(October 23, 2026) We are sad to report the passing of singer Anita Louis, a founding member of the legendary Stax Records vocal group The Soul Children. She was 76. According to a published obituary, Louis died on October 20 in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee.
The Stax Museum of American Soul Music announced her passing today, writing, “We are saddened to learn of the passing of Anita Louis, a member of the legendary Stax group Soul Children.” The Museum also extended its condolences to Louis’s family and friends.
Born in Memphis in 1949, Louis began her musical career with the WDIA Teen Town Singers before attracting the attention of Stax songwriting and production legends Isaac Hayes and David Porter. She began performing background vocals for other Stax artists before Hayes and Porter recruited her in 1968 for a new vocal group, The Soul Children.
Teamed with John “J. Blackfoot” Colbert, Norman West and Shelbra Bennett, Louis became part of one of the most distinctive groups of the Memphis soul era. With their gospel-influenced harmonies and emotionally charged performances, The Soul Children delivered a series of memorable recordings, including “The Sweeter He Is,” “Hearsay,” “I’ll Understand” and their biggest hit, 1973’s “I’ll Be the Other Woman,” which reached #3 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Following Bennett’s departure in the mid-1970s, Louis continued with the group as its sole female vocalist, recording albums for Epic Records before the act returned to Stax for its final album, Open Door Policy, in 1978.
After The Soul Children disbanded in 1979, Louis largely stepped away from the music business, building a second career that included positions with FedEx and Time Warner, and later working as a professional business trainer.
While Louis spent her later years away from the spotlight, her voice remains part of an extraordinary musical legacy. The Soul Children’s recordings continue to stand among the most beloved works of the Stax era, and Anita Louis played an important role in creating that timeless music. Rest in peace, Anita Louis.