Setting the Scene: A Gray Dawn Soundtrack

In this year’s All Henrico Reads title, Gray Dawn, author Walter Mosley transports readers back to 1970s Los Angeles. Historically, we enter a world on the heels of the Civil Rights movement, an era defined by newfound freedoms, cultural pride, and the fight against enduring racism. We also see the rise of Second Wave feminism, more women entering the work force, and a nation still at war. Culturally, Los Angeles had become the music and film capital of the world, attracting big-name actors, musicians, and dreamers alike.

With a setting so rich in history and culture, while reading Gray Dawn we found ourselves wishing for an accompanying soundtrack. What would protagonist Detective Easy Rawlins listen to while driving through Los Angeles, trying to crack the case?

Explore Hoopla—a multimedia streaming platform available for free with your library card—for some of the funk, soul, and R&B sounds that helped define the musical landscape of 1970s Los Angeles. Plus, be sure to join us for an evening with award-winning All Henrico Reads author Walter Mosley on Thursday, March 26 at 7PM at the Henrico Sports and Events Center to hear more about the world of Detective Easy Rawlins.

• Barry White
  • Barry White’s signature deep voice and smooth, soulful lyrics played a pivotal role in the 1970s disco scene.

• Bobby Womack
  • Considered his “Soul Years” (1968-1976), Bobby Womack left a permanent mark on R&B history.

• Chaka Khan
  • Referred to as “The Queen of Funk,” Chaka Khan rose to fame after joining the band Rufus and continues to influence singers with her distinctive voice and style.

• Earth, Wind & Fire
  • Earth, Wind & Fire’s fame skyrocketed after relocating from Chicago to Los Angeles in the 1970s. Their music, which combines jazz, funk, soul, R&B, gospel, pop, blues, and rock, culminated in a sound that appealed to wide-ranging audiences.   

• El Chicano
  • Characterized by their mixture of jazz, rock, soul, and Afro-Cuban salsa, El Chicano formed out of the growing Latino music scene in 1970s Southern California.

• Stevie Wonder
  • During his “Classic Period” (1972-1976), the prodigious Stevie Wonder released five back-to-back critically acclaimed albums that were a mixture of funk, soul, R&B, and pop.