section and former session player at Willie Mitchell's Royal Studio. Further, Archie was a member of The Pac-Keys, The Martinis and Black Rock (band). * Vocalist Percy Wiggins cut sides in 1966-1967 for RCA Victor and Atco Records with a band which included Billy Cox and Larry Lee who later went on to play Woodstock and become members of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsies. * Trumpeter and vocalist Ben Cauley is a founding member of the original

Bar-Kays The Bar-Kays are an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including "Soul Finger" (US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B number 10) in ...

and the only surviving member of the fatal crash in Madison, Wisconsin, which took the lives of his band mates and Otis Redding. Ben has played numerous sessions in Memphis and Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to The Doobie Brothers. * Trumpeter Marc Franklin, sax men Kirk Smothers, Art Edmaiston, Derrick Williams, and Jim Spake have recorded and performed live with Rufus Thomas, Ike Turner, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Gregg Allman, JJ Grey and MOFRO, Lucero, and Al Green.

Discography

*2004: ''The Royal Sessions'' *2009: ''Work That Skirt'' EP *2011: ''Got to Get Back!'' *2012: ''Writing On the Wall'' EP *2013: ''I Need More Than One Lifetime'' EP *2013: ''Dark End of the Street'' EP *2014: ''Electraphonic Singles, Vol. 1'' compilation *2016: ''Heartaches By the Number''

References

External links

The Bo-Keys Official Website
* *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bokeys, The American soul musical groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups from Memphis, Tennessee 1998 establishments in Tennessee Yellow Dog Records artists