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Wattstax
''Wattstax'' was a benefit concert organized by Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the 1965 riots in the African-American community of Watts, Los Angeles. The concert took place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20, 1972. The concert's performers included all of Stax's prominent artists at the time. The genres of the songs performed included soul, gospel, R&B, blues, funk, and jazz. Months after the festival, Stax released a double LP of the concert's highlights, ''Wattstax: The Living Word''. The concert was filmed by David L. Wolper's film crew and was made into the 1973 film titled ''Wattstax''. The film was directed by Mel Stuart and nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974. In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Festival production Development Stax Record's West ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record company, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the label changed its name to Stax Records in September 1961. It also shared its operations with sister label Volt Records. Stax was influential in the creation of Southern soul and Memphis soul music. Stax also released gospel, funk, and blues recordings. The label was founded by two siblings, business partners Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton, whose last names formed the basis of the label's name (Stewart + Axton = "Stax"). It featured several popular ethnically integrated bands (including the label's house band, Booker T. & the M.G.'s) and a racially integrated team of staff and artists unprecedented in that time of racial strife and tension in Memphis and the South. According to ethnomusicologist Rob Bowman, the label's use of "one studio, one equipment set-up, the same set of musicians and a small group of songwriters led to a readily identifiable sou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mel Stuart
Mel Stuart (born Stuart Solomon; September 2, 1928 – August 9, 2012) was an American film director and producer who often worked with producer David L. Wolper, at whose production firm he worked for 17 years, before going freelance. Early life Stuart was born Stuart Solomon. He was of Jewish background. Career Stuart directed the fantasy-musical '' Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' (1971). He directed other features, including '' If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium'' (1969), '' One Is a Lonely Number'' (1972) and '' Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135'' (2000). Stuart also directed feature documentaries including the 1964 Oscar-nominated John F. Kennedy documentary '' Four Days in November'' and the 1973 concert film '' Wattstax''. In addition he directed or produced over 180 films including movies of the week '' The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal'', ''Bill'', '' The Chisholms'', and ''Ruby and Oswald'', the television series '' Ripley's Believe It or Not!' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American Gospel music, gospel, soul music, soul, and Rhythm and blues, R&B singing group. Pops Staples, Roebuck "Pops" Staples (December 28, 1914 – December 19, 2000), the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha (April 11, 1934 – February 21, 2013), Pervis (November 18, 1935 – May 6, 2021), and Mavis Staples, Mavis (b. July 10, 1939). Yvonne (October 23, 1937 – April 10, 2018) replaced her brother when he was drafted into the U.S. Army, and again in 1970. They are best known for their 1970s hits "Respect Yourself", "I'll Take You There", "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)", and "Let's Do It Again (song), Let's Do It Again". While the family name is Staples, the group used "Staple" commercially. History First child to Roebuck "Pops" Staples and his wife Oceola Staples, Cleotha was born in Drew, Mississippi, in 1934. Two years later, Roebuck moved his family from Mississippi to Chicago. Roebuck and Oceola's children, s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Watts Riots
The Watts riots, sometimes referred to as the Watts Rebellion or Watts Uprising, took place in the Watts neighborhood and its surrounding areas of Los Angeles from August 11 to 16, 1965. The riots were motivated by anger at the racist and abusive practices of the Los Angeles Police Department, as well as grievances over employment discrimination, residential segregation, and poverty in L.A. On August 11, 1965, Marquette Frye, a 21-year-old black man, was pulled over for drunk driving.Dawsey, Darrell (August 19, 1990)"To CHP Officer Who Sparked Riots, It Was Just Another Arrest" ''Los Angeles Times''. After he failed a field sobriety test, officers attempted to arrest him. Marquette resisted arrest, with assistance from his mother, Rena Frye; a physical confrontation ensued in which Marquette was struck in the face with a baton. Meanwhile, a crowd of onlookers had gathered. Rumors spread that the police had kicked a pregnant woman who was present at the scene. Six days of civ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB's inception in 1988. History Throughout the 1980s, several prominent filmmakers and industry personalities in the United States, such as Frank Capra and Martin Scorsese, advocated for Congress to enact a film preservation bill in order to avoid commercial modifications (such as pan and scan and editing for TV) of classic films, which they saw as negative. In response to the controversy over the Film colorization#Entertainment make-overs, colorization of originally black and white films in the decade specifically, Representatives Robert J. Mrazek and Sidney R. Yates introduced the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, which established the National Film Registry, its purpose, and the criteria for selecti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential stand-up comedians of all time. Pryor won a Primetime Emmy Award and five Grammy Awards. He received the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998. He won the Writers Guild of America Award in 1974. He was listed at number one on Comedy Central's list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians. In 2017, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked him first on its list of the 50 best stand-up comics of all time.The 50 Best Stand-up Comics of All Time . Rollingstone.com. Retrieved February 15, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kim Weston
