115-754: The Unifics were an American soul group from Washington, D.C. In 1966 a group of students at Washington D.C. 's Howard University formed the group Al & the Vikings. Consisting of singer/songwriter Al Johnson , Robert Hayes, George Roland, Marvin Brown and Thomas Fauntleroy. The group changed its name during its first year to the Unique Five and later to the Unifics. Known for their smooth harmonies and their dapper attire (including their trademark white gloves, black light effects and strobe light excitement),
230-529: A big band , partly as a response to increasing royalties and touring fees, becoming one of the few black artists to cross over into mainstream pop with such a level of creative control. This success, however, came to a momentary halt during a concert tour in November 1961, when a police search of Charles' hotel room in Indianapolis, Indiana, led to the discovery of heroin in the medicine cabinet. The case
345-412: A call and response between the lead and backing vocalists , an especially tense vocal sound, and occasional improvisational additions, twirls, and auxiliary sounds. Soul music is known for reflecting African-American identity and stressing the importance of African-American culture. Soul music dominated the U.S. R&B charts in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in
460-408: A cover artist , giving his own eclectic arrangements of existing songs. With " Georgia on My Mind ", his first hit single for ABC-Paramount in 1960, Charles received national acclaim and four Grammy Awards , including two for "Georgia on My Mind" ( Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Male , and Best Performance by a Pop Single Artist ). Written by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael ,
575-409: A " Third British Invasion " or "British Soul Invasion" in the 2000s and 2010s. Neo soul is a blend of 1970s soul-style vocals and instrumentation with contemporary R&B sounds, hip-hop beats, and poetic interludes. The style was developed in the early to mid-1990s, and the term was coined in the early 1990s by producer and record label executive Kedar Massenburg . A key element in neo-soul
690-479: A Chance" and Dizzy Gillespie 's "Emanon". After the success of his first two singles, Charles moved to Los Angeles in 1950 and spent the next few years touring with the blues musician Lowell Fulson as Fulson's musical director. In 1950, Charles' performance in a Miami hotel impressed Henry Stone , who went on to record a Ray Charles Rockin' record, which did not achieve popularity. During his stay in Miami, Charles
805-717: A Japanese TV advertisement for the Suntory brand, releasing it in Japan as "Ellie My Love", where it reached No. 3 on its Oricon chart. In the same year he was a special guest at the Arena di Verona during the tour promoting Oro Incenso & Birra of the Italian singer Zucchero Fornaciari . In 2001–02, Charles appeared in commercials for the New Jersey Lottery to promote its campaign "For every dream, there's
920-554: A Thousand Dances ") and Thee Midniters played brown-eyed R&B music with a rebellious rock and roll edge. Many of these artists drew from the frat rock and garage rock scenes. However, the large Hispanic population on the West Coast began gradually moving away from energetic R&B to romantic soul, and the results were "some of the sweetest soul music heard during the late 1960s and 1970s." Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004)
1035-401: A Woman ". Singer Bobby Womack said, "Ray was the genius. He turned the world onto soul music." Charles was open in acknowledging the influence of Pilgrim Travelers vocalist Jesse Whitaker on his singing style. Little Richard , who inspired Otis Redding , and James Brown both were equally influential. Brown was nicknamed the "Godfather of Soul Music", and Richard proclaimed himself as
1150-615: A cover of the Brothers Johnson 's " I'll Be Good to You ", a duet with his lifelong friend Quincy Jones and the singer Chaka Khan , which hit number one on the R&;B chart in 1990 and won Charles and Khan a Grammy for their duet. Prior to this, Charles returned to the pop charts with " Baby Grand ", a duet with singer-songwriter Billy Joel . In 1989, he recorded a cover of the Southern All Stars ' "Itoshi no Ellie" for
1265-501: A diplomat until 1944 when his father died, founded Atlantic Records in 1947 with his friend Herb Abramson . Ertegun wrote many songs for Ray Charles and the Clovers . He even sang backup vocals for his artist Big Joe Turner on the song, "Shake Rattle and Roll". Dominated by Berry Gordy 's Motown Records empire, Detroit's soul is strongly rhythmic and influenced by gospel music. The Motown sound often includes hand clapping ,
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#17327764633251380-494: A distinctive New Orleans soul sound that generated a passel of national hits. Other notable New Orleans hits came from Robert Parker, Betty Harris , and Aaron Neville . While record labels in New Orleans largely disappeared by the mid-1960s, producers in the city continued to record New Orleans soul artists for other mainly New York City and Los Angeles–based record labels—notably Lee Dorsey for New York-based Amy Records and
