August
1972 brought the Watts Summer Festival, which commemorated the 7th
anniversary of the Watts riots and achievements by blacks. Sponsored
by Stax Records, the festival ended with a seven-hour concert at
the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Billed as the "Black Woodstock,"
the show was attended by 100,000 people. The proceeds benefited
the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, the Martin Luther King Hospital
in Watts and future festivals. Hosted by
Reverend Jesse Jackson, the show featured Isaac Hayes, The Staple
Singers, Kim Weston, Eddie Floyd, Albert King, Rufus Thomas, Carla
Thomas, The Bar-Kays, The Soul Children, Richard Pryor, The Emotions,
and The Dramatics. Wattstax was nominated for the 1974 Golden Globe
for Best Documentary Feature. A soulful expression of the living
word...What a concert! What a film! -Michael Johnson
Tidbit:
The film's original tagline read: "Laugh! Cry! Sing! Hear! Feel!
Dance! Shout!"
Bio:
Michael Eugene Johnson, a member of the Maryland Film Festival's
Advisory Board, is Founder of Heritage Shadows of the Silver Screen.
August
1972 brought the Watts Summer Festival, which commemorated the 7th
anniversary of the Watts riots and achievements by blacks. Sponsored
by Stax Records, the festival ended with a seven-hour concert at
the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Billed as the "Black Woodstock,"
the show was attended by 100,000 people. The proceeds benefited
the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation, the Martin Luther King Hospital
in Watts and future festivals. Hosted by
Reverend Jesse Jackson, the show featured Isaac Hayes, The Staple
Singers, Kim Weston, Eddie Floyd, Albert King, Rufus Thomas, Carla
Thomas, The Bar-Kays, The Soul Children, Richard Pryor, The Emotions,
and The Dramatics. Wattstax was nominated for the 1974 Golden Globe
for Best Documentary Feature. A soulful expression of the living
word...What a concert! What a film! -Michael Johnson