SOUL CONNECTION

The band Soul Connection formerly called Soul Sanction was formed back in the mid-1960s and became one of East Tennessee's favorite soul, blues and oldies bands. In 1968, they won the Tennessee State Battle of the Bands and competed in the National Finals in Atlantic City, N.J. The band broke up in the early 1970s as band members pursued education, careers, and families. Then in 1988, at the urging of their Oak Ridge classmates, Soul Connection got together again to play for the 20th-year class reunion. Inspired by the success of that performance, Soul Connection stayed together and once again enjoyed great popularity with their dynamic male and female vocals and a horn section reminiscent of the Motown and Stax records of the '60s and '70s. Soul Connection performs primarly for corporate, private and special events but has also opened shows for B.B. King, Ray Charles, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and James Brown.

Recent personnel changes required them to relinquish the use of the Soul Sanction name. They decided to let their fans at “Alive After Five”, an event sponsored by the Knoxville Museum of Art to rename them.