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Summer of '85

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Summer of '85

By: Chris Morrow, Kevin Hart, Charlamagne Tha God, SBH Productions
Narrated by: Kevin Hart
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About this listen

Welcome to the summer of 1985 in Philadelphia, when the city was rocked—in almost every sense of the word—by two unprecedented events: Mayor W. Wilson Goode’s May 13 decision to bomb the headquarters of MOVE, a controversial Philadelphia-based radical communal organization, and the July 13 Live Aid concert, where international rock royalty convened in Philly to raise money for victims of the Ethiopian famine.

Separated by just two months and eight miles, these events would showcase both the best and the worst of the so-called City of Brotherly Love: One would raise millions of dollars for famine victims in Africa, while the other would lead to the death of 11 members of MOVE, including five children, who had all taken the last name of their leader, John Africa. The bombing led to a fire that was allowed to burn for hours, resulting in the destruction of a middle-class African American neighborhood. Those wounds remain raw more than 35 years later.

Created by Chris Morrow, produced by Kevin Hart and Charlamagne tha God’s SBH Productions, and narrated by Hart, a Philadelphia native, Summer of '85 marks the first attempt to connect these two events and detail the incredible irony (and tragedy) of Philadelphia hosting a benefit for Africa the same summer it bombed a thriving African American neighborhood. Featuring candid interviews with participants such as Bob Geldof, Patti LaBelle, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, and Mike Africa Jr., the series explores the complex history that resulted in these outlier events paired by proximity and a combustible mix of ego, altruism, prejudice, utopian dreams, and human frailty.

©2022 SBH Productions, LLC (P)2022 Audible Originals, LLC
United States

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Excellent

Wonderfully written, researched and performed. A tragic and important part of history I never knew about.

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Learnt new things

Wasn’t aware of MOVE or what happened in the background to Live Aid. Was a child when it occurred. Really interesting series and well narrated by Kevin. Was good to hear from different perspectives. Make sure you have a tissue or two handy.

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Great listen.

Compelling, the story was one I knew a lot about with live aid, but the story about Philadelphia and the atrocities that happened there was all new to me, sad to think there are people who would do such a thing.
Loved the narration from Kevin Hart.

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