Festival Aims to Revive Park’s Music Tradition

In the 1950s and 1960s, the outdoor stage in South Park was the place to see the city’s up-and-coming musical acts.

Jazz greats Art Tatum and Buddy Collette and soul singers Barry White and T-Bone Walker were among many musicians who performed at free concerts on the stage in South Los Angeles on 51st Street between San Pedro Street and Avalon Boulevard. Dozens of professional bands also practiced there before performing in concert halls around the city.

Those days may be back.

A concert promoter and the city of Los Angeles are trying to revive South Park as a concert venue by holding a free concert, job fair and health expo at the park Saturday and Sunday.

The concert, organized by Alan Lee Productions and the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks, will feature 20 bands and musicians, playing everything from gospel, to blues to rap music.

“The idea is to try to get the park used as a music venue again,” said Lee.

The two-day festival will feature appearances by Billy Diamond, a blues pioneer who managed the career of “Fats” Domino; gospel singer Patricia Westmoreland; and the New Buffalo Soldiers, who impersonate the U.S. Army’s first black cavalry regiments.

The festival runs from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.