1495-548: A distinctive sound, which included putting vocals further back in the mix than most contemporary R&B records, using vibrant horn parts in place of background vocals, and a focus on the low end of the frequency spectrum. The vast majority of Stax releases were backed by house bands Booker T & the MGs (with Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Duck Dunn , and Al Jackson ) and the Memphis Horns (the splinter horn section of
1610-648: A franchise that saw the creation of a record label ( Soul Train Records ) that distributed music by the Whispers , Carrie Lucas , and an up-and-coming group known as Shalamar . Numerous disputes led to Cornelius spinning off the record label to his talent booker, Dick Griffey , who transformed the label into Solar Records , itself a prominent soul music label throughout the 1980s. The TV series continued to air until 2006, although other predominantly African-American music genres such as hip-hop began overshadowing soul on
1725-521: A huge impact on the pop and R&B charts and a huge direct influence on the birth of Funk music. The principal architect of Crescent City's soul was a songwriter, arranger, and producer Allen Toussaint . He worked with such artists as Irma Thomas ("the Soul Queen of New Orleans"), Jessie Hill, Chris Kenner , Benny Spellman, and Ernie K-Doe on the Minit/Instant label complex to produce
1840-785: A jackpot." In 2003, he headlined the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington, D.C., attended by President George W. Bush , Laura Bush , Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice . Also in 2003, Charles presented Van Morrison with Morrison's award upon being inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame , and the two sang Morrison's song " Crazy Love " (the performance appears on Morrison's 2007 album The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3 ). In 2003, Charles performed "Georgia on My Mind" and "America
1955-514: A man her father worked with, took her in. The Robinson family—Bailey, his wife Mary Jane, and his mother— informally adopted her and Aretha took the surname Robinson. A few years later Aretha became pregnant by Bailey. During the ensuing scandal, she left Greenville late in the summer of 1930 to be with family back in Albany. After the birth of the child, Ray Charles, she and the infant Charles returned to Greenville. Aretha and Bailey's wife, who had lost
2070-533: A more liberal contract than other artists had at the time, with ABC offering him a $ 50,000 (US$ 522,603 in 2023 dollars ) annual advance, higher royalties than before, and eventual ownership of his master tapes —a very valuable and lucrative deal at the time. During his Atlantic years, Charles had been hailed for his inventive compositions, but by the time of the release of the largely instrumental jazz album Genius + Soul = Jazz (1960) for ABC's subsidiary label Impulse! , he had given up on writing in favor of becoming
2185-646: A music editor for Rolling Stone , "The hit records he made for Atlantic in the mid-1950s mapped out everything that would happen to rock 'n' roll and soul music in the years that followed." Charles was also an inspiration to Pink Floyd member Roger Waters , who told the Turkish newspaper Hürriyet : "I was about 15. In the middle of the night with friends, we were listening to jazz. It was " Georgia on My Mind ", Ray Charles' version. Then I thought 'One day, if I make some people feel only one-twentieth of what I am feeling now, it will be quite enough for me. ' " Ray ,
2300-635: A musician, Charles was also a record producer, producing Guitar Slim 's number 1 hit, " The Things That I Used to Do ". In June 1952, Atlantic bought Charles' contract for $ 2,500 (US$ 28,684 in 2023 dollars ). His first recording session for Atlantic ("The Midnight Hour"/"Roll with My Baby") took place in September 1952, although his last Swing Time release ("Misery in My Heart"/"The Snow Is Falling") would not appear until February 1953. In 1953, " Mess Around " became his first small hit for Atlantic; during
2415-522: A newfound sophisticated musicality and ambitious lyricism in black pop. Among these musicians were Sly Stone , Stevie Wonder , Marvin Gaye , Curtis Mayfield , and George Clinton . In discussing the progressive soul of the 1970s, Martin cites this period's albums from Wonder ( Talking Book , Innervisions , Songs in the Key of Life ), War ( All Day Music , The World Is a Ghetto , War Live ), and
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#17327764633252530-476: A pianist for Charles Brantley's Honey Dippers. In his early career, Charles modeled himself on Nat King Cole . His first four recordings—"Wondering and Wondering", "Walking and Talking", "Why Did You Go?" and "I Found My Baby There"—were allegedly done in Tampa, although some discographies claim he recorded them in Miami in 1951 or else Los Angeles in 1952. Charles had always played piano for other people, but he
