This Notice originally appeared in the September 1968 NET Program Guide, announcing the show:
On Thursday, September 12, at 9:00 PM, Channel 13 presents the first in a series of 39 one-hour programs entitled Soul!, devoted entirely to and aimed at the metropolitan area’s black community.
The format of Soul! resembles some of the popular late night programs – segmented, lively, informative and entertaining.
Appearing on the show will be top stars and up-and-coming young talents from the black community. There will also be pertinent features dealing with all aspects of the social, cultural and artistic life of the black population.
During the course of the year Soul! expects to have as its guests such people as: Cannonball Adderley, Muhammad Ali, Amanda Ambrose, The Associations, Oscar Brown Jr., James Brown, Billy Eckstein, Richie Havens, The Impressions, The Mighty Clouds of Joy, George Shirley, Nina Simone, Jo Simon, The Supremes, Irwin C. Watson, Marion Williams, Nancy Williams. (Not all of these performers actually appeared on Soul!-ed)
Music for Soul! will be provided by a live orchestra. The show will be in color and have the added excitement and spontaneity of a studio audience.
The second program in the series will be Thursday, September 26, at 9:00 pm. Starting October 10, Soul! will be seen every week on Thursday night at the same hour.
This series is being made possible by a special grant from the Ford Foundation under its Project for New Television Programming.
Soul!, an entertainment-talk program aimed at the Black community premiered on Thursday, September 12th 1968, at 9:00 pm.
Wow! So happy to see these after so many years. Thank you 13 for making these classic performances available for our viewing pleasure. Look forward to seeing more.
Jim Eigo
Warwick, NY
God dawg! I don’t believe it! Thank you for making this available again to the public. When I was a kid growing up in the South Bronx, Soul changed my life. Particularly the the EW & F episode and the two part Shades of Soul which Felipe Luciano hosted and featured maestros Tito Puente, Willie Colon and Mongo Santamaria whom I would later play drums and timbales for when I became an adult. Over the years I’ve told many people about this show but now they can finally experience it for themselves. PBS was so ahead of their time it boggles the mind. I’ve already e-mailed several of the episodes as learning tools for my students at the Manhattan School of Music and The New School University where I teach in their jazz departments and to many of my friends. Thank you for bringing the last age of hipness on TV back!!! With our new President and now this, maybe we’ll be able to initiate a new age of cultural enlightenment. Thank you PBS for remembering. Double God dawg!!!
Ache’ (positive energy),
Bobby Sanabria
Thanks for putting this online. Won’t you please post the Stevie Wonder show? And Al Green… and Billy Preston… and…?
It is a pleasant surprise for these to show up after years of hearing “the tapes were destroyed” or “the tapes cannot be found”. I AM GLAD YOU FOUND THEM. These are as important a reflection of American Musical Entertainment as any American Bandstand episode. I would gladly purchase every single episode on DVD or support the broadcasting of the 39 episodes.
I always wondered why we get the modern PBS representations of Soul Music by performers in their waning, later (but still musically vibrant) years- when PBS has been sitting on these glorious representations of so many key musicians in their physical and performance PRIME. Lets now take the next step- put the catalog in position to help monetize your operation so that we may see MORE. That is how Public TV works, we understand. But give us something to SUPPORT and you may find unexpected revenue……
I was Production Secretary for the show in its last year. I have many, many wonderful memories of the staff, the artists, and the audiences. It is good to see the shows again.
WoW! I remember the show with Al Green!
Please, post program dated December 8, 1971—
Guests: Melvin Van Peebles and the cast of “Ain’t Supposed to Die a Natural Death”. It was fantastic!
Many would absolutely LOVE to see the 11-Feb-1971 Soul episode with the late, great ANDREW HILL — the very earliest known film/video performance of Hill. AND, Woody Shaw was in that band too — and that clip would ALSO be the very earliest known film/video performance of Shaw. The full line-up of the group was Andrew Hill, Carlos Garnett, Woody Shaw, Victor Sproles, & Roy Haynes. Please, please, PLEASE make this episode available for viewing — many thanks!!!
What memories, it brings tears to my eyes. I wish Smitty & Richie was here to see this. I finally can see footage of us with the Original Group. I thought this day would never come, SOUL was the # 1 music show that started it off. Thank you And Iam praying that DVD’s of the 5 seasons SOUL was on tv, will be avalible real soon, like yesterday. God Bless
Sonny, The Manhattans
[...] interviews with political, sports, literary figures and more. Here’s the original show announcement as well as a quick article following its demise in JET magazine. Here’s a spectacular [...]
What a treat! I grew up with Jimmy Briscoe and the Little Beavers. we are all turning 50 this year, it’s hard to believe I knew such talented kids. Please make more of these shows available so I can share them with my daughter and the younger members of my family. A priceless piece of African-American history.
Great shows and Jerry B was something else. I wanted to tell you that, in the Pretenders video from November of 1971, you have the song Woo Woo Train, originally by the Valentines listed as Down The Line. Down The Line was sung by the Caddilacs and is a different song. There medly begins with the song Sunday Kind Of Love, which you did not list.The closing song also not mentioned was The Great Pretender.
Please show the episode from 2-27-1969 with The Five Stairsteps. They have many fans who would love to see any footage of the group.
Hi, are you going to post The Five Stairsteps episode, and if so how soon.
Seeing The 5 Stairsteps and the Unfics come to mind. Please put this series on DVD.
Wow, you mean there was something actually positive and constructive on the Tube before the advent of neo-exploitation through of the vernacular in living color?
Pachacuti!!
this was one great series thats been long over due.i remember watching all these great groups that played the apollo theater,like manhattans,vibrations,skip,sonnyand the pace bros. i hope that this series is converted over to dvds ,made available to the public soon. this tv series is very historic and informative.sincerely yours,michael mcgehee
This is a fantastic retrospective on Mr. Haizlip. This program was the highlight of my week back in the day. I was watching something recently and saw his name roll on the credits and I immediately went to my pc to google him. I found this site and was blown away by all the fond and proud memories of watching ANYTHING he had his hand in back then!
I watched every episode “SOUL” on PBS in Atlanta. It is were I first saw a very young Alfe Woodard and Anna Horsford, EWF with Clarice, nad Dick Georry in a skit explaiining how/when to use the “n” word. I’ve long searched for videos of these episodes. I tracked that they were in the Library of Congress but nothing saying they were available on VHS/DVD for the public. Thank you, Thank you. I’ll be watching and hope to see them on DVD.
I thought I would never see this again! I used to tell people about this show and they thought I was crazy! I’m am totally blown away. This is where I first saw so many acts, like the Spinners (before Phillipe Wynn). Thanks soooooo much!