Soul to Soul

Soul to Soul is a 1971 documentary film about the Independence Day concert held in Accra, Ghana ,on 6 March 1971. It features an array of mostly American R&B, soul, rock, and jazz musicians. Directed by Denis Sanders, Soul to Soul was released in August 1971. The film consists of extensive excerpts from the concert performances, along with documentary footage of the musicians interacting with local Ghanaians in the days before the show. 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. At 1970 West Africa concert by James Brown, Brown performed in Lagos, Nigeria, but he did not perform in Ghana. Of the musicians invited to perform, Wilson Pickett was by far the biggest star in Ghana. Organizers also unsuccessfully sought performances by Americans Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Booker T & The MG's, Louis Armstrong, and gospel singer Marion Williams.