2645-548: A powerful bassline , strings , brass and vibraphone . Motown Records' house band was the Funk Brothers . AllMusic cites Motown as the pioneering label of pop-soul, a style of soul music with raw vocals, but polished production and toned-down subject matter intended for pop radio and crossover success. Artists of this style included Diana Ross , the Jackson 5 , Stevie Wonder , and Billy Preston . Popular during
2760-569: A reputation as a talented musician in Jacksonville, but the jobs did not come fast enough for him to construct a strong identity, so, at age 16, he moved to Orlando , where he lived in borderline poverty and went without food for days. Charles eventually started to write arrangements for a pop music band, and in the summer of 1947, he unsuccessfully auditioned to play piano for Lucky Millinder and his sixteen-piece band. In 1947, Charles moved to Tampa , where he held two jobs, including one as
2875-405: A series of soul ballads characterized by unabashedly sentimental lyrics usually begging forgiveness or asking a girlfriend to come home... He soon became known as "Mr. Pitiful" and earned a reputation as the leading performer of soul ballads. The most important female soul singer to emerge was Aretha Franklin , originally a gospel singer who began to make secular recordings in 1960 but whose career
2990-566: A son, then shared in Charles' upbringing. The father had left Greenville and married another woman elsewhere. By his first birthday, Charles had a brother, George. Charles was deeply devoted to his mother and later recalled, despite her poor health and adversity, her perseverance, self-sufficiency, and pride as guiding lights in his life. In his early years, Charles showed an interest in mechanical objects and often watched his neighbors working on their cars and farm machinery. His musical curiosity
3105-569: A sound, it’s also a look. It comes with fashion that breaks barriers and shows creativity. The whole aesthetic is art, from the sound to the look. Neo-soul is a blend of music and culture and its impact in the music industry is timeless. Its impact can still be seen and felt across many genres and artists. Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged in the late 1960s out of the British mod subculture in Northern England and
3220-491: A successful pop music career. Furthermore, his 1962 recording of " Bring It On Home To Me " has been described as "perhaps the first record to define the soul experience". Jackie Wilson, a contemporary of both Cooke and James Brown, also achieved crossover success, especially with his 1957 hit " Reet Petite ". He even was particularly influential for his dramatic delivery and performances. Husband-wife duo Ike & Tina Turner emerged as "leading exponents" of soul music in
3335-454: Is R&B or soul music performed by white artists. The meaning of blue-eyed soul has evolved over the decades. Originally the term was associated with mid-1960s white artists who performed soul and R&B that was similar to the music released by Motown Records and Stax Records . The Righteous Brothers, the Rascals , Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood , Van Morrison & Them, and
3450-525: Is brown-eyed soul , or soul music or R&B created and performed mainly by Latinos in Southern California during the 1960s, continuing through to the early 1980s. The genre of soul music occasionally draws from Latin , and often contains rock music influences. This contrasts with blue-eyed soul, soul music performed by non-Hispanic white artists. Ritchie Valens , one of the original pioneers of brown-eyed soul music, also became one of
3565-681: Is a popular music genre that originated in African-American communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues . Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, and U.S. record labels such as Motown , Atlantic and Stax were influential in its proliferation during the civil rights movement . Soul also became popular worldwide, directly influencing rock music and
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3680-408: Is a heavy dose of Fender Rhodes or Wurlitzer electric piano "pads" over a mellow, grooving interplay between the drums (usually with a rim shot snare sound) and a muted, deep funky bass. The Fender Rhodes piano sound gives the music a warm, organic character. Notable artists include Jill Scott, Lauryn Hill, and Erykah Badu. Also newer artists like H.E.R and Sza are influenced by Neo Soul. Neo Soul
