Satellite

Also appears as "Satellite Records".
** For unofficial releases, please use: .**
This short-lived label marks the beginning of the legendary [l=Stax] Memphis Soul Saga.
Satellite was founded in 1957 by [a=Jim Stewart] in Brunswick, Tn., initially as a country/pop-oriented label. Five singles were released throughout 1958, none of them successful, before Stewart's sister, [a=Estelle Axton] became a partner and operations were moved in 1959 to the "Capitol", a disused cinema in Memphis, Tn. Release numbering was reset to S-100, and their output increasingly focused on R&B material.
The third single by the re-launched [l=Satellite (2)] (S-102, "'Cause I Love You" by [a=Carla Thomas] & [a=Rufus Thomas]), became their first hit, selling around 15,000 copies in the Memphis area alone, and earned the young label a distribution deal with [l=Atlantic Records]. The company name was changed to "[l=Stax]" in 1961 because of a similar named west-coast rival.
For an almost complete overview of Stax/Satellite's early output see: [r=5158944].