Booker T. & The MG's - Time is Tight

Undercover Black Man on his site notes that the film director Jules Dassin has died, and that in 1968 Dassin directed Uptight, one of the first big Hollywood studio films attempting to portray life in the inner city. Although white himself, Dassin was the sort of old-time lefty who felt that his responsibility was to be as authentic as possible, so rather than hire well-meaning white artists, he did his best to see that the script, music, and of course acting were almost entirely the work of African-Americans. For example, the great Ruby Dee co-wrote the screenplay, and Booker T. and the MG's provided the soundtrack. Here's a song you've probably heard before, in a version you probably haven't.