3795-686: Is a master of sounds. His records disclose an extraordinary assortment of slurs, glides, turns, shrieks, wails, breaks, shouts, screams and hollers, all wonderfully controlled, disciplined by inspired musicianship, and harnessed to ingenious subtleties of harmony, dynamics and rhythm... It is either the singing of a man whose vocabulary is inadequate to express what is in his heart and mind or of one whose feelings are too intense for satisfactory verbal or conventionally melodic articulation. He can't tell it to you. He can't even sing it to you. He has to cry out to you, or shout to you, in tones eloquent of despair—or exaltation. The voice alone, with little assistance from
3910-399: Is full of deep lyrics and soulful sounds that resonate with listeners. Neo Soul has had a lasting impact on the music industry, Along with a deep soulful sound, it also includes very soulful lyrics that touch on topics of love and even loss. This genre comes from African American culture and is connected to genres like gospel and blues. Fashion is also very important to this genre. It’s not just
4025-791: The Billboard Hot 100 . His 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music became his first album to top the Billboard 200 . Charles had multiple singles reach the Top 40 on various Billboard charts: 44 on the US R&;B singles chart, 11 on the Hot 100 singles chart, and two on the Hot Country singles charts. Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music
4140-563: The English Midlands , based on a particular style of soul music with a heavy beat and fast tempo. The phrase northern soul was coined by a journalist Dave Godin and popularised through his column in Blues and Soul magazine. The rare soul records were played by DJs at nightclubs , and included obscure 1960s and early 1970s American recordings with an uptempo beat, such as those on Motown and smaller labels, not necessarily from
4255-631: The Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine from 1937 to 1945. Charles further developed his musical talent at school and was taught to play the classical piano music of Bach , Mozart and Beethoven . His teacher, Mrs. Lawrence, taught him how to use braille music , a difficult process that requires learning the left hand movements by reading braille with the right hand and learning
4370-802: The Kennedy Center Honors , the National Medal of Arts , and the Polar Music Prize . He was one of the inaugural inductees at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He has won 18 Grammy Awards (five posthumously), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, and 10 of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame . Rolling Stone ranked Charles No. 10 on their list of
4485-680: The Northern United States . Many artists in various genres of electronic music (such as house , drum n bass , UK garage , and downtempo ) are heavily influenced by soul, and have produced many soul-inspired compositions. The impact of soul music was manifold; internationally, white and other non-black musicians were influenced by soul music. British soul and Northern soul , rare soul music played by DJs at nightclubs in Northern England, are examples. Several terms were introduced, such as " blue-eyed soul ", which
4600-628: The Shrine Auditorium on August 3. The other headliners were Little Willie John , Sam Cooke , Ernie Freeman , and Bo Rhambo . Sammy Davis Jr. was also there to crown the winner of the Miss Cavalcade of Jazz beauty contest. The event featured the top four prominent disc jockeys of Los Angeles. Charles reached the pinnacle of his success at Atlantic with the release of "What'd I Say", which combined gospel, jazz, blues and Latin music. Charles said he wrote it spontaneously while he
4715-578: The music of Africa . It had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo soul , which incorporated modern production elements and hip hop influences. The genre emerged from the power struggle to increase black Americans' awareness of their African ancestry, as a newfound consciousness led to new styles of music that boasted pride in being black. Soul music primarily combines elements of gospel, R&B and jazz . Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body movements, are an important hallmark of soul. Other characteristics are
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4830-701: The " 100 Greatest Artists of All Time ", and No. 2 on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In 2022, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame , as well as the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame . Charles was born on September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia . He was the son of Bailey Robinson, a laborer, and Aretha (or Reatha) Robinson (née Williams), a laundress, of Greenville, Florida . During Aretha's childhood, her mother died. Her father could not keep her. Bailey,
4945-562: The " Motown sound ", a more rhythmic and pop -friendly style that originated from the eponymous label; Southern soul , a driving, energetic variety combining R&B with southern gospel music influences; Memphis soul , a shimmering, sultry style; New Orleans soul , which emerged from the rhythm and blues style; Chicago soul , a lighter gospel-influenced sound; and Philadelphia soul , a lush orchestral variety with doo-wop -inspired vocals. Soul music has its roots in traditional African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues and as
