Freedom Principle Black History Month Special: Detroit’s 1950’s Roots of Soul

With respect to February’s Black History Month, The Freedom Principle will present four programs of musical genres borne from diverse origins. In doing so, we continue a tradition here at CJAM of recognizing the contributions to the arts of peoples from the African diaspora, experiences which impact and help define our global culture. The first in the four-part series is Detroit’s 1950’s Roots of Soul on Friday February 6, 2015 from 5:00 – 6:30pm.

This week we’re reaching back in the archives for some 1950s gospel-tinged R&B. In that magical time when gospel was transitioning through doo-wop and rhythm & blues towards soul music, Detroit was setting the pace.Even prior to Motown, Detroit had an intensely active R&B and soul community.