Don Nix, Stax artist, producer and 'Going Down' songwriter, has died at 83 (2025)

Memphis Music Hall of Famer Don Nix has died.

A member of the early Stax group The Mar-Keys, Nixwent on to a prolific career as a songwriter, producer and arranger. His blues anthem “Going Down” would become a standard of the genre, and Nix produced acclaimed albums for Freddie King, Albert King, Jeff Beck and Furry Lewis, as well as worked with The Beatles' George Harrison on The Concert for Bangladesh.

Nix died in his sleep on New Year’s Eve at his Germantown home at the age of 83. The cause of death is not known. Nix had been suffering from the effects of macular degeneration and had lost his sight in recent years.

Nix’s family — which includes his brother, noted mastering engineer Larry Nix — confirmed the news. In a post to Facebook on Wednesday, Nix’s sister, Kitty Nix Moore, noted, “Larry and I said goodbye to our wonderful brother, Don Nix. He died in his sleep last night and celebrated the New Year in heaven. No more suffering and he can now see again. Don had a very unique life as a musical artist, writer, producer, and photographer…. He had great friends all over the world. We will miss him immensely. We love you, big brother.”

One of the true architects of Memphis soul and R&B, Nix becamea significant international presence in music while remaining rootedin the rich silty sediment of the Mississippi River bluffs of his hometown. AZelig of 1970s rock 'n' roll, his collaborators included not only his colleagues at Stax and in Memphis (such as "Wooly Bully" singer Sam the Sham) but such stars as Harrison, Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr and Leon Russell.

Born in Memphis in 1941, Nix was a graduate of Memphis’ Messick High and a charter member ofThe Mar-Keys (originally known as the Royal Spades.) Nix played saxophone in the pre-Booker T. & the MG's Stax house band —whose members included guitarist Steve Cropper and bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn— which had one of the company's first big hits with "Last Night" in 1961.

After leaving The Mar-Keys and doing a stint in the Army, Nix returned to music. He ventured out to Hollywood where he worked with fellow studio wiz Leon Russell on projects for Gary Lewis & the Playboys and Delaney & Bonnie.

Nix would go on to produce or arrange sessions for such artists as Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes, Freddie King and Charlie Musselwhite, as well as Russell himself, who eventually signed Nix to his Shelter Records label. Nix also participated inHarrison's 1971 The Concert for Bangladesh at Madison Square Garden, with an artist roster that includedStarr and Bob Dylan.

Nix’s 1969 composition "Going Down" would first be recorded by Memphis band Moloch, and become a classic later coveredby King, Jeff Beck and Deep Purple. It has also been recorded by contemporary acts like Sturgill Simpson and used as the theme song for HBO’s hit series “Eastbound and Down.”

Nix released a series of well-regarded solo albums during the first half of the 1970s — for Shelter, Elektra and Stax’s Enterprise label — as well as formed the traveling revue The Alabama State Troupers, which featured singer Jeanie Greene and bluesman Furry Lewis. Nix would continue to make solo records for the Cream label, though his work in the studio — both as an artist and producer — would tail off in the 1980s and 1990s.

A decade after releasing his last album, in 2002 Nix teamed up with some old and famous friends for a set of new recordings of his old songs, titled “Going Down,” which featured appearances by Steve Cropper, Tony Joe White, John Mayall and Queen’s Brian May, among others. Nix returned to the studio for several more albums including “I Don’t Want No Trouble” in 2006 and “Passing Through” in 2008.

In addition to his musical work, Nix was an accomplished photographer. For much of his career, Nixwas accompanied by a camera, continuing a hobby he began as a teenager when he used the money he earned from his Memphis Press-Scimitar paper route to buy his first camera, a Brownie. Eventually, he graduated to a 35 millimeter, and from snapshots to prints, collecting an almost lifelongarchive of what he called "memories of my travels." Nix’s intimate images captured some of the world's most famous musicians — various Beatles, bluesmen and soul stars — in relaxed, unguarded moments and in a wide variety of settings. Nix exhibited his photos several times over the years, most recently in 2019 at the Stax Museum.

Nix was also an author, having written and published two books: 1997’s memoir-cum-cookbook, “Road Stories and Recipes,” and the 2015 autobiography “Memphis Man: Living High, Laying Low.”

Though Nix kept a low profile professionally for the last decade due to his health issues, he was honored in his hometown with a Brass Note on Beale in 2022. Nix was elected to the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2023, where he was inducted by British rock legend Peter Frampton.

Memorial plans for Nix are pending.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Don Nix dies at 83: How the Stax artist, producer is remembered