JOE TEX II,

The Legacy Continues

Yusuf Hazziez, known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the styles of funk, country, gospel, and rhythm and blues.”

1. What was it like growing up with a man like your father?

It was really enlightening. He always tried to teach and guide me about life in general and embedding within me the notion of the importance of giving back to people. He was strict and business-minded, however, he was loving and caring at the same time.

2. Who were some of the big names who used to hang out with your father?

I remember being with Eddie Kendricks in New York when I was around 10 years old and running into Bill Withers and then sitting down and having lunch with him and his wife. There have been countless entertainers such as Johnny Taylor who was a good friend, Solomon Burke along with Otis Redding.

3. Is it hard to continue the legacy of your father, to follow in the shoes of someone who was notably a legend, whilst still defining yourself as an artist in your own right?

Those are footsteps that I’d never try to fill. Dad has his own legacy. My whole objective is to keep letting people know about his legacy, continuing his legacy and exposing people to his music. However, in the process I am continuing to define myself, within his legacy, by releasing my own original material. So along with remakes of his material, I believe the 2 will separate themselves accordingly and I don’t mind doing what I can to fill those shoes and carry that torch.

4. Why is it important to you to continue a legacy and what is the legacy that you want to leave?

It is important for me to continue his legacy because I want to do whatever I can to get him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is already part of the African American Museum of History in DC, but not in the Hall of Fame. I’m just thankful to define myself whilst carrying on and continuing such a great legacy.

5. It’s been said your father struggled for quite a long time, before finally receiving a break through. He was writing songs that were being recorded by other artists and when he finally received his first major royalty check, he bought his parents a house, and it’s been said, he then went and had a good long cry. This shows the character of your father, can you elaborate a bit more about that struggle and how you feel it defined his character?

My dad was always very humble, no matter what amount of success he achieved in the music industry. It took him a while to get his first hit, which wasn’t until 1964, the same year I was born. But he always had a work hard ethic and supported himself by writing songs for other artists until his career took off. I think he stayed true to who he was. He never let the industry change him and his character.

6. Your father was part of a group called ‘The Soul Clan’ who were together briefly between 1966 and 1969?

“The Soul Clan were more than just a group of musicians. Otis Redding, Joe Tex, Wilson Pickett, Don Covay, Ben E. King and Solomon Burke wanted to give back to the black community. They wanted to be in a place financially to support the black community and intended to buy up a lot of property in the South and in the ghettos to re-model them and build homes. Their idea was to pool their talents and resources, and become a positive force within the black community. So they all went and asked Atlantic for 1 million each. However, The Soul Clan members were poorly served by Atlantic, which failed to invest in publicity and actively sabotaged their recording schedule, because it has been alleged times and eatin’ barbecue ribs. You know, pork chops.” that Solomon Burke said “we were going against the grain of what black entertainers are supposed to do. We were all just supposed to go out and buy red Cadillacs. We weren’t supposed to go out and start talking about spending millions of dollars on building and developing... We were supposed to talk about having parties and good

Did your father ever talk to you about the Soul Clan, and what they meant to him

The Soul Clan was a super group that he and other artists such as Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, and others were part of. They wanted to show people that they could come together as black men and do something on a major level in the music industry. It was truly great that they were able to do something on that level and touch so many people through what they were achieving by just giving people hope for a brighter day.

The Soul Clan went to try to do something for the community to better it and start businesses. Unfortunately, they told Atlantic Records what they wanted to do with the money. They should have kept that themselves because you can’t always let the left hand know what the right hand’s doing? My dad did a song with that title

7. Many people feel your father was under-rated and there was and still is so much respect for him. What were the qualities that you felt your father exuded that made him so well-respected?

He is underrated in the music industry. I feel he never got the recognition he deserved on a lot of levels. However, he touched so many people all over the world through his music. What made him so well respected was that people enjoyed working with him because he had a great personality. He was humble and down-to-earth. A lot of musicians I’ve talked to really enjoyed working with him because of the way he treated people. He treated people, the way he wanted to be treated. I believe this was a unique quality he possessed and I try to possess this too myself.

8. There was quite a bit of rivalry between your father and James Brown who were on the same label at the time, why was that?

My dad and James Brown had quite a bit of rivalry over the years because they were both on the same label. The rivalry began over a woman, but also over the microphone tricks that my dad did. James stated that he started doing this, however, people can go to YouTube for more information on that story.

9. You’re an artist in your own right. How would you describe your own personal vibe as an artist and what is your message, through your music, to the world?

I just try to create good music that touches people’s souls and inspires them. I want to make music to make you feel good. I also like to do songs that make people think about life and the world around us.

10. You too are part of a collective with Gemini Burke, the son of Solomon Burke, Bobby Wilson the son of Jackie Wilson and Johnny Taylor the son of Johnnie Taylor called ‘The Sons of Legends’ - what is the vision for this collective?

We have joined our efforts to bring back the great music that our dads left us. To take our tribute show all over the world and to let people know that we are representing these great legacies and keeping great music alive. Along with carving out our own identity within their legacies.

11. What are some of the virtues and attributes you feel are important to have or strive towards, to stay grounded in the music industry?

For me, I had a great example of how to stay humble in the music industry. You have to realize that it could all change any day, or at any time just as with anything else in life. But my dad was my example, no matter how successful he was, he always wanted to give back to the community and do things to help people. He never looked at himself better than anyone. They say the same people you see on your way up, are the same people you see on your way down. You don’t want to burn any bridges.

12. What is the importance of leaving and fighting to leave a legacy?

For me, it’s important to leave a legacy of positivity. We all go through our struggles in life and things don’t always work out the way we plan. But try to be a positive influence on people’s lives so that they can remember you in a positive way and have wonderful memories. I love hearing stories about how my dad touched so many people throughout his life time and helped so many people. Even though he died at age 47, he did so much in the world and that inspires me to do the same