Film Forum

Composer Samuel Waymon will introduce Hell-bound Train on Sunday, February 14 at 1:00, as part of our Pioneers of African-American Cinema series.

Dr. Waymon wrote the music for the new Library of Congress/Kino Lorber restoration. The film will be screened with Spencer Williams’ 1941 feature The Blood of Jesus. 

Dr. Samuel L. Waymon is an award-winning composer, musician, singer, jazz pianist and arranger/producer. He has composed music for Broadway and off-Broadway musical productions for the late Joe Papp and the Shakespeare Festival at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre of Lincoln Center. Waymon scored and co-starred in Bill Gunn’s influential 1973 film Ganja and Hess. One of the film’s songs, “You’ve Got To Learn,” was reprised for the climax of Spike Lee’s 2014 remake Da Sweet Blood of Jesus. He was a supporting actor and vocalist in the 1987 film Weeds, starring Nick Nolte. Waymon is the brother of the late jazz icon Nina Simone (née Eunice Waymon), working with her as organist, confidante, and eventually manager for many years. Beyond his musical pursuits, Waymon is a longtime civil rights activist and ordained minister. He is currently preparing “A Brother’s Love,” a European Tour produced by his business partner and producer, Dylan Kelehan.

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