Get the low-down on the Memphis music scene and all its gritty, glorious history with a tour of the Stax Museum and Ardent Studios with founder/president John Fry.

Ardent Studios, which celebrated its 40^th anniversary in 2006, has produce a steady stream of hits for clients such as Sam & Dave, Big Star, Leon Russell, Led Zeppelin, The Staple Singers, ZZ Top, REM, Jimmie & Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gin Blossoms, 3 Doors Down, and The White Stripes. Ardent occupied its present location in 1971, and today’s facilities include three fully equipped studios and a mastering suite.

From the award-winning introductory documentary film to an authentic 100-year-old Mississippi Delta church that explains the gospel roots of soul music, the Stax Museum of American Soul Music winds and twists through a labyrinth of exhibits that promote and preserve the legacy of American soul music and its contributions internationally, highlighting musical giants such as Isaac Hayes, Otis Redding, the Staple Singers, the Bar-Kays, Booker T. & the MGs, Johnnie Taylor, Little Milton, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Ike & Tina Turner, and hundreds of others.