The summer of 1972 was a decisive time for Raymond Shields. He’d just graduated from high school and was about to leave Los Angeles behind to study at Northwestern University. It was a summer of house ...

The story starts in Watts -- ten miles South from the Los Angeles Coliseum -- seven years before festival took place. Here's a newsreel from the era: 34 people died during the Watts Riots. Thousands ...

It was spoken of as sort of a black Woodstock. It featured artists like Isaac Hayes and the Staple Singers. And it was right here in L.A. But judging by its absence in conversations about the ‘60s and ...

On August 20, 1972, Stax Records brought its biggest stars to Los Angeles for a marathon concert. "Wattstax" is now being commemorated with a new box set and the theatrical re-release of a 1973 ...

There are a bunch of historical anniversaries in August. The Watts riots happened 53 years ago. Woodstock was 49 years ago today in fact. And then there's the 46th anniversary of Wattstax. (SOUNDBITE ...

On Aug. 20, 1972, the Wattstax Benefit Concert was held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Organized by Stax Records and held in honor of the seventh anniversary of the 1965 Watts riots in Los ...

Although the fight for racial equality is ongoing, Stax co-owner Al Bell says so is the hope for a better future envisioned by Wattstax a... Wattstax drew 100,000 people — this 1972 concert was about ...