5060-493: The "King of Rockin' and Rollin', Rhythm and Blues Soulin ' ", because his music embodied elements of all three, and since he inspired artists in all three genres. Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also are often acknowledged as soul forefathers. Cooke became popular as the lead singer of the gospel group the Soul Stirrers , before controversially moving into secular music. His recording of " You Send Me " in 1957 launched
5175-524: The "first clear evidence of soul music shows up with the "5" Royales , an ex-gospel group that turned to R&B and in Faye Adams , whose "Shake A Hand" becomes an R&B standard". Important innovators whose recordings in the 1950s contributed to the emergence of soul music included Clyde McPhatter , Hank Ballard , and Etta James . Ray Charles is often cited as popularizing the soul music genre with his series of hits, starting with 1954's " I Got
5290-505: The 1940s and '50s occasionally used the term as part of their names. The jazz style that originated from gospel became known as soul jazz . As singers and arrangers began using techniques from both gospel and soul jazz in African-American popular music during the 1960s, soul music gradually functioned as an umbrella term for African-American popular music at the time. According to the Acoustic Music Organization,
5405-603: The 1960s which were unable to connect with the mainstream market. Nevertheless, soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s including bands of the British Invasion , most significantly the Beatles . There were a handful of significant British blue-eyed soul acts, including Dusty Springfield and Tom Jones . In the 1970s Carl Douglas , the Real Thing and Delegation had hits in
5520-615: The 1960s, the style became glossier during the 1970s and led to disco . In the late 2000s, the style was revisited by contemporary soul singers such as Amy Winehouse , Raphael Saadiq (specifically his 2008 album The Way I See It ) and Solange Knowles (her 2008 album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams ). The terms "deep soul" and "Southern soul" generally refer to a driving, energetic soul style combining R&B 's energy with pulsating southern United States gospel music sounds. Memphis, Tennessee , label Stax Records nurtured
5635-711: The 1960s. Their debut single " A Fool in Love " crossed over to the pop charts in 1960. They earned a Grammy nomination for their song " It's Gonna Work Out Fine " in 1962. Along with the Kings of Rhythm and the Ikettes , they toured the Chitlin’ Circuit as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue. Writer Peter Guralnick is among those to identify Solomon Burke as a key figure in the emergence of soul music, and Atlantic Records as
5750-615: The 1970s his music was rarely played on radio stations. The rise of psychedelic rock and harder forms of rock and R&B music had reduced Charles' radio appeal, as did his choosing to record pop standards and covers of contemporary rock and soul hits, since his earnings from owning his master tapes had taken away the motivation to write new material. Charles nonetheless continued to have an active recording career. Most of his recordings between 1968 and 1973 evoked strong reactions: either adored or panned by fans and critics alike. His recordings during this period, especially 1972's A Message from
5865-538: The 1–5 A.M. shift at the Rocking Chair. Publicity photos of this trio are some of the earliest known photographs of Charles. In April 1949, he and his band recorded " Confession Blues ", which became his first national hit, soaring to the second spot on the Billboard R&;B chart. While still working at the Rocking Chair, Charles also arranged songs for other artists, including Cole Porter 's "Ghost of
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#17327764633255980-604: The Beautiful" at a televised annual banquet of electronic media journalists held in Washington, D.C. His final public appearance was on April 30, 2004, at the dedication of his music studio as a historic landmark in Los Angeles. Charles possessed one of the most recognizable voices in American music. In the words of musicologist Henry Pleasants : Sinatra, and Bing Crosby before him, had been masters of words. Ray Charles
6095-814: The Dells and Billy Stewart . Curtis Mayfield not only scored many hits with his group, the Impressions , but wrote many hit songs for Chicago artists and produced hits on his own labels for the Fascinations , Major Lance , and the Five Stairsteps . Based primarily in the Philadelphia International record label, Philadelphia soul (or Philly Soul) had lush string and horn arrangements and doo-wop -inspired vocals. Thom Bell , and Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff are considered
