SOUL POWER
From Gospel to the Godfather
Like the nation that invented it, soul music generates a dazzling strength out of internal tensions: the choir and the soloist, the organ and the horn, sex and religion.
For six full weeks Soul Power reaches into the archive of this fiercely American sound, honoring the heritage of a classic form while nodding to its new directions. Each of these seven concerts is a blockbuster show by itself, combined with nine supporting events—including conversations, talks, an exhibition, and a special DJ performance—the series tells a story about the power that seethes below the surface of soul music’s authorized histories.
From Solomon Burke to DJ Spooky, from Booker T. to King Britt, what Soul Power exposes is not color-coordinated suits and synchronized dances but a potent concoction of gospel, blues and the transformed experience of Black life in America. Reaching back to the moment when places like Detroit and Philadelphia in the north were matched by soul-splitting record houses in Muscle Shoals and Memphis, Soul Power also looks forward, showcasing how contemporary DJs turn cultural documents into a new language of sound.
From January through February, this is a six-week long crash course in the majesty of an American form, a love letter to the snap, rhythm, and wail of a sound that has roots in gospel and extends to Maceo Parker, the bandleader for soul’s most famous godfather—and beyond.
Duke Performances offers DP Series Packages that allow you to save up to 20% off single ticket prices. For information on the Soul Power packages, please click here.