What do you think?
Rate this book
Harlem 69: The Future of Soul
In 1969, among Harlem’s Rabelaisian cast of characters are bandleader King Curtis, soul singers Aretha Franklin and Donny Hathaway, and drug peddler Jimmy ‘Goldfinger’ Terrell. In February a raid on tenements across New York leads to the arrest of 21 Black Panther party members and one of the most controversial trials of the era. In the summer Harlem plays host to Black Woodstock and concerts starring Sly and the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder and Nina Simone. The world’s most famous guitarist, Jimi Hendrix, a major supporter of the Black Panthers, returns to Harlem in support of their cause.
By the end of the year Harlem is gripped by a heroin pandemic and the death of a 12-year-old child sends shockwaves through the USA, leaving Harlem stigmatised as an area ravaged by crime, gangsters and a darkly vengeful drug problem.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2018
21 people are currently reading
259 people want to read
About the author
Stuart Cosgrove
18 books50 followersScottish journalist, broadcaster and television executive. Worked as a journalist on the NME and The Face magazine during the 1980s. Was at Channel 4, London from 1994 to 2015, serving as Controller of Arts and Entertainment and then Head of Programmes (Nations and Regions).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 10, 2020
The first book in this trilogy was 5* thanks to the gripping and thoroughly engaging narrative thread that ran through the book as it covered Detroit '67 music in its socio-political context. This 3rd book continues the trend of the 2nd, suffering from the lack of narrative thread and becoming increasingly bitty. That said, i thoroughly enjoyed the read coz I'm a total nerd for this type of stuff, but it was more like a really long, really good Mojo article than an engrossing long read.
August 26, 2022
The other two books in Cosgrove’s Soul Trilogy have been wonderful, but slightly hampered by a sense that he’s trying to force some elements into a structure that these things don’t need forcing into. He’s so committed to his year by year chronicles focusing on one region, that sometimes it’s felt a bit like he’s determined to fit things in where they don’t naturally belong. Plus there’s a sort of rather awkward reliance on cliche that sometimes makes some passages a bit tricky to manoeuvre through
Well there’s almost none of that here. In fact the only time the book feels even slightly awkward is in the conclusion, where he tries to fit all three narratives together and sort of falls to pieces slightly in the process. It’s completely forgivable though because it’s an impossible task to place a marker at the end of a narrative like this, especially one where Cosgrove basically highlights exists as merely part of the huge flow of black music and culture
Otherwise it’s a complete masterpiece. It seems Harlem in 1969 not only allows for rumination on where soul has been going but also where it’s inevitably going. It seems to be such a rich focus of political, social, economic and artistic elements that every chapter is rich in detail and nuance. We get jazz, sexuality, drugs, cinema, literature and sometimes even soul and funk just flowing through every chapter. It’s a quietly angry book, one that I think learns from Cosgrove’s patently huge admiration for Donny Hathaway: as he says of the singer in the conclusion, this is a man whose control of his emotional range meant he didn’t have to rely on cliche to express his message. And that is literally what Cosgrove does on every page here. It’s extraordinary writing and absolutely one of the best books on music that I have ever read
Well there’s almost none of that here. In fact the only time the book feels even slightly awkward is in the conclusion, where he tries to fit all three narratives together and sort of falls to pieces slightly in the process. It’s completely forgivable though because it’s an impossible task to place a marker at the end of a narrative like this, especially one where Cosgrove basically highlights exists as merely part of the huge flow of black music and culture
Otherwise it’s a complete masterpiece. It seems Harlem in 1969 not only allows for rumination on where soul has been going but also where it’s inevitably going. It seems to be such a rich focus of political, social, economic and artistic elements that every chapter is rich in detail and nuance. We get jazz, sexuality, drugs, cinema, literature and sometimes even soul and funk just flowing through every chapter. It’s a quietly angry book, one that I think learns from Cosgrove’s patently huge admiration for Donny Hathaway: as he says of the singer in the conclusion, this is a man whose control of his emotional range meant he didn’t have to rely on cliche to express his message. And that is literally what Cosgrove does on every page here. It’s extraordinary writing and absolutely one of the best books on music that I have ever read
July 29, 2025
Stuart Cosgrove’s trilogy concludes on a high with Harlem 69: The Future of Soul. Following the structure of his previous books, each chapter takes us through a month of 1969, but this volume digs deeper into how the Harlem scene shaped not just that pivotal year, but the sound and direction of soul music in the decades that followed.
