Fillet of Soul: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

The Stax Records compilation album Fillet of Soul used as a prop on the set of Scandal with vinyl disc (a), album jacket (b), and a plain white paper sleeve (c).

The black vinyl record has a circular yellow label in the center with black text including the album title and track listing. The Stax Records logo is at left with the copyright notice [*(P) 1972 Stax Records, Inc.] and the catalog numbers are at right [STS-3021 / (SS-0531)].

The jacket cover features a color illustration of a Black mermaid with intricately braided hair, pearl necklaces, and a golden tail. The title is at the top left [Fillet of Soul] in stylized gold and black letters. The artists are listed at top right [ISAAC HAYES / THE STAPLE SINGERS / JOHNNIE TAYLOR / RUFUS THOMAS / MAVIS STAPLES / LITTLE MILTON / THE DRAMATICS / MEL & TIM / FREDERICK KNIGHT / THE BAR-KAYS]. The back of the jacket has the mermaid illustration and title repeated at top center with the track listings on either side. The bottom two-thirds of the jacket design has a black background with color photographs of the artists in small white circles.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 1972
• Produced by: Stax Records, American, founded 1957
• Recorded by: Isaac Hayes, American, 1942 - 2008
• Recorded by: The Staple Singers, American, 1948 - 1994
• Recorded by: The Dramatics, American, founded 1964
• Recorded by: Mel & Tim, American, 1969 - 1974
• Recorded by: The Bar-Kays, American, founded 1966
• Recorded by: Frederick Knight, American, born 1944
• Recorded by: Johnnie Taylor, American, 1937 - 2000
• Type: long-playing records
• Type: 45 rpm records
• Medium: vinyl with ink on paper and cardboard
• Dimensions: Diameter (a.): 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (b.): 12 7/16 × 12 5/16 in. (31.6 × 31.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (c.): 12 1/4 × 11 7/8 in. (31.1 × 30.2 cm)
• Place made: Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States, North and Central America
• Place used: Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Funk (Music)
• Topic: Rhythm and blues (Music)
• Topic: Soul (Music)
• Topic: Television
• Topic: U.S. History, 1969-2001
• Object number: 2019.90.12.3abc
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Walt Disney Television
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The underlying object's rights statement is: © Universal Music Group Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.