Premiering in 1968, SOUL! was the first nationally broadcast all-Black variety show on public television, introducing the radical voices of Patti Labelle, Toni Morrison and James Baldwin and more to the American mainstream. Discover this lost chapter in pop culture history through the lens of the show’s visionary—and openly gay—host, Ellis Haizlip. With a keen ear for talent and commitment to charting new territory in the wake of the civil rights movement, Haizlip propelled a cultural shift so powerful, it even pushed Nixon into action. From Sydney Poitier to Harry Belafonte, go backstage with the show’s iconic performers and learn about the complex man who was the SOUL! of it all.

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