Stone Soul Rhythm Band
The Stone Soul Rhythm Band
The stone soul rhythm band is a band with the goal of providing funky entertainment with an authentic sound that will leave you wanting more. They’ve been called upon to support many legendary acts including Stevie Wonder, BB King, Huey Lewis & The News, Diana Ross, The O’Jays and Mary Wilson while playing over 1,000 shows to over 1.5 million fans.
The history of the stone soul rhythm band is one of uplift and empowerment. Black people in Omaha have celebrated, uplifted and empowered their culture for more than 150 years. Throughout that time, there have been many events and places that have become synonymous with those celebrations.
One of those events is the Stone Soul Picnic, which took place in North Omaha for more than 25 years. It was a cultural event where the community celebrated Black pride, Black history and culture and hosted a variety of different music artists.
Although the picnic never became as popular as it once was, it still had large crowds and a wide array of entertainment options. Organizers reported that attendance could reach as high as 25,000 attendees regularly.
When it first started, the event was held at a park in North Omaha and featured many different types of music. However, after several years, the event dipped in attendance and was no longer held.
During the 1970s, the event moved to a different location and was sponsored by many local organizations. The picnic committee worked closely with local radio stations to promote the event and provided free admission. The picnic also included a cultural expo featuring 60 different exhibits.
The cultural expos included displays of African American women, African American history and other important topics. Those presentations were organized by historian and Black history advocate Bertha Calloway.
Some of those displays included photographs and items that were donated to the museum by attendees. This was an important way to bring the museum to people who may not have heard of it otherwise.
Aside from the music, the picnic featured an assortment of activities and a 10-round boxing exhibition. It was also the first year that the Stone Soul Picnic included a cultural expo for the community to participate in.
Sly & the Family Stone, the band founded by Sylvester Stewart (later known as Sly Stone) in 1967, was a pioneering group in the San Francisco Bay Area funk and R&B music scene. The group’s unique composition and multiracial lineup of members made them stand out from other flower-power bands.
As a musician, Sly incorporated his own saxophone playing and singing skills to create unique grooves that were influenced by the funk music of New Orleans. The band also incorporated a heavy dose of rock and roll into its music.
The band’s music became widely popular during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The band toured extensively and released a series of anthemlike pop singles that helped make Sly Stone and his Family Stone a household name in the world of popular music.