6210-694: The Grass Roots were famous blue-eyed soul musicians in the 1960s. The term continued to be used in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly by the British media to refer to a new generation of singers who adopted elements of the Stax and Motown sounds. To a lesser extent, the term has been applied to singers in other music genres that are influenced by soul music. Artists like Hall & Oates , David Bowie , Teena Marie , Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds , Frankie Valli , Christina Aguilera , Amy Winehouse and Adele are known as blue-eyed soul singers. Another term
6325-534: The Isley Brothers ( 3 + 3 ). Isaac Hayes 's 1969 recording of " Walk on By " is considered a "classic" of prog-soul, according to City Pages journalist Jay Boller. Later prog-soul music includes recordings by Prince , Peter Gabriel , Meshell Ndegeocello , Joi , Bilal , Dwele , Anthony David , Janelle Monáe , and the Soulquarians , an experimental black-music collective active during
6440-538: The Mar-Keys , trumpeter Wayne Jackson and saxophonist Andrew Love ). "Memphis soul" is a shimmering, sultry style of soul music produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee . It featured melancholic and melodic horns, Hammond organ , bass, and drums, as heard in recordings by Hi's Al Green and Stax's Booker T. & the M.G.'s . The latter group also sometimes played in
6555-660: The Meters . More versatile groups such as War , the Commodores , and Earth, Wind and Fire became popular around this time. During the 1970s, some slick and commercial blue-eyed soul acts like Philadelphia's Hall & Oates and Oakland's Tower of Power achieved mainstream success, as did a new generation of street-corner harmony or "city-soul" groups such as the Delfonics and the historically black Howard University 's Unifics . The syndicated music/dance variety television series Soul Train , hosted by Chicago native Don Cornelius , debuted in 1971. The show provided an outlet for soul music for several decades, also spawning
6670-476: The Meters for New York–based Josie and then LA-based Reprise. Chicago soul generally had a light gospel-influenced sound, but the large number of record labels based in the city tended to produce a more diverse sound than other cities. Vee Jay Records , which lasted until 1966, produced recordings by Jerry Butler , Betty Everett , Dee Clark , and Gene Chandler . Chess Records , mainly a blues and rock and roll label, produced several major soul artists, including
6785-424: The People , moved toward the progressive soul sound popular at the time. A Message from the People included his unique gospel-influenced version of " America the Beautiful " and a number of protest songs about poverty and civil rights. Charles was often criticized for his version of "America the Beautiful" because it was very drastically changed from the song's original version. On July 14, 1973, Margie Hendrix ,
6900-453: The R&B chart. "I've Got a Woman" combined gospel , jazz , and blues elements. In 1955, he had hits with " This Little Girl of Mine " and " A Fool for You ". In upcoming years, hits included " Drown in My Own Tears " and " Hallelujah I Love Her So ". Charles also recorded jazz, such as The Great Ray Charles (1957). He worked with vibraphonist Milt Jackson , releasing Soul Brothers in 1958 and Soul Meeting in 1961. By 1958, he
7015-422: The R&B chart. The group's debut album was issued in 1968. Michael Ward and Hal Worthington sang on the original album, replacing Marvin Brown and Thomas Fauntleroy, then left the group in 1970. They were briefly replaced by the original members Marvin Brown and Tom Fauntleroy. By 1972, the group has disbanded. In 2005, three decades after the Unifics called it quits, Johnson and Fauntleroy decided to resurrect
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#17327764633257130-572: The U.S., United Kingdom, and elsewhere. Many prominent soul artists, including Ray Charles , Sam Cooke , Otis Redding , James Brown , Aretha Franklin , and various acts under the Motown label, such as The Supremes and The Temptations , were highly influential in the genre's development and all gained widespread popularity during this time. By 1968, the soul music genre had begun to splinter. Some soul artists moved to funk music, while other singers and groups developed slicker, more sophisticated, and in some cases more socially conscious varieties. By
7245-623: The U.S., including New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Memphis , New Orleans , Philadelphia , and Muscle Shoals, Alabama (the home of FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios ) became noted for different subgenres of the music and recording styles. By 1968, while at its peak of popularity, soul began to fragment into different subgenres. Artists such as James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone evolved into funk music, while other singers such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Al Green developed slicker, more sophisticated and in some cases more politically conscious varieties of