Kim Weston (born December 20, 1939) is an American soul singer, and Motown alumna. In the 1960s, Weston scored hits with the songs "Love Me All the Way" and " Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)", and with her duet with Marvin Gaye, " It Takes Two". Career Born Agatha Nathalia Weston in Detroit, Michigan, United States, she was signed to Motown in 1961, scoring a minor hit with "Love Me All the Way" (R&B No. 24, Pop #88). "Love Me All the Way" was a originally the b-side to " It Should Have Been Me", however, it was switched when a DJ reacted to "Love Me All the Way". Weston's biggest solo hits with Motown were " Take Me in Your Arms (Rock Me a Little While)" (R&B No. 4, Pop No. 50, later covered by the Isley Brothers; Blood, Sweat & Tears; Jermaine Jackson; the Doobie Brothers; and Phil Collins), and "Helpless" (R&B No. 13, Pop No. 56, entered Cashbox March 26, 1966, previously recorded by The Four Tops on their album, '' Four Tops Second Album''). She is notable for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Johnnie Taylor
Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. He was initially successful at Stax Records with the number-one R&B hits " Who's Making Love" (1968), " Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone" (1971) and " I Believe in You (You Believe in Me)" (1973), and reached number one on the US pop charts with " Disco Lady" in 1976. In 2022, Taylor was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. Biography Early years Johnnie Taylor was born in Crawfordsville, Arkansas, United States. He grew up in West Memphis, Arkansas, performing in gospel groups as a youngster. As an adult, he had one release, "Somewhere to Lay My Head", on Chicago's Vee Jay Records label in the 1950s, as part of the gospel group The Highway Q.C.'s, which included a young Sam Cooke. Taylor's singing then was strikingly close to that of Cooke, and he was hir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bar-Kays
The Bar-Kays is an American funk band formed in 1964. The band had dozens of charting singles from the 1960s to the 1980s, including " Soul Finger" (US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number 17, R&B number 3) in 1967, "Son of Shaft" (R&B number 10) in 1972, and " Boogie Body Land" (R&B number 7) in 1980. The Bar-Kays also served as the backing band for a variety of singers, including Isaac Hayes and Otis Redding. Biography Black rock years The Bar-Kays began in Memphis, Tennessee, as a studio session group, backing major artists at Stax Records. In 1967, they were chosen by Otis Redding to play as his backing band, and were tutored for that role by Al Jackson, Jr., Booker T. Jones, and the other members of Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Their first single, " Soul Finger", was issued on April 14, 1967, reaching number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B Singles chart and number 17 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. On December 10, 1967, Redding and four members of the band—Jimmie King (born June ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwriter with his partner David Porter (musician), David Porter, as well as a session musician and record producer. Hayes and Porter were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of songs for themselves, the duo Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others. In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. "Soul Man (song), Soul Man," written by Hayes and Porter and first performed by Sam & Dave, was recognized as one of the most influential songs of the past 50 years by the Grammy Hall of Fame. It was also honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, ''Rolling Stone (magazine), Rolling Stone'' magazine, and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as one of the Songs of the Century. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Globe Award For Best Documentary Film
The Golden Globe Award for Best Documentary Film was a Golden Globe Awards, Golden Globe Award that was introduced for the 11th Golden Globe Awards, followed by the 30th Golden Globe Awards before discontinuation after the 34th Golden Globe Awards. The award was first given to ''A Queen is Crowned'' (1953), which details the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was last given to ''Altars of the World'' (1976). Winners and nominees ;11th Golden Globe Awards, 1953 *''A Queen is Crowned'' ;30th Golden Globe Awards, 1972 *''Elvis on Tour'' *''Walls of Fire'' *''Marjoe'' *''Russia'' *''Sapporo Orinpikku'' (Sapporo Winter Olympics) ;31st Golden Globe Awards, 1973 *''Visions of Eight'' *''Love'' *''The Movies That Made Us'' *''The Second Gun'' *''Wattstax'' ;32nd Golden Globe Awards, 1974 *''Animals Are Beautiful People'' *''Birds Do It, Bees Do It'' *''Hearts and Minds (film), Hearts and Minds'' *''I Am a Dancer'' *''Janis (film), Janis'' ;33rd Golden Globe Awards, 1975 *''Yout ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rufus Thomas
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. (March 26, 1917 – December 15, 2001) was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Records and Sun Records in the 1950s, before becoming established in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records. His dance records, including " Walking the Dog" (1963), " Do the Funky Chicken" (1969), and " (Do the) Push and Pull" (1970), were some of his most successful songs. According to the Mississippi Blues Commission, "Rufus Thomas embodied the spirit of Memphis music perhaps more than any other artist, and from the early 1940s until his death . . . occupied many important roles in the local scene." He began his career as a tap dancer, vaudeville performer, and master of ceremonies in the 1930s. He later worked as a disc jockey on radio station WDIA in Memphis, both before and after his recordings became successful. He rem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
