On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Assassinated and Riots Erupted in Major Cities Across the Nation

On April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. Was Assassinated and Riots Erupted in Major Cities Across the Nation

ON APRIL 5, BOSTON CITY LEADERS ENLISTED THE HELP OF JAMES BROWN TO SAVE THEIR CITY FROM RIOTING ... AND IT WORKED!

VH1 Rock Docs Commemorates The 40th Anniversary of Dr. King's Passing With An Original Documentary from David Leaf Productions, 'The Night James Brown Saved Boston' Premiering On VH1 And VH1 Classic On Saturday, April 5 at 9:00 PM*

NEW YORK, March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 4, 1968, the day Martin Luther King was assassinated was one of the most tragic moments in American history. Riots quickly erupted in many cities across the nation and many of America's inner cities quickly began to go up in flames. Boston's heavily-black Roxbury neighborhood was no exception and word on the street was that it was about to get a lot worse.

At Boston's City Hall, Mayor Kevin White was trying to keep the fragile peace. One reported idea was to cancel the day's biggest gathering -- a long- scheduled James Brown concert at Boston Garden. But a call from one of Boston's most influential R&B DJs to the lone black city councilman pointed out the danger of that decision. Simply, he said, "If the concert is cancelled, Boston might have the biggest uprising since the Boston Tea Party." And so, faced with the grim reality of making the wrong decision, the mayor and his team turned it around. Rather than cancel the show, they asked, "Is there something James Brown can do to help?"

Mayor White came up with the idea to televise the concert live and have James encourage his fans to stay home and watch the concert on TV. In not so many words, the mayor was saying, "If you'll allow this concert to be on TV tonight, your fans in Boston will stay home and the night will be peaceful." Meaning that unlike what is happening in so many other cities around the country, Boston wouldn't erupt in flames. James gave his blessing to the idea then turned out one of the best shows of his career and Boston remained virtually riot free.

Finally, 40 years after that remarkable and historic moment, VH1 Rock Docs presents "The Night James Brown Saved Boston," a film from David Leaf Productions. Through rarely seen footage of the concert and with the personal reminiscences of James Brown's band members, colleagues (including long-time manager Charles Bobbit), awe-struck concert-goers (including Newsweek's David Gates), Boston city government officials and the pointed commentary of several distinguished observers of African-American history (including Dr. Cornel West, Dr. Andrew Young, Rev. Al Sharpton) -- the dramatic and emotionally- riveting story unfolds.

For more information please log onto vh1.com.

"The Night James Brown Saved Boston" is directed by David Leaf, whose most recent feature documentaries include the Grammy-nominated "Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson & The Story of SMiLE" and a previous VH1 Rock Doc, "The U.S. vs. John Lennon." Arlene Wszalek, David Leaf, Eric Kulberg and Morgan Neville are producers and Toby Byron and Richard Foos are executive producers. Mark Anstendig is supervising producer for VH1 with Shelly Tatro, Brad Abramson and Jeff Olde serving as executive producers.

VH1 connects viewers to the music, artists and pop culture that matter to them most with TV series, specials, live events, exclusive online content and public affairs initiatives. VH1 is available in 90 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1Classic, VH1 Soul, VH1 Mobile, VH1 Games and extensive broadband video on VH1.com. Connect with VH1 at VH1.com.

Launched in May 2000, VH1 Classic is a 24-hour network that present videos, concerts and music specials all day long, featuring the best of rock, soul and pop artists from the 60's, 70's, 80's and the early 90's including The Beatles, The Stones, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Stevie Wonder, The Police and many more. Learn more at www.vh1classic.com.

*All times ET/PT

Contacts: Lori Bogin Scott Acord
212-846-7131 310-752-8075
lori.bogin@vh1staff.comscott.acord@vh1staff.com

Source: VH1

CONTACT: Lori Bogin, +1-212-846-7131, lori.bogin@vh1staff.com, or Scott
Acord, +1-310-752-8075, scott.acord@vh1staff.com, both of VH1

Web site:

http://www.vh1.com/
http://www.vh1classic.com/

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