Radio 2's Summer Of Soul

Title

First
Broadcast

Repeated

Comments

20110815

20120814 (R2)

As Radio 2's Summer of Soul continues, Roberta Flack pays tribute to Donny Hathaway, with the help of friends, family and the colleagues who knew him well.

Ask anyone involved in today's R'n'B music, and it's likely they'll have a copy of a Donny Hathaway song in their collection. Although it is over 30 years ago since he died prematurely at age 33, his music has touched many generations. Gifted musically, Donny could do everything: sing, write, compose, arrange and play.

He released four successful solo albums, sang duets with Roberta Flack and supported Aretha Franklin on tour. Of his songs, Some Day We'll All Be Free has now become a civil rights anthem, while The Ghetto is a soul classic.

Contributors include Hathaway's daughters, Lalah and Donnita; musical director and friend Harold Wheeler; co-writer, friend and fellow Howard University graduate Leroy Hutson; and American music radio broadcaster, Dyana Williams.

Roberta Flack pays tribute to Donny Hathaway, with the help of those who knew him well.

A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music

Marvin Gaye, What's Going On 40th Anniversary

20110822

To mark the 40th anniversary of What's Going On, Smokey Robinson explores the social and political impact of this classic album and explains why Marvin Gaye's masterpiece still has resonance today. The first album to feature songs about social injustice, suffering, hatred, drug abuse, war, loss and poverty, it inspired a new generation of performers to use their music for social commentary.

By 1970 Marvin Gaye had released ten albums of acclaimed soul and R&B, all produced under the protective and watchful control of Tamla Motown legend Berry Gordy. But when Marvin began preparing to record a new album in the summer of 1970, his own personal experience weighed heavily on his soul and he began writing songs with a conscience.

The first album produced solely by the artist himself, it's told from the point of view of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing nothing but injustice, suffering and hatred. Featuring introspective lyrics about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War, the album was also the first to reflect the beginning of a new trend in soul music. It was an immediate commercial, and critical, success and has endured as a classic of early-1970s soul.

Guests in the programme include Stevie Wonder, Mary Wilson, Lamont Dozier, Seal, and three of the surviving Funk Brothers who played with Marvin on the album - Bob Babbitt, Joe Messina and Jack Ashford.

Smokey Robinson explores the social and political impact of Marvin Gaye's album.

A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music

Super Bad, Super Cool

20100109

20110809 (R2)
20131008 (R2)

Actress Pam Grier takes us back to the cinema of the 1970s, when a type of film emerged that featured all-black casts and great soul, R'n'B and jazzy soundtracks.

Pam celebrates these films with the funky soundtracks and interesting stories that were given the unfortunate name of 'blaxploitation' movies. She considers their musical legacy, and their wider impact, particularly in terms of the film roles that were available to black actors before and after that period.

These films depicted a reality about the world which African-American audiences could identify with, even if the stories themselves were pure fantasy. Wildly colourful ghetto garb, drug and sex scenes, extreme (if often cartoon-like) violence, classic soulful scores (Curtis Mayfield, Willie Hutch, Isaac Hayes), and touches of black nationalism are the still irresistible trademarks of what became known as 'blaxploitation movies'.

The films created a whole music genre that followed the release of the film Shaft. The films often gained success from their soundtracks rather than their plot-lines; and the music stands alone as a testimony to some very funky producers. Almost every major artist of the day did a film score for these movies. After Isaac Hayes led the way with Shaft, Curtis Mayfield followed with Superfly, Marvin Gaye with Trouble Man, then James Brown, Bobby Womack and Edwin Starr got in on the act.

Contributors include Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L Jackson, Joel Freeman, Jorge Hinosa, Ashley Walters, Gloria Hendry, Dennis Coffey, Scott Bomar, Lalah Hathaway, Mathieu Bitton, Mary Ramos, Lawrence Bender, and James Hyman. The documentary first broadcast on Radio 2 in January 2010.

Pam Grier considers the impact and musical legacy of 1970s blaxploitation cinema.

A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music

The King Of Motown: Berry Gordy

20090106

20110808 (R2)

Even with all the famous names associated with Motown, such as Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder, one would still have to acknowledge that its founder, Berry Gordy Jr, is the man who sums up what the record label has been all about.

From the late 1950s to 1988, when he sold out to MCA, Berry Gordy was the controlling force behind a label that revolutionised the way black pop music was written, recorded, marketed and distributed all around the world. And it was always a family affair - his sisters and brothers were involved in running the business; the artists also took a hand; and the creative meetings at Motown were run through a sort of democratic autocracy.

Marshall Chess tells the story of Berry and the Motown 'family'. The documentary first broadcast in January 2008 and is repeated as part of Radio 2's Summer of Soul season. Contributors include Motown artists Smokey Robinson; Sylvester Potts (The Contours); Tommy Good; Martha Reeves; Gloria Jones (The Velvelettes); Uriel Jones, one of the Funk Brothers who played drums on classic Motown recordings; Funk Brother and arranger Paul Riser; writer/producer/engineer Clay McMurray; former Motown President Skip Miller; writer/producer Robert Bateman; and one of the first Motown A&R men, William 'Mickey' Stevenson.

Marshall Chess tells the story of Berry Gordon Jr and the Motown 'family'.

