Wattstax
Wattstax was a music festival, which took place on 20 August 1972 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The festival was organized by the music company Stax Records to commemorate the riots in the Watts district of seven years earlier. The name is an allusion to the Woodstock festival. Wattstax, on the next to the concerts of the stars of Stax Records speeches were heard, among others, of the civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, drew more than 100,000 mostly to African-American audience. It was released several albums with the music of the festival and a film. The documentary film was nominated for a Golden Globe for the Best Documentary in 1974.
Artists and groups
- The Staple Singers ( with Mavis Staples as a singer )
- Eddie Floyd
- The Emotions
- Carla Thomas
- Rufus Thomas
- The Bar- Kays
- Albert King
- The Soul Children
- Isaac Hayes
- The Rance Allen Group
- Johnnie Taylor
- Little Milton
- Luther Ingram
Film
- Wattstax. Documentary, USA, 1973, 99 min, directed by Mel Stuart, Summary of Arte
Trivia
The festival took place on the 30th birthday of Isaac Hayes, whose one-hour performance was the final.