By Greta Fagin
The filmmakers of a new documentary, Power of Soul, recently uncovered a treasure trove of unreleased footage of Record Plant NY Studio A, circa 1974, while they were documenting an almost lost chapter of music history — the story of Power of Attorney, a 1970s soul band formed by inmates from Pennsylvania’s Graterford State Prison.
The film, which is still in production, is centered around a prisoner named Ron Aikens, a Philadelphia singer and one of the band’s members. The filmmakers follow Aikens’ journey while weaving in never-before-seen archival footage, interviews with bandmates, and scenes with Aikens and his current band. In 1974, the band was transported via bus with armed police guards and their producer, Stan Vincent, to the 44th Street studio in NYC to finish their album, which was originally recorded in Philadelphia’s own Sigma Sound.
During their research, the filmmaking team of Emmy and Peabody Award-winning producer/director Joshua Bennett and record label owner Maxwell Ochester uncovered rare film footage from the original session at Record Plant NY Studio A on January 3, 1974. The visuals include interior and exterior shots of the studio during one of its most iconic periods.
In the footage, the band is seen being produced by legendary songwriter and producer Stan Vincent, alongside engineer Dennis Ferrante and his assistant engineer Jimmy Iovine.
By way of this post, the filmmakers are reaching out to the Record Plant community to identify others who appear in the stills posted here. Help them accurately preserve this extraordinary story about a man and the music, justice, and the power of second chances.