A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music

Way Down South: The Muscle Shoals Story

20110810

Craig Charles presents the story of the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music

Episodes

Title	First Broadcast	Repeated	Comments
	20110815	20120814 (R2)	As Radio 2's Summer of Soul continues, Roberta Flack pays tribute to Donny Hathaway, with the help of friends, family and the colleagues who knew him well. Ask anyone involved in today's R'n'B music, and it's likely they'll have a copy of a Donny Hathaway song in their collection. Although it is over 30 years ago since he died prematurely at age 33, his music has touched many generations. Gifted musically, Donny could do everything: sing, write, compose, arrange and play. He released four successful solo albums, sang duets with Roberta Flack and supported Aretha Franklin on tour. Of his songs, Some Day We'll All Be Free has now become a civil rights anthem, while The Ghetto is a soul classic. Contributors include Hathaway's daughters, Lalah and Donnita; musical director and friend Harold Wheeler; co-writer, friend and fellow Howard University graduate Leroy Hutson; and American music radio broadcaster, Dyana Williams. Roberta Flack pays tribute to Donny Hathaway, with the help of those who knew him well. A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music
Marvin Gaye, What's Going On 40th Anniversary	20110822		To mark the 40th anniversary of What's Going On, Smokey Robinson explores the social and political impact of this classic album and explains why Marvin Gaye's masterpiece still has resonance today. The first album to feature songs about social injustice, suffering, hatred, drug abuse, war, loss and poverty, it inspired a new generation of performers to use their music for social commentary. By 1970 Marvin Gaye had released ten albums of acclaimed soul and R&B, all produced under the protective and watchful control of Tamla Motown legend Berry Gordy. But when Marvin began preparing to record a new album in the summer of 1970, his own personal experience weighed heavily on his soul and he began writing songs with a conscience. The first album produced solely by the artist himself, it's told from the point of view of a Vietnam War veteran returning to the country he had been fighting for, and seeing nothing but injustice, suffering and hatred. Featuring introspective lyrics about drug abuse, poverty and the Vietnam War, the album was also the first to reflect the beginning of a new trend in soul music. It was an immediate commercial, and critical, success and has endured as a classic of early-1970s soul. Guests in the programme include Stevie Wonder, Mary Wilson, Lamont Dozier, Seal, and three of the surviving Funk Brothers who played with Marvin on the album - Bob Babbitt, Joe Messina and Jack Ashford. Smokey Robinson explores the social and political impact of Marvin Gaye's album. A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music
Super Bad, Super Cool	20100109	20110809 (R2) 20131008 (R2)	Actress Pam Grier takes us back to the cinema of the 1970s, when a type of film emerged that featured all-black casts and great soul, R'n'B and jazzy soundtracks. Pam celebrates these films with the funky soundtracks and interesting stories that were given the unfortunate name of 'blaxploitation' movies. She considers their musical legacy, and their wider impact, particularly in terms of the film roles that were available to black actors before and after that period. These films depicted a reality about the world which African-American audiences could identify with, even if the stories themselves were pure fantasy. Wildly colourful ghetto garb, drug and sex scenes, extreme (if often cartoon-like) violence, classic soulful scores (Curtis Mayfield, Willie Hutch, Isaac Hayes), and touches of black nationalism are the still irresistible trademarks of what became known as 'blaxploitation movies'. The films created a whole music genre that followed the release of the film Shaft. The films often gained success from their soundtracks rather than their plot-lines; and the music stands alone as a testimony to some very funky producers. Almost every major artist of the day did a film score for these movies. After Isaac Hayes led the way with Shaft, Curtis Mayfield followed with Superfly, Marvin Gaye with Trouble Man, then James Brown, Bobby Womack and Edwin Starr got in on the act. Contributors include Quentin Tarantino, Samuel L Jackson, Joel Freeman, Jorge Hinosa, Ashley Walters, Gloria Hendry, Dennis Coffey, Scott Bomar, Lalah Hathaway, Mathieu Bitton, Mary Ramos, Lawrence Bender, and James Hyman. The documentary first broadcast on Radio 2 in January 2010. Pam Grier considers the impact and musical legacy of 1970s blaxploitation cinema. A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music
The King Of Motown: Berry Gordy	20090106	20110808 (R2)	Even with all the famous names associated with Motown, such as Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and Stevie Wonder, one would still have to acknowledge that its founder, Berry Gordy Jr, is the man who sums up what the record label has been all about. From the late 1950s to 1988, when he sold out to MCA, Berry Gordy was the controlling force behind a label that revolutionised the way black pop music was written, recorded, marketed and distributed all around the world. And it was always a family affair - his sisters and brothers were involved in running the business; the artists also took a hand; and the creative meetings at Motown were run through a sort of democratic autocracy. Marshall Chess tells the story of Berry and the Motown 'family'. The documentary first broadcast in January 2008 and is repeated as part of Radio 2's Summer of Soul season. Contributors include Motown artists Smokey Robinson; Sylvester Potts (The Contours); Tommy Good; Martha Reeves; Gloria Jones (The Velvelettes); Uriel Jones, one of the Funk Brothers who played drums on classic Motown recordings; Funk Brother and arranger Paul Riser; writer/producer/engineer Clay McMurray; former Motown President Skip Miller; writer/producer Robert Bateman; and one of the first Motown A&R men, William 'Mickey' Stevenson. Marshall Chess tells the story of Berry Gordon Jr and the Motown 'family'. A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music
Way Down South: The Muscle Shoals Story	20110810		Craig Charles presents the story of the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. A special season of programmes celebrating classic soul music