Charles "Packy" Axton was a little known character, a gritty saxophonist, producer, and songwriter, who died at the age of 33 from complications due to alcoholism. He has heretofore only been regarded as a footnote in the history of Memphis soul. Light in the Attic, however, in their infinite wisdom, saw worth in a catalog of singles he played on and/or produced the mid-'60s. They assembled this wonderful package as a tribute to
Axton's legacy. Born in Memphis, Tennessee into the Stax Records family (his mother Estelle Axton and her brother Jim Stewart founded the label). His early associates were
Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Wayne Jackson, Ronnie Stoots, and
Don Nix -- the Royal Spades, later renamed by Estelle as
the Mar-Keys, led by
Cropper and, after he left, by
Axton. Included here are 17 glorious tracks
Axton played on including the million-selling hit, "Hole in the Wall," by the Packers. The band is actually
the MG's and the Stax Revue in Los Angeles with
Booker T. Jones playing piano and
Leon Haywood on organ. It reached the number one spot on the R&B charts.
Axton recorded with L.H. White as the L.H. & the Memphis Sounds on the soul singles "House Full of Rooms," "Out of Control," and "I'm a Fool (In Love)," that borrowed as much from Motown as they did from Stax. The real greasy slammers here were recorded by the Martinis, a band
Axton played in that included members of the Hi Rhythm Section with guitarist Teenie Hodges, bassist Leroy Hodges, and Hubbie Turner on keys. The Martinis released two singles, "Hung Over" b/w "Late Late Party" on BAR and "Bullseye" b/w "Holiday Cheer" on USA. That said, there are also three unreleased Martinis cuts here all of them killer. Another significant
Axton group was the Pac-Keys, who cut grooved-out instrumental singles "Stone Fox," "Greasy Pumpkin," "Hip Pocket," and "Dig In."
Axton played on a single as part of a band that backed vocalist Stacy Lane on BAR; the song are an uptempo stomper called "No Ending" b/w the ballad "No Love Have I."
Axton wasn't a great saxophonist. But his solos are easy to detect: pure meat and potatoes, played with heat and grit and an excellent sense of phrasing. This is an essential collection for any follower of classic soul and R&B, with excellent liner notes by Andria Lisle, and full discographical information. ~ Thom Jurek