Soul to Soul (film)

Soul to Soul
Directed by	Denis Sanders
Produced by	Richard Bock, Tom Mosk
Cinematography	David Myers
Release date	1971
Running time	96 min.
Language	English

Soul To Soul was a concert held in Accra, Ghana, on 6 March 1971, by an array of mostly American R&B, soul, rock, and jazz musicians. It is also the name of a 1971 documentary film recording the concert.

Ghana, after declaring its Independence on 6 March 1957, had made a variety of efforts to connect with African diasporans, some of whom — including Maya Angelou, W. E. B. Du Bois and George Padmore — lived in the West African nation for a time. In the mid-1960s, Angelou approached the government of Kwame Nkrumah and suggested bringing a number of African-American artists to Ghana for the annual independence celebrations. Nkrumah was deposed before action could be taken, but when the American father-son team of Ed Mosk and Tom Mosk approached the Ghana Arts Council in 1970 with an idea for a concert, the Council agreed. A massive 1970 concert by James Brown in Lagos, Nigeria, had prompted the Mosks' confidence in the idea.

Of the musicians invited to perform, Wilson Pickett was by far the biggest star in Ghana, where he was known as "Soul Brother No. 2." (James Brown was, of course, Soul Brother No. 1.) Organizers also unsuccessfully sought performances by Americans Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Booker T & The MG's, Louis Armstrong and gospel singer Marion Williams. In addition, Fela Kuti was approached, but did not perform.

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