The legendary independent Memphis label Stax organised a non-stop seven-hour musical event for 100,000 people at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on 20 August 1972. Besides showcasing its roster (Stax was expanding and wanted to reach more listeners in big cities), the event commemorated the seventh anniversary of the 1965 Watts Riots, a six-day protest in the Los Angeles district of Watts,
seen as the culmination of African-American protests against systemic discrimination and police violence, resulting in 34 deaths, 1,032 injuries, and around 4,000 arrests. Stax’s Al Bell saw music as a means of healing and empowerment, hoping to bring this power to a
place scarred by violence and injustice. Legendary artists such as Isaac Hayes, Albert King, Rance Allen Group, The Emotions, The Staple Singers, and Rufus & Carla Thomas performed for an almost exclusively African-American audience. Filmmaker Mel Stuart took advantage of the unique circumstances to create a film documenting both the concert and the social environment of Watts, giving a voice to comedian Richard Pryor, who used biting humour to highlight everyday frustrations of African-Americans. The film also features interviews with Watts residents, letting them discuss their social issues, hopes, and struggles. This dual approach is the film’s strength, celebrating black identity and the cultural superiority of African-American music in terms of the innovation while commenting on the social situation of minorities in the US. The main aim of the festival and film, however, was to celebrate black identity and inspire pride in the achievements of African-American culture and solidarity among the audience. A key moment is when civil rights activist Jesse Jackson recites the famous poem I Am – Somebody, with the audience responding enthusiastically.
Wattstax is the second festival after the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival (documented in Questlove’s Summer of Soul) to be dubbed “Black Woodstock” by journalists and historians.

Karl Wratschko