THUNDER SOUL tells the true story of Conrad O Johnson and the legendary Kashmere Stage Band

It was afros and pleated shirts; James Brown and Bootsy Collins. It was the ’70s, and an inner-city Houston high school was about to make history. Charismatic band leader, Conrad “Prof” Johnson would turn the school’s mediocre jazz band into a legendary funk powerhouse.

Now, 35 years later, his students prepare to pay tribute to the man who changed their lives, the 92-year-old Prof. Some haven’t played their horns in decades, still they dust off their instruments determined to retake the stage to show Prof and the world that they’ve still got it.

This website is written and maintained by the filmmakers.
THUNDER SOUL awards.

  • SXSW - Audience Award (Lone Star States)
  • Heartland Film Festival - Crystal Heart Award
  • Hot Docs - Audience Award
  • Los Angeles Film Festival - Audience Award
  • Dallas International Film Festival - Audience Award
  • Aspen Film Festival - Audience Award
  • Indie Memphis - Best Documentary Feature
  • Pan African Film Festival - Best Documentary Feature
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The Kashmere Stage Band travel to Okinawa, Japan

The packed auditorium waits with anticipation as Conrad “Prof” Johnson approaches the stage, because the Kashmere Stage Band is about to perform.

The Kashmere Stage Band poses with their guitars as their weapons of funk.