Soundstage (TV program)

All you want to know about Soundstage (TV program)

SoundStage
Image:soundstage.gif
Soundstage Logo
Format live concert series television series
Country of origin  United States
Production
Running time 60 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel PBS
Original run 1974 – 1985

Soundstage is an American live concert television series produced by WTTW Chicago and HD Ready and distributed by PBS. The original series aired for 13 seasons between 1974 and 1985; a new series of seasons began in 2003, with the latest (Season 6) running through summer 2008, each presented in high definition with surround sound. Some performances have been made available on DVD. The performances are usually taped on stage at the WTTW television studio in Chicago, but occasionally major concerts are instead taped for broadcast at large venues throughout the United States.

Between the broadcast runs of the two incarnations of the series, Soundstage was echoed by Centerstage, which debuted in 1993, a WTTW and VH-1 Network co-production. [1]

Initial Series

The series originated in 1972 as Made in Chicago, also taped at and broadcast by WTTW. It presented a dramatic contrast to the way music had been televised until that point; variety shows (such as the Ed Sullivan Show) and lip-synched cabaret shows (such as The Andy Williams Show) were the norm. Made in Chicago (originated by Ken Ehrlich, who had previously produced The Marty Faye Show) foregrounded the music and emphasized live performance and, at times, improvisation.

In 1974, the show's name was changed to Soundstage, and it became more widely distributed by PBS. [2] Artists who appeared in the early years of the show included figures from rock (Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and the Bee Gees), blues (Bonnie Raitt and Muddy Waters), jazz (Professor Longhair, Dizzy Gillespie, and Benny Goodman, as well as specials dedicated to the Down Beat Readers Poll Award winners) folk (Jim Croce, Janis Ian, Arlo Guthrie), and gospel/soul/R&B (Al Green and Aretha Franklin). The 1980 appearance by John Prine is "the only archival concert of Prine available on DVD"[3]. One of the most unusual episodes, broadcast in 1983, was devoted to Andy Kaufman, who hosted it in a (somewhat bizarre) variety show format; it was his last major television appearance.


Artists

Season 1: 2003

Season 2: 2004

Season 3: 2005

Season 4: 2006-2007

Season 5: 2007

Season 6: 2008

References

  1. ^ WTTW - Our History
  2. ^ personal interview with Ken Ehrlich, January 2008
  3. ^ Robert Hilburn, Los Angeles Times, March 21, 2007.
  4. ^ Soundstage Presents: Chicago DVD, Shop PBS
  5. ^ Press Release, Sep. 10, 2005

External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundstage_(TV_program)"

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