This book is dense with cultural, political, and musical references. Cosgrove expertly weaves in figures like Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, and Gil Scott-Heron, showing how their work in Harlem both influenced and reflected the turbulence and creativity of the era. It’s impossible to read without constantly adding new tracks to your playlist – the musical references are rich and relentless, and I found myself pausing frequently to go and listen.
While all three books (Detroit 67, Memphis 68, and Harlem 69) are worth reading, this one stands out for its forward-looking perspective. It doesn’t just chronicle a year – it maps the legacy. Highly recommended, both as a standalone read and as the powerful conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy.
This book is dense with cultural, political, and musical references. Cosgrove expertly weaves in figures like Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, and Gil Scott-Heron, showing how their work in Harlem both influenced and reflected the turbulence and creativity of the era. It’s impossible to read without constantly adding new tracks to your playlist – the musical references are rich and relentless, and I found myself pausing frequently to go and listen.
While all three books (Detroit 67, Memphis 68, and Harlem 69) are worth reading, this one stands out for its forward-looking perspective. It doesn’t just chronicle a year – it maps the legacy. Highly recommended, both as a standalone read and as the powerful conclusion to an unforgettable trilogy.
October 16, 2018
Absorbing and detailed.
A must for soul enthusiasts & students of black music. Cosgrove takes you on a, journey through the significant artists handguns , while filling in the social backdrop with a detailed in sight to what's going on.
I have, suggested the book is detailed,in reality it is sufficiently detailed to fan diverse, interests and strands that the reader may want to investigate characters or organisations in further depth.
I may pursue more information on the Black Panthers.
Not always an easy read , it remains suitably moist to whet the reader's interest. I would thoroughly recommended and confirm I continually found new information on a subject I thought I knew something about. Read and enjoy.
A must for soul enthusiasts & students of black music. Cosgrove takes you on a, journey through the significant artists handguns , while filling in the social backdrop with a detailed in sight to what's going on.
I have, suggested the book is detailed,in reality it is sufficiently detailed to fan diverse, interests and strands that the reader may want to investigate characters or organisations in further depth.
I may pursue more information on the Black Panthers.
Not always an easy read , it remains suitably moist to whet the reader's interest. I would thoroughly recommended and confirm I continually found new information on a subject I thought I knew something about. Read and enjoy.
May 14, 2020
The final book in Cosgrove’s Soul Trilogy is another belter, it can be read as a stand-alone but worth reading Detroit 67 & Memphis 68 (should be read anyway) for a fuller picture. These books are not just about the music & recording artists but also the historic & sociopolitical context of the times.
March 21, 2021
Harlem provides the backdrop for the final chapter of Stuart Cosgrove's enthralling trilogy about 1960s soul and it's incredible to think that one neighborhood managed to cram so much into twelve tumultuous months.
Like the previous two volumes, set in Detroit and Memphis, we are taken on the journey month by month, with each having a general theme.
Harlem 69 starts off with perhaps its most interesting character, the music mogul Fat Jack, whose interests straddle both business and criminality. But he is just one of an array of fascinating individuals who pop up at various points throughout the year as music and black power politics collide.
Well-known musicians such as Donny Hathaway, Curtis Memphis, Jimi Hendrix and George Benson are covered in depth alongside lesser lights who missed out on the same kind of success due to a combination of bad luck and bad choices.
The politics of America in this era were as divisive as they are today and it's shocking to learn how deeply intreched racism is in western society.
Even those who triumph against the odds after being born into the poverty of neighbourhoods such as Harlem rarely find happiness after their big break in music.
So many of those mentioned in these pages meet a grisly end, through violence or drugs, and those who do go on to achieve success either sell their souls (James Brown) or become embroiled in bitter disputes with former friends (Curtis Mayfield).
While I enjoyed the first chapter of this trilogy, which centred on Motown and the Detroit riots, this book manages to top it, with Cosgrove's writing as vivid as ever.
Essential reading for music fans or anyone looking for a better understanding of American society.
Like the previous two volumes, set in Detroit and Memphis, we are taken on the journey month by month, with each having a general theme.
Harlem 69 starts off with perhaps its most interesting character, the music mogul Fat Jack, whose interests straddle both business and criminality. But he is just one of an array of fascinating individuals who pop up at various points throughout the year as music and black power politics collide.
Well-known musicians such as Donny Hathaway, Curtis Memphis, Jimi Hendrix and George Benson are covered in depth alongside lesser lights who missed out on the same kind of success due to a combination of bad luck and bad choices.
The politics of America in this era were as divisive as they are today and it's shocking to learn how deeply intreched racism is in western society.
