Wattstax

[opinionated ow]

I hope this doesn't get mired in controversial issues that'll get the thread locked but here goes.

As most have probably worked out, I absolutely love soul music. I've been watching the Wattstax film recently a few times over and I have the soundtrack amongst my record collection. Now comes the controversial bit, what was the general community reaction to Wattstax at the time and what's the sort of feeling now? Not being American or alive at that time it's little more than a massive concert full of absolute superstars to me so I guess I'll have to rely on my American friends here for assistance!

Just to put you in the mood:
7EXhWlD7yxc
aOfonsEH79E

[SteveH]

I can recall seeing a PBS documentary on Stax Records that was very good. Touched on Wattstax but I don't recall much controversy being discussed in it. Or I just don't recall enough of the details.

If you haven't seen it, you should
EutNIY2_XdM

Stax Record brought us Booker T and the MGs, who brought us this gem...

dHq4laFwAEM&feature=related

[opinionated ow]

I've got said documentary on DVD. I bought it in a twin pack with the footage of the Stax-Volt Revue in Norway 1967.

As for artists, Stax brought us countless superstars:
-Otis Redding (Dock of the Bay, Respect)
-Johnnie Taylor (Who's Making Love)
-Sam & Dave (Hold On, I'm Comin', Soul Man)
-Albert King (I Love Lucy)
-Eddie Floyd (Knock On Wood)
-Arthur Conley (Sweet Soul Music)
-Rufus Thomas (Walking The Dog, Do The Funky Chicken)
-The Mar-Keys (Last Night)
-Booker T. & The MG's (Green Onions, Soul Limbo aka BBC Cricket, Time is Tight)
-Carla Thomas (B-A-B-Y, Gee-Whiz)
-David Porter
-Isaac Hates (Theme from Shaft)
-The Bar-Kays (Soul Finger)
-William Bell (You Don't Miss Your Water)
-The Staple Singers (Respect Yourself, I'll Take You There)
-Mel & Tim (Backfield In Motion)

and I'm sure I've missed a heap. Yeah, I'm a Stax-Volt tragic!

[Napoleon]

Wow, I consider myself a music fan but had never heard of this until now. I guess it is a combination of being around 12 at the time and terminally white. Stax brought us some great stuff.

BTW, at first I thought you were talking about this which I had not heard of before I heard this story on the radio. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125599928)

[Don Quixote]

Here is the setlist from the film. wattstax website (http://www.wattstax.com/music/songlist.html) Wow.


"The Star Spangled Banner," Kim Weston, L.A. Coliseum
"Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing (The Black National Anthem)," Kim Weston, L.A.Coliseum
"Somebody Bigger Than You And I," Jimmy Jones, L.A. Coliseum
"Lying On The Truth," The Rance Allen Group, L.A. Coliseum
"Peace Be Still," The Emotions, Friendly Will Church
"Old Time Religion," Stax Golden 13 (William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Debra Manning, Eric Mercury, Freddy Robinson, Lee Sain, Ernie Hines, Little Sonny, Louise McCord, Newcomers, Temprees, Frederick Knight), L.A. Coliseum
"Respect Yourself," The Staple Singers, L.A. Coliseum
"Son Of Shaft," The Bar-Kays, L.A. Coliseum
"I’ll Play The Blues For You," Albert King, L.A. Coliseum
"Walking The Backstreets And Crying," Little Milton, Watts Railroad Tracks
"Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone," Johnnie Taylor, The Summit Club - Los Angeles, CA
"Pick Up The Pieces," Carla Thomas, L.A. Coliseum
"The Breakdown," Rufus Thomas, L.A. Coliseum
"Do The Funky Chicken," Rufus Thomas, L.A. Coliseum
"If Lovin’ You Is Wrong (I Don’t Want To Be Right)," Luthar Ingram, L.A. Soundstage
"Theme From Shaft," Isaac Hayes, L.A. Coliseum
"Soulsville," Isaac Hayes, L.A. Coliseum
"Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing (Reprise)," Kim Weston, L.A. Coliseum

Wattstax Additional Offscreen Performances
"Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get," The Dramatics
"Oh La De Da," The Staple Singers
"We The People," The Staple Singers
"I May Not Be What You Want," Mel and Tim

[Napoleon]

I guess it is a combination of being around 12 at the time and terminally white.



By the way, just as proof as how terminally white I was, particularly around that age, and so never would have heard of that concert, a funny story about me from around that year (1973ish).

I grew up it what was all but a completely white suburb and so simply didn’t often have interactions with black people, just because the opportunity was not there. So around that year was the first time my parents sent my brother and me to camp. There was enough of an age difference that we were assigned to 2 different subcamps. Anyways, in my tent (which amazingly I, as a non-hispanic white, ended up being in the minority or perhaps it was 50% of the tent) there was one black kid who also had been sent with his brother by their parents. I still recall their names, Rufus and Melvin Dixon (great kids, Rufus the older more serious and Melvin who was more talkative and care free).

Anyways Melvin and I were going somewhere one day and I am telling him about my favorite radio station which I could pick up from Pittsburgh, WDVE, (http://www.dve.com/main.html) which was your typical AOR station of the 1970’s, (I liked it better then Cleveland's better known WMMS) and Melvin ask “do they play soul music?”

I didn’t have the slightest idea what he met, but that didn’t stop me from saying “sure!”

Boy was I embarrassed when I got home after the end of the week and figured out what he was asking. I can just imagine him tuning into the station once he got home and hearing Led Zeppelin or the Eagles. Anyways, that is how I learned what soul music was.

[TravelGal]

Great story Nappy.

I also must confess that I had never heard of this event. I was living in Indianer at the time, working as a library assistant in the chemistry department of one of those vaunted ivory towers. You don't get much more isolated than that.

Add to that that I'm not a fan (although I could probably sing along with all those numbers). What you need OOW is to find someone who lived in California at the time. Given that there were only 3 national TV networks and no internet to speak of, you didn't get much coverage of events like this outside your own area. Hard for you young 'uns to imagine, I'm sure. :)

[oddlycalm]

I always liked the Stax/Volt sides but this was a total miss for me as well. That was a few years after I left the Detroit area and as TravelGal posted unless you heard tracks on the radio or read about it in the music periodicals it was like it didn't happen.

I also had very limited access to TV from 1969 to 1980 due to location and limited access to radio that would have broadcast that music for the same reason. When we'd the ~400 miles to Portland for an occasional breather it was always great to soak in the "new" sounds even if they were really new anymore.


oc