, a pivotal figure in the Memphis birth of rock 'n' roll whose keen ear, innovative playing and studio smarts enhanced the careers of such rock and soul legends as Jerry Lee Lewis, James Carr, Sam the Sham and Elvis Presley, has died.
"He was such a big part of Memphis, most people don't even realize," said Grammy-winning Memphis producer and engineer Matt Ross-Spang, who has worked with Jason Isbell and John Prine."I definitely looked up to him a lot. He was one of those guys who could do it all." Befriending local players, he became a member of the Snearly Ranch Boys, which was the house band at the Cotton Club in West Memphis. Specializing in country music and Western swing, the band often was accompanied by such future Sun Records vocalists as Barbara Pittman and Warren Smith.
During the famous"Sun sessions" that launched Elvis Presley's career and ignited the Big Bang of modern rock 'n' roll, Elvis recorded two songs co-written by Kesler,"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone," and"I Forgot to Remember to Forget." A 1964 Beatles performance of the latter song, with George Harrison on lead vocals, appears on the compilation recording"Live at the BBC.
Finally, during the 1969 sessions at Chips Moman's American Sound Studio in Memphis that revitalized the singer's career, Elvis recorded Kesler's"If I'm a Fool ."During the heyday of Sun, Kesler played on records by Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis, including Lewis' epochal 1957 hit,"Great Balls of Fire.
Beyond country, rockabilly and rock, Kesler played a significant role in Memphis soul. One of Kesler's Sun colleagues, Quinton Claunch, later was a co-founder of the Hi and Goldwax record labels. Kesler joined Claunch at Goldwax, engineering many records that remain especially prized by soul connoisseurs, including 1967's"The Dark End of the Street" by James Carr.
"What Stan learned from somebody like Sam Phillips was how to capture somebody, like Sam the Sham, their essence, and get that onto a record," Bomar said.
RIPStanKesler
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