Even those who triumph against the odds after being born into the poverty of neighbourhoods such as Harlem rarely find happiness after their big break in music.
So many of those mentioned in these pages meet a grisly end, through violence or drugs, and those who do go on to achieve success either sell their souls (James Brown) or become embroiled in bitter disputes with former friends (Curtis Mayfield).
While I enjoyed the first chapter of this trilogy, which centred on Motown and the Detroit riots, this book manages to top it, with Cosgrove's writing as vivid as ever.
Essential reading for music fans or anyone looking for a better understanding of American society.
June 9, 2020
Well researched, well written and entertaining from start to finish. "Harlem 69: The Future of Soul" by music and sub-culture journalist Stuart Cosgrove is a comprehensive look at the year that was. The book is a month by month account of the major musical and cultural events in Harlem in 1969, covering the influence of drug dealers, small record labels, the Black Panthers, the moon landing, jazz, blues, disco, funk, pop, blacksploitation movies, and of course the Apollo theatre. I learned a lot about some of my favourite artists and how certain pieces were developed. (I found myself humming Bobby Womack's "Up on 110th Street" - even thought this was released in 1972). The book is the third in a series (designed to read in chronological order) and I scrambling through our vast pile of unread books to see if we had the other two. But we don't, and I need to order them through Book Depository and will have to wait until the COVID-19 restrictions are listed). A brilliant book which I thoroughly recommend for all lovers of music.
May 30, 2020
The final book in a trilogy of books which are as much about soul music as it is about the civil rights movement and racial unrest. The previous 2 books were set in Detroit in '67 and Memphis in' 68. Each book is divided up in 12 chapters, 1 for every month of the year they cover. Certain significant musical and civil rights related events from each month are used as jumping off points to describe the history and future impact of those events.
All the books are fascinating accounts of how soul music was shaped by the racial unrest of the time and how soul music influenced the civil rights movement... All of it intrinsically linked with many of the players crossing over from one to the other.
These books are a must read for anyone who has an interest in either soul music or the history of the American civil rights movement. Can't recommend these highly enough.
All the books are fascinating accounts of how soul music was shaped by the racial unrest of the time and how soul music influenced the civil rights movement... All of it intrinsically linked with many of the players crossing over from one to the other.
These books are a must read for anyone who has an interest in either soul music or the history of the American civil rights movement. Can't recommend these highly enough.
July 30, 2020
Harlem 69 is the final part of an outstanding trilogy of books charting American soul - and black history - in the final 3 years of the sixties, across 3 key cities.
Taken as a whole these are arguably some of the best music writing I’ve ever read. Harlem 69 is more overtly political than its predecessors, but it follows the same format: telling the story of the year month by month, each chapter focusing on a particular person or incident before broadening out.
The breadth of this book - and its cast of characters is vast, just a few people that turn up within its pages are: Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis, Curtis Mayfield and James Brown. The Black Panthers also loom large.
These books are much more than just a story about music, they are important chapters in telling the story of Black History, and in 2020 that’s more important than ever.
Taken as a whole these are arguably some of the best music writing I’ve ever read. Harlem 69 is more overtly political than its predecessors, but it follows the same format: telling the story of the year month by month, each chapter focusing on a particular person or incident before broadening out.
The breadth of this book - and its cast of characters is vast, just a few people that turn up within its pages are: Nina Simone, Donny Hathaway, King Curtis, Curtis Mayfield and James Brown. The Black Panthers also loom large.
These books are much more than just a story about music, they are important chapters in telling the story of Black History, and in 2020 that’s more important than ever.
August 24, 2022
Harlem in 1969 is captured in twelve chapters covering twelve months of that turbulent year. But its more than just a series of events - Mai lai, The Moon Landings and the rise of The Black Panther movement. Cosgrove tells the of radical shift soul music took, the birth of rap and the pivotal moment when Nina Simone recorded 'Young, gifted and black'. It became a year of identity, awareness and a call to action for that community.
He is passionate about music, and his knowledge on his subject matter shows the level of research taken.
It is in all honesty, a truly remarkable and enjoyable book. Raw at time but his prose captures the zeitgeist of Harlem and the shape of modern RnB, Soul and the inevitable rise of rap.
He is passionate about music, and his knowledge on his subject matter shows the level of research taken.
It is in all honesty, a truly remarkable and enjoyable book. Raw at time but his prose captures the zeitgeist of Harlem and the shape of modern RnB, Soul and the inevitable rise of rap.