7360-492: The UK. American soul was extremely popular among some youth sub-cultures like the mod , Northern soul and modern soul movements, but a clear genre of British soul did not emerge until the 1980s when several artists including George Michael , Sade , Simply Red , Lisa Stansfield and Soul II Soul enjoyed commercial success. The popularity of British soul artists in the U.S., most notably Amy Winehouse , Adele , Estelle , Duffy , Joss Stone and Leona Lewis , led to talk of
7475-463: The Unifics soon gathered a large following in the D.C. area and began to attract attention elsewhere. The group, with Johnson as lead singer, scored three hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1968 and 1969 for the Kapp Records label . The first, "Court of Love" climbed to #25, but reached #3 on the US Billboard R&B chart . The follow-up, "The Beginning of My End" got to #36 on the Hot 100 and #9 R&B. Two further releases in 1969 reached
7590-454: The Vandellas , and the Jackson Five . Hits were made using a quasi-industrial " production-line " approach. The producers and songwriters brought artistic sensitivity to the three-minute tunes. Brian Holland , Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland were rarely out of the charts for their work as songwriters and record producers for the Supremes , the Four Tops and Martha and the Vandellas . They allowed important elements to shine through
7705-409: The age of 65. After Johnson's death, Fauntleroy opted to retire from performing and work as the band's choreographer/manager. He later went into full retirement. The band announced that Hall and Lockhart would be joined in a new line-up by tenor Ned Harris and baritone Bruce Justice. Greg Cook died from pancreatic cancer on July 8, 2023, at the age of 72. Soul music See also: Soul music
7820-542: The air before he was finally able to see through a small part of the windshield and land the plane. Charles placed a spiritual interpretation on the experience, claiming that "something or someone which instruments cannot detect" was responsible for creating the small opening in the ice on the windshield which enabled the pilot to eventually land the plane safely. The 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music and its sequel, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2 , helped to bring country music into
7935-450: The album True to Life , remaining with his old label until 1980. However, the label had now begun to focus on rock acts, and some of their prominent soul artists, such as Aretha Franklin , were starting to be neglected. In November 1977 he appeared as the host of the NBC television show Saturday Night Live . In April 1979, his version of "Georgia on My Mind" was proclaimed the state song of Georgia, and an emotional Charles performed
8050-467: The audience of black and white fans would integrate while he was there. In 1983, Charles signed a contract with Columbia . He recorded a string of country albums and had hit singles in duets with singers such as George Jones , Chet Atkins , B. J. Thomas , Mickey Gilley , Hank Williams Jr. , Dee Dee Bridgewater ("Precious Thing") and his longtime friend Willie Nelson , with whom he recorded " Seven Spanish Angels ". In 1985, Charles participated in
8165-469: The dance number " I Don't Need No Doctor " and " Let's Go Get Stoned ", which became his first number-one R&B hit in several years. His cover version of " Crying Time ", originally recorded by country singer Buck Owens , reached No. 6 on the pop chart and helped Charles win a Grammy Award the following March. In 1967, he had a top-twenty hit with another ballad, " Here We Go Again ". Charles' renewed chart success, however, proved to be short lived, and by
8280-495: The day. They tended to have smaller ensembles marked by expressive gospel-tinged vocals. Brass and saxophones were also used extensively. Stax Records , founded by siblings Estelle and James Stewart, was the second most successful record label behind Motown Records . They were responsible for releasing hits by Otis Redding , Wilson Pickett , the Staple Singers , and many more. Ahmet Ertegun, who had anticipated being
8395-466: The dense musical texture. The rhythm was emphasized by handclaps or tambourine . Smokey Robinson was another writer and record producer who added lyrics to " The Tracks of My Tears " by his group the Miracles , which was one of the most important songs of the decade. Stax Records and Atlantic Records were independent labels that produced high-quality dance records featuring many well-known singers of
8510-807: The development of neo-soul around 1994. Berry Gordy 's successful Tamla/Motown group of labels was notable for being African-American owned, unlike most of the earlier independent R&B labels. Notable artists under this label were Gladys Knight & the Pips , the Supremes , the Temptations , the Miracles , the Four Tops , the Marvelettes , Mary Wells , Jr. Walker & the All-Stars , Stevie Wonder , Marvin Gaye , Tammi Terrell , Martha and
