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Jazz Film Fridays: The !!!! Beat

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Courtesy of Bear Family Records.

The !!!! Beat was a pioneering blues, soul and R&B television show broadcast from WFAA in Dallas, Texas and hosted by radio d.j. William “Hoss” Allen. The series, which began production in January 1966, ran for 26 episodes with stellar performances by national and regional stars, including Little Milton, Esther Phillips, Etta James, Gatemouth Brown, Louis Jordan, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Patti LaBelle, along with a rocking house band and go-go dancers.

Every Friday night in September we’ll be showing four half-hour programs from this rarely seen music series. All screenings are free and begin at 7:00 pm at Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, 921 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC. View the complete schedule here.

Thanks to Larry Appelbaum, who curated the series and provided information for this post.

Comments (3)

  1. I do hope when the series is over you’ll post a link to the shows!

    I’m in Nashville, no way to get to DC.

  2. Mari, we are unable to post the shows due to copyright restrictions.

  3. A rare treat to see some of the old great artists when they were young performers, in addition to period styles and sets. Thank you Larry Applebaum (and Pat?) for making this happen and hosting the series. I’m already looking forward to next Friday!

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