High Society | John Lewis Quartet

High Society debuted in 1980 on Hawkeye Cablevision in Des Moines, Iowa. Conceived by director Kevin Lambi and music promoter Jeff Todd, the show pioneered music programming at the dawn of the MTV age. The video technology was primitive and the production skills were raw, but the music was top notch as bands appeared for just the opportunity for exposure on TV. Over the course of two short years, many of the best local, regional and national acts, at the height of their popularity were recorded, featuring many musical styles. The crowning achievement for High Society, was a nomination for the Award for Cable Excellence (ACE) from the Nation Cable Television Association. Like many idealistic endeavors, High Society could not sustain itself. The participants moved on and the tapes gathered dust. After nearly 35 years fighting changes in technology, busy schedules and personal inertia, Kevin and Jeff have finally pulled the tapes together and made the transfer to digital files in order to preserve the history of that musical era and to excite the fans of those bands that exist only in memory. This unedited presentation of the original studio session is a testament to the passion that created High Society so many years ago.