Party Music : The Inside Story of the Black Panthers' Band and How Black Power Transformed Soul Music

Examining the culture and politics of the Black Power era of the late 1960s, this book explores the relationship of soul music to the Black Power movement from the vantage point of the musicians and black revolutionaries themselves. The 1960s were a turbulent time for race relations in the United States, but no other area in the country epitomized the radical social change that was taking place more than the San Francisco Bay Area—the epicenter of the Black Panthers movement. This social history introduces fans of soul music and 20th-century U.S. history enthusiasts to the Black Panthers' own band, the Lumpen, a group comprised of rank-and-file members of the Oakland, California–based Party. During their year-long tenure, the Lumpen produced hard-driving rhythm-and-blues that asserted the revolutionary ideology of the Black Panthers. Through his rediscovery of the Lumpen, and based on new interviews with Party and band members, author Rickey Vincent provides an... Introduction: Revolution In The Air -- Party Music : The Story Of The Lumpen -- Power To The People : Bay Area Culture And The Rise Of The Party -- The Lumpen Theme : James Brown, The Rhythm Revolution, And Black Power -- People Get Ready : Civil Rights, Soul Music, And Black Identity -- For Freedom : Cultural Nationalism And The Black Panther Party -- Bobby Must Be Set Free : Panther Power And Popular Culture -- Ol' Pig Nixon : The Protest Music Tradition, Soul, And Black Power -- Revolution Is The Only Solution : Protest Music Today And The Legacy Of The Lumpen. Rickey Vincent. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 343-359), Discography (pages 359-361) And Index. Connecting the black music tradition with the black activist tradition, Party Music brings both into greater focus than ever before and reveals just how strongly the black power movement was felt on the streets of black America. Interviews reveal the never-before-heard story of the Black Panthers'R&B band the Lumpen and how five rank-and-file members performed popular music for revolutionaries. Beyond the mainstream civil rights movement that is typically discussed are the stories of the Black Panthers, the Black Arts Movement, the antiwar activism, and other radical movements that were central to the impulse that transformed black popular music—and created soul music. The never-before-heard story of the Black Panthers' R&B band the Lumpen and how five rank-and-file members performed popular music for revolutionaries. Beyond the mainstream civil rights movement that is typically discussed are the stories of the Black Panthers, the Black Arts Movement, the antiwar activism, and other radical movements that were central to the impulse that transformed black popular music - and created soul music As the backing band, the Freedom Messengers, winds down their final song in the Merritt College auditorium, the packed audience of hundreds of students, young radicals, and community members from the North Oakland area feel the anticipation building in the room.