2/28/26 O&A NYC SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Wattstax Concert (1972)

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 the Stax’s prominent artists at the time. The genres of the songs performed included soul, gospel, R&B, blues, funk and jazz. The film stars Isaac Hayes, The Staples Singers, Luther Ingram, Johnnie Taylor, The Emotions, Rufus Thomas, Carla Thomas, Albert King and others special guest star Richard Pryor. Continue reading

11/16/23 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: Big Mama Thornton – Hound Dog and Down Home Shakedown (1965)

Willie Mae Thornton better known as Big Mama Thornton because of her height (nearly 6 feet), and weight (200 pounds), was an American singer and songwriter of the Blues and R&B.  Continue reading

3/30/19 O&A NYC SATURDAY MORNING CONCERT: Wattstax – Full Documentary (1973)

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.  Continue reading

1/13/22 O&A NYC THROWBACK THURSDAY: Michael Jackson – Earth Song

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Earth Song is the third single from Michael Jackson’s album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. The ballad incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious material such as We Are the World, Man in the Mirror and Heal the World. However, Earth Song was the first that overtly dealt with the environment and animal welfare.   Continue reading