The Roots bandleader, Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, will release his book titled ‘Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation’ on October 22.
Delving into an the era that produced iconic acts such as Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5 and Aretha Franklin, Questlove explores how the TV show, Soul Train, helped to launch the careers of countless artists.
To write the book Questlove watched over 1,100 episodes of the show and was granted exclusive access to the entire Soul Train archives that featured hundreds of never-before-seen photos.
Hosted and created by Don Cornelius, Soul Train was an important platform for artists and integral to the evolution of black entertainment. Cornelius hosted the show from 1971-1993, with the show finishing up in 2006 making it the longest running syndicated television show in history.
As well as being a launching platform for artists, Soul Train was also responsible for launching the careers of numerous other celebrities that started out as dancers on the show including Carmen Electra, MC Hammer and Mariah Carey’s husband Nick Cannon.
Questlove also lectures at New York University teaching a class called ‘Topics In Recorded Music: Classic Albums’ that dissects classic albums such as Michael Jackson’s ‘Off The Wall’ and Beastie Boy’s ‘Paul’s Boutique’. This is in addition to his band commitments with the Roots that includes the role of house-band on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.
With so much already on his plate, it’s amazing that he can find the time to research and write a book.
Questlove and the Roots will be touring Australia as part of the Falls Festival this December-January.
‘Soul Train: The Music, Dance, and Style of a Generation’ will be available October 22nd, both physically and digitally.
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