Thu 2/18 @ 7PM
Rock & roll fans from the 60s probably remember TV shows such as Shindig!, Hullabaloo and Cleveland’s Upbeat Show. But how many remember the show SOUL!, which ran from 1968-1973. Created, produced and hosted by Ellis Haizlip, it was far more than a music show, although it did present some of the era’s most stellar musicians, such as Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder and Al Green. He aimed to showcase full range of black arts and culture with guests such as Toni Morrison, James Baldwin, Nikki Giovanni, Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver and civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael
The documentary film Mr Soul!, produced, written and directed by his niece Melissa Haizlip and initially released in 2018, aims to make this distinctive program better know. It weaves footage for the show with more recent interviews with artists who appeared on it.
The film will have a virtual screening as part of the Rock Hall’s Black History Month programming. It will include a post-film discussion with Melissa Haizlip, Rock Hall chief curator Nwaka Onwusa, and two of the performers who appeared on the show, Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire, and Patti LaBelle who appeared on the show’s debut program with Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles.
To register for the screening and discussion, go here.
1100 Rock and Roll Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44114