Description of Soul
Cities like Detroit and Philadelphia were the hotbeds of mainstream Soul as it crossed over to the masses in the mid- to late '60s, while developments in Alabama's Muscle Shoals and Memphis' famous Stax/Volt studio kept Soul music relevant through to the birth of Funk. Soul's effect on American popular music reverberates through the Blue-Eyed Soul of the '70s on to today's R&B hits by artists including the acrobatic vocalist Mariah Carey and The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
Top Soul Tracks
Soul Key Albums
Filed Under
Soul Key Artists
The undisputed King of '70s
Soul, singer Al Green
eventually traded in his
seductive secular love
songs for gospel. Green fo...
Best known for the
magnificent "I Can't Stand
The Rain," Ann Peebles is
one of '70s Soul's brightest
stars.
Queen of Soul Aretha
Franklin's
Gospel-influenced music
has endured for decades,
bringing her both pop and...
Pop-soul singer Ben E. King,
best known for the timeless
song, "Stand By Me," helped
soul music crossover to the
pop charts. King spent a s...
Bettye Swan's classic soul
was dwarfed by the stars of
Motown, but a reissue in
2004 introduced her to a
new generation. In the lat...
A consummate songwriter,
a deeply soulful singer, and
R&B's pride and joy, Withers
is best known for the single
"Lean On Me." Withers' so...
A successful solo musician
and a highly regarded
session man, Womack's
playing shaped essential
Funk and Soul recordings...
House band for Memphis'
Stax label scored several
instrumental hits of their
own when not backing Otis
Redding and others. Drum...
Like the mighty Sam Cooke,
Benton remodelled his
Gospel-singing youth into
secular '60s stardom as an
adult. Brook Benton was...
A seminal Soul figure best
known for "Superfly," he
mixed his rich falsetto and
funky guitar with messages
of black pride. Mayfield fr...
The provocative, insatiable
Ms. Etta James sings with
unrivaled passion whether
it be soul, blues, soul-blues,
or R&B. Etta James once sai...
A quintessential Philly Soul
outfit, Harold Melvin and
The Blue Notes were
masters of the love song.
Things really picked up fo...
Hayes and partner David
Porter penned countless
Stax-Volt hits for artists
such as Sam & Dave and Carla
Thomas. Hayes cut his tee...
Soul singer Jerry Butler
earned his nickname "The
Ice Man" because of his cool
when singing heart-rending
lyrics. Butler grew up po...
A much-loved singer who
treads the line between
jazz and R&B, Lou Rawls'
elegant voice brings the
game to a whole new leve...
Adept at both social
commentary and smoldering
passion, Gaye set the
standard for soul crooner
as creative visionary. Gay...
This Stax star's deeply
emotional voice could get
your heart pumping on
raucous tracks, then tear it
to shreds with a ballad. As...
Percy Sledge is a Soul singer
you can't go wrong with:
his ballads command
emotion without slipping
into sentimentality. Recor...
Flack achieved
near-immortality with
"Killing Me Softly" (1973),
and found pop success
again with Peabo Bryson i...
Dynamic Soul duo sang
boisterous,
gospel-influenced numbers,
yielding such classics as
"Soul Man" and "Hold On, I'...
Gospel singer turned
enormous crossover
success, the pop sheen on
much of his work could
never hide the passion be...
Imposing Gospel singer (and
preacher) whose secular
numbers made a lot of noise
on the R&B charts in the '60s.
If you read the book "Hig...
Child prodigy turned adult
superstar, Wonder is one of
the most influential and
innovative musicians in
funk, soul and pop. Wond...
R&B singer songwriters The
Brothers Johnson were
originally called Johnson
Three Plus One. Quincy
Jones hired them to play...
A legendary Philadelphia
R&B/Soul act, the Delfonics
recorded a slew of hit love
songs in the late 1960s and
early 1970s. Their many s...
Doo- Woppers- cum- Soul-
crooners, the Dells crafted
unforgettable harmonies
and kept themselves on the
charts for decades. Still a...
Curtis Mayfield and the
Impressions led the
transition from Doo-Wop to
Soul, crafting gorgeous
songs with uplifting theme...
Philly Soul stalwarts the
O'Jays brought three-part
harmonies to hits such as
"Love Train" and "Back
Stabbers." In an age of de...
Starting at Motown in the
'60s, the Spinners ended up
crafting classy Philly
Soul-style hits though the
'70s at Atlantic. "It's A Sha...
Tina Turner put the "rock"
in rock 'n' roll with a voice
that could blow down
buildings with a single sung
phrase. Turner hit her stri...
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