The Bar-Kays

R&B/Soul

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Top Songs By The Bar-Kays

Listen to Hit and Run by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Hit and RunThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Soul Finger by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Soul FingerThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Too Hot to Stop, Pt. 1 by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Too Hot to Stop, Pt. 1The Bar-Kays

Listen to Holy Ghost by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Holy GhostThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Move Your Boogie Body by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Move Your Boogie BodyThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Freakshow On the Dance Floor by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Freakshow On the Dance FloorThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Tripping Out by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Tripping OutThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Shake Your Rump to the Funk by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Shake Your Rump to the FunkThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Freaky Behavior by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

Freaky BehaviorThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Anticipation by The Bar-Kays, see lyrics, music video & more!

AnticipationThe Bar-Kays

Latest Release

Listen to Stax Records Presents by The Bar-Kays

ALBUMStax Records PresentsThe Bar-Kays

More albums from The Bar-Kays

ALBUMTheir Best (Rerecorded Version)The Bar-Kays

ALBUMHouse PartyThe Bar-Kays

Listen to The Real Thing (Digital Only) by The Bar-Kays

ALBUMThe Real Thing (Digital Only)The Bar-Kays

ALBUM48 HoursThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Black Rock / Gotta Groove by The Bar-Kays

ALBUMBlack Rock / Gotta GrooveThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMAnimalThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMContagiousThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMDangerousThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMPropositionsThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMNightcruisingThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMAs OneThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMInjoyThe Bar-Kays

ALBUMColdbloodedThe Bar-Kays

Listen to Do You See What I See? by The Bar-Kays

ALBUMDo You See What I See?The Bar-Kays

ALBUMSoul FingerThe Bar-Kays

The Bar-Kays's Popular Music Videos

Music Video

Freakshow On the Dance Floor

The Bar-Kays

Struck By You

The Bar-Kays

Artist Playlists

The Bar-Kays Essentials

The instrumental group behind one of the Stax label's greatest party records.

About The Bar-Kays

Hometown

Memphis, TN, United States

Formed

1966

Genre

R&B/Soul

Even though four group founders were killed in a 1967 plane crash along with Otis Redding, the Bar-Kays came back to reign as one of the top R&B outfits of the '70s. The original Bar-Kays were a Memphis instrumental combo who scored an R&B hit on Volt with 1967's rousing "Soul Finger." Guitarist Jimmy King, organist Ronnie Caldwell, drummer Carl Cunningham, and saxist Phalon Jones perished with Redding, leaving trumpeter Ben Cauley and bassist James Alexander to re-form the group. After honing their chops with session work at Stax, the new Bar-Kays kicked off a long string of R&B smashes in 1976 with "Shake Your Rump to the Funk" on Mercury, making for a career longevity that no one would have predicted for Stax's formerly star-crossed number-two house band.