Wattstax 1973

Wattstax is a 1973 documentary film by Mel Stuart that focused on the 1972 Wattstax music festival and the African American community of Watts in Los Angeles, California. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Documentary Film in 1974.

The concert was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on August 20, 1972, and organized by Memphis's Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts riots. Wattstax was seen by some as "the Afro-American answer to Woodstock".

To enable as many members of the black community in L.A. to attend as possible, tickets were sold for only $1.00 each. The Reverend Jesse Jackson gave the invocation, which included Reverend William H. Borders, Sr.'s "I Am - Somebody" poem, which was recited in a call and response with the assembled stadium crowd. In the film, interspersed between songs are interviews with Richard Pryor, Ted Lange and others who discuss the black experience in America



Tracklist:

What You See Is What You Get - The Dramatics
Oh La De Da - The Staple Singers
We the People - The Staple Singers
Star-Spangled Banner - Kim Weston
Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing - Kim Weston
Respect Yourself - The Staple Singers
Someone Greater Than I - Jimmy Jones
Lying on the Truth - Rance Allen Group
Peace Be Still - The Emotions
Old-Time Religion - William Bell, Louise McCord, Debra Manning, Eric Mercury, Freddy Robinson, Lee Sain, Ernie Hines, Little Sonny, the Newcomers, Eddie Floyd, the Temprees, Frederick Knight
Son of Shaft/Feel It - The Bar-Kays
I'll Play The Blues For You - Albert King
Walking the Back Streets and Crying - Little Milton
Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone - Johnnie Taylor
I May Not Be What You Want - Mel and Tim
Pick Up the Pieces - Carla Thomas
Do the Funky Chicken - Rufus Thomas
If Loving You Is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right - Luther Ingram
Theme from Shaft - Isaac Hayes
Soulsville - Isaac Hayes