Join us on Friday 7th March at the Watershed for a special screening of “The Night James Brown Saved Boston” alongside a Q & A session with leaders of Brown’s revered horn section, Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley.

“The Night James Brown Saved Boston” focuses on one of the most historic moments in Boston and America’s musical, social and political history. The night Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated, rioting began to tear at the fabric of America’s cities.  So, on April 5, 1968, the night after Dr. King was shot and killed, James Brown took the stage at the Boston Garden for a concert that was televised live. The spell-binding performance enthralled the residents of Boston, and prevented the rioting that many had predicted.  A concert that is still considered legendary forty years later, Bostonians regard it as the greatest  the city every hosted. The film is a wonderful tribute to the Godfather of Soul, and includes interviews with Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley, both members of the James Brown revue at the time who will also be performing at The Bristol International Jazz and Blues Festival 2014.

The screening will be followed by a set from funk and soul DJ Mike Shawe of Hot Buttered Soul in the Watershed bar.

Watch a trailer for The Night James Brown Saves Boston. 

For more information and tickets visit our What's on page.