Memphis street to be renamed for Bar-Kays bassist

FILE – James Alexander, left, and Carl Simms, both of Memphis, Tenn., view from atop Madison hotel in Madison, Wis., Dec. 11, 1967, the lake in which the plane bearing singer Otis Redding and seven others crashed. Alexander and Simms, members of rhythm and blues group called the Bar-Kays, were unable to board Redding’s private plane in Cleveland because of lack of space. The crash was believed to have claimed-seven of eight persons aboard, including Redding. Alexander, the last surviving member of The Bar-Kays band that backed soul music star Otis Redding, will have a street renamed after him in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, Stax Museum said. (AP Photo/File)

by: Associated Press

Posted: Apr 4, 2022 / 06:10 AM AST

Updated: Apr 4, 2022 / 06:38 AM AST

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Stax Museum says a street is being renamed for James Alexander, the last surviving member of The Bar-Kays band that backed soul music star Otis Redding.

Located near the Stax Records studios where the the soul-funk collective recorded, Stafford Avenue in Memphis is scheduled to get a new name on April 24: James E. Alexander Avenue.

The bassist is the founder and last living member of the Bar-Kays. Four band members and Redding died when their plane crashed into an icy lake in Wisconsin on Dec. 10, 1967.

The Bar-Kays had their first hit in 1967 with “Soul Finger.”