Legendary songwriter, producer, and Stax Records icon David Porter has released his new memoir, The Soul Man: The Life of Songwriter David Porter. As one of the architects of soul music, Porter's extraordinary career has influenced generations of artists and helped shape the sound of American music.
Best known for co-writing timeless classics including "Soul Man" from Sam & Dave, Porter offers a fascinating look at his life, career, and the legacy of Stax Records in his new book.
Porter told WBGO's Doug Doyle that fondly remembers the times he spent in the Stax studio with Isaac Hayes as they worked with Sam and Dave on the 1967 mega hit "Soul Man" with Steve Cropper on guitar, Al Jackson, Jr. on drums and a small, but might group of studio musicians.
"I think about it quite often because we only had at Stax Records a core four-piece rhythm section. Now sometimes we'd incorporate Booker T. Jones playing organ on the session but we only have those four playing on all those records we wrote and/or produced. So, if you got bass, drums, guitars and keys, you know you have to find a way to find individuality and a uniqueness that separates in the ears when people hear the smoke. Isaac and I would write and produce our songs and then orchestrate the implementation of not only the musical parts, but also the singing as well."
David Porter, a pivotal figure in soul music, was the first staff writer at Stax Records, where he co-wrote iconic hits like “Soul Man,” “Hold On I’m Comin’,” “I Thank You,” “When Something is Wrong with my Baby,” and “Wrap it Up,” many alongside Isaac Hayes.
Porter's songs have appeared on national charts more than 200 times and amassed lifetime unit sales exceeding 450 million. Those songs are also enshrined in the Grammy Hall of Fame and have influenced soul, R&B, and hip-hop, with over 450 samples in tracks like Mariah Carey’s “Dreamlover,” Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It,” Wu-Tang Clan’s “C.R.E.A.M.,” and The Notorious B.I.G.’s “Who Shot Ya.”
Inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 with Hayes, Porter was featured in HBO’s 2023 Stax Records special and founded The Consortium MMT, cementing his legacy as a genre-defining songwriter.
You can SEE Doug Doyle's entire interview with David Porter below:
