Chi-Soul Fest, the Chicago Soul Music Festival, is an intergenerational musical conversation of Chicago soul music presented in honor of Black Music Appreciation Month.
Navy Pier is paying homage to Chicago’s longstanding history of soul music with the inaugural Chi-Soul Fest, a free, four-day music festival, kicking off on Wednesday, June 27. Jammed-packed with talented intergenerational artists, the festival honors and celebrates Black Music Appreciation Month and pays musical tributes to the city’s soulful roots, with a nod to the genre’s past, present and future.
Chicago’s rich history of soul was showcased on the famous record row in 1960s and 70s on South Michigan Avenue. During this time, labels such as Vee-Jay, Chess Records, Curtom, to name a few, featured classic recordings from artists such as The Dells, Curtis Mayfield, Etta James, Donny Hathaway, Herbie Hancock, Earth Wind and Fire and many more.
Although record row is gone, the legacy of soul still echoes in Chicago’s current musical landscape. Chi-Soul Fest presents a free lineup of Chicago soul music reflecting its past, present and future.
