They worked at Stax Records , and played music on hundreds of important records by famous singers such as Wilson Pickett , Otis Redding , Bill Withers , Sam & Dave , Carla Thomas and Rufus Thomas and Johnnie Taylor . In the 1960s , as members of the house band of Stax Records , they played on hundreds of recordings by artists such as Wilson Pickett , Otis Redding , Bill Withers , Sam & Dave , Carla and Rufus Thomas and Johnnie Taylor .