SOUL BRITANNIA: THE STORY OF BRITISH SOUL MUSIC
Soul Britannia is a major music series that examines the dynamic impact of black American and Caribbean sounds on British music - and on the very fabric of British society. From the 1950s to the present day, Soul Britannia investigates vinyl obsessions, Soul dancing, imitation, innovation - and much more.
British youth's fascination with black music and style flowered in the 50's & 60's - a whole generation of young people, longing for a different identity were looking towards America and the Caribbean, for a sound and a style that would lift them out of a drab early-closing postwar Britain.
It was in clubs such as The Flamingo in London where new artists cut their teeth and people and their subcultures came together to share their passion for soul, R&B, Jump Blues & ska, sparking a new musical revolution.
1. I Feel Good
With soul as its guiding light, the first film tracks the extraordinary musical changes that post-war Britain experienced. After the staid, uptight 1950s, the UK blossomed into an all-night, neon-lit soul-athon. From groovy Soho basements to "Ready Steady Go" TV specials, the music rocked the nation through the 1960s...
2. Soul Rebels
The second film in the Soul Britannia series moves from the heady go-go nights of the Sixties to the more complex racial and musical times of the Seventies and Eighties...
3. Keep On Movin'
Soul was in a state of flux in the mid-1980's. British pop-soul was certainly growing into a global force: Sade conquered the world's coffee tables and solo George Michael demonstrated a far deeper understanding of R&B than was ever expected from a man last seen in tight shorts.
Contributions by Elton John, Pete Townshend, Tom Jones, Peter Weller and Eric Burdon, among many others.
4. Soul Britannia at the Barbican: Transatlantic Soul Connection
This Soul Britannia concert features several of the seminal artists from that era, including Geno Washington, Eric Burdon, Jimmy James. Madeline Bell, Eddie Floyd, plus a very special guest appearance by former Stax Records star Sam Moore, of Sam & Dave fame.
Produced by the Barbican in association with BBC Four
British youth's fascination with black music and style flowered in the 50's & 60's - a whole generation of young people, longing for a different identity were looking towards America and the Caribbean, for a sound and a style that would lift them out of a drab early-closing postwar Britain.
It was in clubs such as The Flamingo in London where new artists cut their teeth and people and their subcultures came together to share their passion for soul, R&B, Jump Blues & ska, sparking a new musical revolution.
1. I Feel Good
With soul as its guiding light, the first film tracks the extraordinary musical changes that post-war Britain experienced. After the staid, uptight 1950s, the UK blossomed into an all-night, neon-lit soul-athon. From groovy Soho basements to "Ready Steady Go" TV specials, the music rocked the nation through the 1960s...
2. Soul Rebels
The second film in the Soul Britannia series moves from the heady go-go nights of the Sixties to the more complex racial and musical times of the Seventies and Eighties...
3. Keep On Movin'
Soul was in a state of flux in the mid-1980's. British pop-soul was certainly growing into a global force: Sade conquered the world's coffee tables and solo George Michael demonstrated a far deeper understanding of R&B than was ever expected from a man last seen in tight shorts.
Contributions by Elton John, Pete Townshend, Tom Jones, Peter Weller and Eric Burdon, among many others.
4. Soul Britannia at the Barbican: Transatlantic Soul Connection
This Soul Britannia concert features several of the seminal artists from that era, including Geno Washington, Eric Burdon, Jimmy James. Madeline Bell, Eddie Floyd, plus a very special guest appearance by former Stax Records star Sam Moore, of Sam & Dave fame.
Produced by the Barbican in association with BBC Four