MEMPHIS, TN (CelebrityAccess) — Concord, owners of the iconic Stax Records label announced the recipients of the 2023 Concord Stax Scholarships, which provides full tuition for up to 20 students of the Stax Music Academy (SMA) in each year, with a commitment of at least five school years.
The scholarships are granted on a basis of both merit and financial need, and will be presented to each recipient in the name of an iconic Stax recording artist or executive. This includes Stax Records founder Jim Stewart, as well as his sister and Stax co-owner Estelle Axton. Other scholarships have been named for n, former Stax Records owner Al Bell, members of famed Stax solo and house band Booker T. and the M.G.’s, former Stax Records performing artist and Director of Publicity Deanie Parker, “We Three” songwriter and recording artist Bettye Crutcher, funk legends The Bar-Kays, and the King of Soul, and Otis Redding, among others.
The Stax Music Academy, founded in 2000, helps to provide young people from under-resourced communities in the greater Memphis with an industry-focused education and creative youth programming.
“It is our honor to play a part in the ongoing music performance, tech, and business education of so many remarkable young talents at Stax Music Academy,” said Concord Board Chairman Steve Smith. “They are the torch bearers of the values that embodied the original Stax Records of the late 1950s and 1960s…values that the Concord team holds dear more than 70 years later. Concord is proud to invest in another class of Stax Scholars, with confidence that we can help to fulfill their dreams of successful careers in entertainment.”
The full list of 2023 scholarship recipients
The Rance Allen Concord Stax Scholarship
Lauren Sanders
The Estelle Axton Concord Stax Scholarship
Anaya Murray
The Bar-Kays Concord Stax Scholarship
Christian Gillespie
The Al Bell Concord Stax Scholarship
Jayden Moore
The William Bell Concord Stax Scholarship
John B. Smith II
The Booker T. & the M.G.’s Concord Stax Scholarship
Zander Henley
The Little Milton Campbell Concord Stax Scholarship
Richana Turner-Snerling
The Bettye Crutcher Concord Stax Scholarship
Pasley Thompson
The Isaac Hayes Concord Stax Scholarship
Nicholas Dickerson
The Brett D. Hellerman Concord Stax Scholarship
Desmond Coppin
The Mable John Concord Stax Scholarship
Joi Stubbs
The Albert King Concord Stax Scholarship
Matthew Dia
The Linda Lyndell Concord Stax Scholarship
Mekhi Turner
The Deanie Parker Concord Stax Scholarship
Casey Malone
The David Porter Concord Stax Scholarship
Brandon Wooten
The Otis Redding Concord Stax Scholarship
Jonathon Cole, Jr
The Staple Singers Concord Stax Scholarship
Teiona Echols
The Jim Stewart Concord Stax Scholarship
Zipphorah Israel
The Johnnie Taylor Concord Stax Scholarship
Dontae Currie
The Rufus Thomas Concord Stax Scholarship
Joshua Gray
