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Harlem 69
£7.99
Harlem 69—The Future of Soul
The explosive finale of Stuart Cosgrove's epic soul trilogy, where Black Power, heroin and history collide in one unforgettable year.
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About the Ebook
In 1969, among Harlem's Rabelaisian cast of characters are bandleader King Curtis, soul singers Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway, and drug peddler Jimmy 'Goldfinger' Terrell. In February a raid on tenements across New York leads to the arrest of 21 Black Panther party members and one of the most controversial trials of the era. In the summer Harlem plays host to Black Woodstock and concerts starring Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone. The world's most famous guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, a major supporter of the Black Panthers, returns to Harlem in support of their cause. By the end of the year Harlem is gripped by a heroin pandemic and the death of a 12-year-old child sends shockwaves through the USA, leaving Harlem stigmatised as an area ravaged by crime, gangsters and a darkly vengeful drug problem.Why You'll Love This Ebook
- Conclude Stuart Cosgrove's acclaimed soul trilogy that began with Detroit 67 and Memphis 68
- Vivid, meticulously researched storytelling spanning the Black Panthers, Black Woodstock and the rise of Jimi Hendrix
- A gripping portrait of a community caught between cultural triumph and a devastating heroin epidemic
- Read another celebrated title from Polygon - an imprint of Birlinn Ltd
Reviews
'Cosgrove's deep dive into the year's events is an epic feat of archival research that joins the dots between Donny Hathaway, Jimi Hendrix, the Black Panthers, police corruption and the Vietnam war.' The Herald
'An impressively granular month-by-month deep dive into Harlem's fertile musical response to a time of social and political upheaval.' Financial Times
'A book, and a trilogy, that evokes an extraordinarily creative and culturally progressive time that now feels far distant.' Observer
About the Author
Stuart Cosgrove originally from Perth, was a fanzine writer on the northern soul scene before joining the black music paper Echoes, as a staff writer. He became media editor with the NME and a feature writer for a range of newspapers and magazines. In 2005 he was named Broadcaster of the Year in the Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Awards and in 2012 he won numerous awards including a BAFTA and Royal Television Society award for Channel 4's coverage of the London Paralympics 2012. He is also the author of Young Soul Rebels (Polygon, 2016).Publication Details
Publisher: Polygon (an imprint of Birlinn Ltd)
Publication Date: 04 October 2018
Print Length: 256 pages (Ebook edition)
ISBN (Ebook): 9781788850254
Format: Ebook
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