Soul Doctor News & Features

Soul Doctor tells the story of beloved yet controversial father of popular Jewish music, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, his friendship with legendary jazz singer Nina Simone and the impact they had on American music. Beginning with his childhood escape from Nazi Germany, the show follows Carlebach's surprising journey as he becomes a rabbinical prodigy in America and discovers gospel and soul music through his friendship with Simone. With the “High Priestess of Soul” as his inspiration and a multitude of 60s icons like Bob Dylan, Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead as his friends, Shlomo created a joyous new sound with melodies that fused his spiritual roots with American popular music. With his meteoric rise as a "Rock Star Rabbi,” he struggled to harmonize his traditional beliefs with the "free love" generation of the 1960s. Fifty years later, his uplifting music and message continues to be as relevant as the era it helped define.