McLemore Avenue: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Record, jacket, and sleeve for McLemore Avenue by Booker T. & the M.G.’s from the set of Scandal.

a. The black vinyl record has a circular yellow label in the center with black text. The text at the top reads [BOOKER T / AND THE M.G.’S / McLEMORE AVENUE]. There is a black, white, and red logo on the proper right side which reads [stax] in red with a black and white image of a hand snapping its fingers below. The proper left side reads [STEREO / SIDE 1 / STS-2027]. Side 1 has two song titles and the length of each song, as well as production information. There are three lines of text about song composition. There is copyright information along the bottom of the label which reads [(P) 2010, Stax Records] followed by an address. It continues [All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws. STS-2027]. Side 2 has the same information, except the song titles and lengths are different and they don’t list production information. There is some slight wear and tear on the labels on either side of the record.

b. The front of the jacket features a color image of the band walking across a road. They are all wearing bellbottom pants and a jacket. There are cards parked on the street in the background, in front of various buildings. There is a red and white billboard in the background on the proper right side. It reads [BOOKER T. & / THE M.G.’S]. There is white text on the spine of the jacket which reads [MPS-8552 (STS-2027) STEREO BOOKER T. & THE M.G.’s McLEMORE AVENUE ] The text at the bottom of the spine reads [Fantasy Inc. ·All rights reserved ·]. There is a color image on the back of the jacket of a man in a hat and trench coat standing next to a street sign post. There is a convenience store with a Coca-Cola sign behind him. There is a white pole to his left with vertical black text that reads [E. McLEMORE / AVE.], with each character on its own line. There is a pair of woman’s legs in black high heels in the foreground on the left side. Her raised leg is blurred. There is a barcode over her foot that is on the ground. There is a second man sitting in the background. There is white text on the top right which reads [BOOKER T. & THE M.G.’S / McLEMORE AVENUE] The black text below contains production information as well as information about engineering, photography, etc. There is a black “stax” logo below it. The song titles are listed in white on the bottom right side. There are scratches, areas of discoloration, and areas of wear and tear in several places on the jacket.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: 2010
• Produced by: Stax Records, American, founded 1957
• Recorded by: Booker T. & the M.G.'s, American, founded 1962
• Used by: Shondaland, American, founded 2005
• Type: long-playing records
• Type: 45 rpm records
• Medium: a. vinyl with ink on paper
• Medium: b. ink on cardboard
• Medium: c. paper
• Dimensions: Diameter (a.): 11 7/8 in. (30.2 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (b.): 12 3/8 × 12 5/16 in. (31.4 × 31.3 cm)
• Dimensions: H x W (c.): 12 1/8 × 12 in. (30.8 × 30.5 cm)
• Place used: Los Angeles, California, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Rock and roll (Music)
• Topic: Soul (Music)
• Topic: Television
• Object number: 2019.90.12.11abc
• 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.