In 2016, Jan Gaye was invited to dinner with bell hooks, the great humanist intellectual, and asked me along. Jan and I had recently collaborated on her autobiography, “After the Dance,” and hooks was ...

Introduction. Laying down the tracks -- Love : the 1970s. The big idea. A small start for a big idea ; Leavin' on a morning train to California ; Al Green ; The first family of soul (train) ; The ...

It was 1984. It might have been a period of triumph for the vocalist known as the King of Sensual Soul. The year before, he had finally won two Grammy Awards after decades of nominations. At the NBA ...

"When it debuted in October 1971, seven years after the Civil Rights Act, Soul Train boldly went where no variety show had gone before, showcasing the cultural preferences of young African-Americans ...