August 29, 2025
Third - and last - installment of Stuart Cosgrove's wonderful "American 60s Soul" trilogy. This one seems narrower in scope - not a city, like Detroit or Memphis, but a neighborhood: Harlem. Yet, in reality, its much broader, with Cosgrove carefully stressing the links between Harlem/NY and Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit and Memphis. Harlem 69, as its predecesors, covers both the history of soul and the broader social context. The book is extremely rich, combining the anecdotical and the bird eye's view. Informative and down-to-earth. Each book can be read on its own, but I recommend reading the entire trilogy; it is a gem.
December 13, 2025
This is the third book I've read by Stuart Cosgrove completing the trilogy.
I am always taken with the indepth knowledge he provides of the people, locations, and music, giving the vibe of the time.
Stuart talked of the hold heroin addiction had on the neighbourhood, residents, and musicians. He delves into the changing music trends, some of which emanated from Harlem.
I certainly didn't expect David Frost to feature!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was gritty and informative, and I feel I really know some of the larger than life characters.
I would recommend checking out Detroit 67 and Memphis 68 also.
I am always taken with the indepth knowledge he provides of the people, locations, and music, giving the vibe of the time.
Stuart talked of the hold heroin addiction had on the neighbourhood, residents, and musicians. He delves into the changing music trends, some of which emanated from Harlem.
I certainly didn't expect David Frost to feature!
I thoroughly enjoyed the book. It was gritty and informative, and I feel I really know some of the larger than life characters.
I would recommend checking out Detroit 67 and Memphis 68 also.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2021
Detailed but humane
This is the final volume of a trilogy that covers a huge amount - the experiences of black America in the sixties,the growth of soul music and the forces of reaction in American policing and politics.
It has the strength of previous books in focussing on individual characters who may not be the most obvious or well-known but who have stories that need told and the weakness as well of too much detail caused by the authors obsession with the topic.
These books have been a pleasure and an education to read
This is the final volume of a trilogy that covers a huge amount - the experiences of black America in the sixties,the growth of soul music and the forces of reaction in American policing and politics.
It has the strength of previous books in focussing on individual characters who may not be the most obvious or well-known but who have stories that need told and the weakness as well of too much detail caused by the authors obsession with the topic.
These books have been a pleasure and an education to read
March 4, 2019
Concluding his mighty trilogy on soul music, Cosgrove uses Harlem both as the source of events in 1969 but also as the jumping-off point for many of the changes that impacted on soul music in subsequent years.
As such, it's a more wide-ranging book than it's predecessors but no less excellent for it.
As such, it's a more wide-ranging book than it's predecessors but no less excellent for it.
January 2, 2020
This style of book has been a pleasure for me to read. Completing the trilogy and beyond, Stuart doesn’t disappoint with his social and music historical reference. The Black Panthers are more central to 1969 in New York. I am always left with ideas of people to research further as well as setting further context for music and artists I had not known enough about.
June 3, 2019
A mine of information - 1969 was a year of big news. This well researched and written book captures so much of it while weaving the music of the time around tales of moon landings, race riots and the Vietnam War. Stuart Cosgrove is so much more the a St Johnstone fan - respect..
September 15, 2020
Thrilling end to a brilliant trilogy
Raced through this. Felt like I was also bang in the audience at the Apollo. The level of detail Stuart lays out here is testament to his love of all things soul
Raced through this. Felt like I was also bang in the audience at the Apollo. The level of detail Stuart lays out here is testament to his love of all things soul
September 23, 2024
Probably one of my favourite books that I have read this year. I really should read the first two books in the trilogy (I do not know why, I always end up reading books in the wrong order for a series), but apparently this series does not need to be read in order.
October 6, 2020
A great read, not as urgent or essential as the previous two but shed light on loads of new areas. A solid end to a brilliant trilogy.
January 28, 2022
A great read about the ghetto, soul music, civil rights etc
March 3, 2022
Another brilliant book about soul music by Stuart Cosgrove. Have Learnt much about the history of soul music from this man . Really interesting reading.
April 17, 2022
Outstanding read. I have learned so much more about the social and political climate surrounding one of popular music's greatest periods.
It's volume 3 of a trilogy, but who cares? 1 & 2 to follow!
It's volume 3 of a trilogy, but who cares? 1 & 2 to follow!
June 3, 2022
Fascinating book even if you don't listen to soul music.
September 7, 2020
Really quite good. As good a series of books as one could wish for. All three books are worth reading but “Harlem ‘69” really ties everything together.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews