American Roots: Get On the Soul Train!

Plato once said, "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe." I couldn't agree more, Plato. Where would society be without music? Church services wouldn't be nearly as impactful, rhythmic ceremonial rituals (such as school dances or weddings) would be incredibly boring, and how would you express deep love and heartbreak? Very few things elicit emotion the way music does. And in my opinion, one of the most evocative genres of music is soul. 

Holy and Humble Beginnings:

Like with most secular music, soul takes aspects of church music (specifically gospel) and is paired with non-sacred lyrics. If this sounds familiar, that's because the chanson had a similar birth (more information on chansons here). In 1954, Ray Charles created a recipe; a pinch of gospel rhythm, a heavy seasoning of jazz instruments, a garnish of secular lyrics. He tossed it in the oven and baked it at 198 beats per minute to conceive "I Got a Woman". This was the beginning of Soul. Although we can thank Ray Charles for introducing the world to this heart-wrenching genre, there was a slew of other artists to emerge from the early 60's who popularized soul music. "Stand By Me", released in 1961 by Ben E. King, is a prime example of the genre, nodding to it's roots in church.

And "I Got a Woman":

 

 Women in Soul:

"She had a voice, raspy with hardness and pain, but could turn into silk at the drop of a dime." Beyonce said this about soul legend Etta James. In 1960, Etta arrived on the soul scene with hit songs like "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "At Last." Not only did these songs elevate Ms. James' career, they boldly carried with them the soul genre, setting the industry standard and showing the world what soul music was. If you like movies, you should watch Cadillac Records, a movie that tells the story of Etta James and other soul artists of the 60's (Beyonce gives an unforgettable performance as Etta). 

In 1966, another name blossomed in the world of soul. Releasing hits like "Respect" and "A Natural Woman", Aretha Franklin stole the crown and became the Queen of Soul. Aretha developed and nurtured her voice singing gospel music at a Baptist church in Detroit. Shortly after her 18th birthday, she was encouraged to share her talents with the world, and she signed a record deal with Columbia Records. The Queen of Soul then went on to win 25 Grammy Awards and was the first woman inducted to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Aretha Franklin is still regarded to this day as one of the most important names in soul history.

"I'd Rather Go Blind" by Etta James: 

"At Last" by Etta James:

"Respect" by Aretha Franklin:

And Then White People Stole It:

Just kidding, this is actually one thing that white people didn't intentionally steal. Throughout the 60's, a musical duo consisting of two white artists called The Righteous Brothers rose to fame. They sang with so much "soul" that when they showed up for radio interviews, the hosts were often surprised to find that the duo was white. One of those surprised radio hosts was Georgie Woods, who coined the phrase "blue-eyed soul." Then in 1969, a white person named Jerry Lee Lewis did try to steal the soul genre with an album called "Soul My Way." Featuring songs like 'Turn On Your Love Light" and "I Bet You're Gonna Like It", the album was a huge success. Radio stations that had previously only featured black artists were now introducing white artists as well.

"Unchained Melody" cover by Righteous Brothers:

"Turn On Your Love Light" by Jerry Lee Lewis:

Soulful Seventies:

At this point, soul has been around for nearly two decades. Like many things that stick around for 20+ years, the genre morphed. When you're done reading this section, I invite you to go back and listen to Ray Charles' "I Got a Woman" then listen to the Delfonics' "Hey Love" and notice how much the music has changed. From the level of production, to the instrumentation, to the complexity of the harmonies and addition of voices, you will surely spot the differences. One of the pinnacle moments in soul history was the creation of the TV show Soul Train, which debuted in 1971 and ran for 35 years. The show featured everything from jazz and funk to gospel and, of course, soul. Although the show was wildly successful, the soul genre started to fizzle out in the late 70's. By the early 80's, disco, funk and R&B had overwhelmed the relaxed sound of soul, and very few bands included soul songs on their albums. 

Back to Life:

Nearing the end of 1989, Soul II Soul released an R&B song called "Back to Life", which took aspects of soul music from the seventies bringing the forgotten genre "back to life." Because people's taste changes, as well as their uses for music, soul had to evolve further from its original DNA. In fact, the soul genre never made a complete comeback. In 1994, a sub-genre called neo-soul became popular and is still popular today. It incorporates a lot of the basic "soul recipe" (steady, gospel-like rhythm, emphasis on jazz instruments, and non-secular lyrics), but it also adds a sprinkling of funk and R&B.

"Back to Life" by Soul II Soul:

A modern-day example of neo-soul is Alice Russell. Here is her song "Citizens":

And another amazing example is Erykah Badu singing "Bag Lady":

In Conclusion:

Although soul in its original from is not present in 2021, we can appreciate so much of the music that the genre gave us. And without soul, we wouldn't have gotten to experience some of the greatest artists in history (James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight to name a few). Soul music showed us a new way to express heightened emotion. Are you in love? Sing about it. Did that love break your heart? Sing about it. Are you having money problems? You know what to do. As we all know, when words fail, music speaks.

Bibliography:

Wikipedia, "Soul Music", 1/26/2021 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_music#:~:text=Soul%20music%20has%20its%20roots,that%20began%20in%20the%201950s.

Richie Unterberger, "The Righteous Brothers, 1/27/2021

https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-righteous-brothers-mn0000424296/biography

Pierro Scaruffi, "A Brief History of Soul Music" 1/27/2021

https://www.scaruffi.com/history/soul.html

Wikipedia, "Neo Soul" 1/26/2021

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo_soul

Britanica, "Blue-eyed soul", 1/27/2021

https://www.britannica.com/art/blue-eyed-soul