A behind-the-scenes look at the Chitlin’ Circuit during American’s most vital period of soul music—from the eyes and ears of a young, Jewish kid from Queens who joined the team of the hardest working man in show business and learned the art of the music business at the hand of the performer who mastered it.In the mid-’60s, Alan Leeds was a young DJ looking for his way into the music business. An interview with James Brown to promote a local show in Virginia led to an opportunity to...

The story of twentieth-century American music—what really happened, and how and why—from the right-hand man to James Brown, Prince, and D’Angelo, among others.Alan Leeds is one of the most important figures in Black music, which might sound surprising given he’s a Jewish kid from Queens. You may not know him, but he knows everyone. For half a century, in at least three discrete artistic eras, he has been central to the way that Black music (from soul to funk to neo...

The story of twentieth-century American music—what really happened, and how and why—from the right-hand man to James Brown, Prince, and D’Angelo, among others.Alan Leeds is one of the most important figures in Black music, which might sound surprising given he’s a Jewish kid from Queens. You may not know him, but he knows everyone. For half a century, in at least three discrete artistic eras, he has been central to the way that Black music (from soul to funk to neo...

A behind-the-scenes look at the Chitlin' Circuit during America's most vital period of soul music—from the eyes and ears of a young, Jewish kid from Queens who joined the team of the hardest working man in show business and learned the art of the music business at the hand of the performer who mastered it.In the mid-'60s, Alan Leeds was a young DJ looking for his way into the music business. An interview with James Brown to promote a local show in Virginia led to a...