Why Questlove's "Summer of Soul" Is Not Just Another Music Doc

Strong Reception with Eli James

"Summer of Soul" is a groundbreaking documentary that I want everyone on Planet Earth to see.

Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson (founding member of The Roots and professional musical encyclopedia) made his directorial debut on a subject close to my heart: the all-but-forgotten Harlem Cultural Festival of 1969. This series of six Sunday concerts in New York's storied neighborhood of Harlem was unlike anything before or since. Performers at the free festival included Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Max Roach, the 5th Dimension, Mahalia Jackson, and so many more. Over 300,000 people showed up - almost exclusively from the neighborhood. More than 40 hours of beautifully shot video remained hidden from the public for 52 years, locked away in the videographer's vault — until now. In this episode, I speak to Rolling Stone journalist Jonathan Bernstein, whose tireless research on the long-lost festival first helped me understand its significance. His article for Rolling Stone, published in 2019, was (controversially) titled "This 1969 Music Fest Has Been Called ‘Black Woodstock.’ Why Doesn’t Anyone Remember?" Jonathan and I break down our reactions to "Summer of Soul" and delve into the history of the Harlem Cultural Festival itself, including what's known about the festival's charismatic, passionate founder, Tony Lawrence, who pretty much disappeared without a trace soon after the event was over.

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