8625-439: The early 1970s, soul music had begun to absorb influences from psychedelic rock and progressive rock , among other genres, leading to the creation of psychedelic soul and progressive soul . Prominent soul artists of this era include Marvin Gaye , Stevie Wonder , Curtis Mayfield , Isaac Hayes , Al Green , and Bill Withers . Neo soul , which adopted hip hop influences, emerged around 1994. Other subgenres of soul include
8740-499: The evolution of soul music, although their recordings were considered more in a pop music vein than those of Redding, Franklin and Carr. Although stylistically different from classic soul music, recordings by Chicago -based artists are often considered part of the genre. By the early 1970s, soul music had been influenced by psychedelic rock and other genres. Artists like James Brown led soul towards funk music, which became typified by 1970s bands like Parliament-Funkadelic and
8855-523: The first brown-eyed soul artists to bring traditional Latin music and rock and roll influences into the genre. Latino groups on the East and West Coast also drew from the funk -influenced Philadelphia soul, or "Philly" soul . The West Coast Latin rock scene continued to influence brown-eyed soul artists as well. Inspired by Valens, 1960s and 1970s bands such as Cannibal & the Headhunters (" Land of
8970-774: The founders of Philadelphia soul, which produced hits for Patti LaBelle , the O'Jays , the Intruders , the Three Degrees , the Delfonics , the Stylistics , Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes , and the Spinners . By the 1970s, African-American popular musicians had drawn from the conceptual album-oriented approach of the then-burgeoning progressive rock development. This progressive-soul development inspired
9085-476: The genre. However, soul music continued to evolve, informing most subsequent forms of R&B from the 1970s-onward, with pockets of musicians continuing to perform in traditional soul style. Mitchell's Hi Records continued in the Stax tradition of the previous decade, releasing a string of hits by Green, Ann Peebles , Otis Clay , O.V. Wright and Syl Johnson . Bobby Womack , who recorded with Chips Moman in
9200-404: The genres of rhythm and blues and jazz had an influence on a number of highly successful artists, including, as Jon Pareles has noted, Elvis Presley , Aretha Franklin , Stevie Wonder , Van Morrison , and Billy Joel . Other singers who have acknowledged Charles' influence on their own styles include James Booker , Steve Winwood , Richard Manuel , and Gregg Allman . According to Joe Levy,
9315-505: The group and recruited Newport News, Virginia veteran singers Charlie Lockhart and Garrett Hall to complete the quartet. Then, at the end of 2005, they self-released Unifics Return , with Marvin Brown filling in for Garrett Hall and the first Unifics album in over three decades. Member Al Johnson had a briefly successful solo career in the 1980s and worked with Norman Connors , Jean Carn , The Whispers , Sharon Redd, Gayle Adams and Special Delivery. Al Johnson died on October 26, 2013, at
9430-423: The harder-edged Southern soul style. The Hi Records house band ( Hi Rhythm Section ) and producer Willie Mitchell developed a surging soul style heard in the label's 1970s hit recordings. Some Stax recordings fit into this style but had their own unique sound. The New Orleans soul scene directly came out of the rhythm and blues era, when such artists as Little Richard , Fats Domino , and Huey Piano Smith made
9545-463: The high tenor range of A, B flat, B, C and even C sharp and D, sometimes in full voice, sometimes in an ecstatic head voice, sometimes in falsetto. In falsetto he continues up to E and F above high C. On one extraordinary record, 'I'm Going Down to the River'...he hits an incredible B flat...giving him an overall range, including the falsetto extension, of at least three octaves." His style and success in
9660-416: The hybridization of their respective religious and secular styles – in both lyrical content and instrumentation – that began in the 1950s. The term "soul" had been used among African-American musicians to emphasize the feeling of being an African-American in the United States. According to musicologist Barry Hansen , Though this hybrid produced a clutch of hits in the R&B market in the early 1950s, only
9775-467: The influence of psychedelic soul continued on and remained prevalent through the 1970s. In the early 1960s, small soul scenes began popping up around the UK. Liverpool in particular had an established black community from which artists such as Chants and Steve Aldo emerged and go on to record within the British music industry. As a result, many recordings were commercially released by British soul acts during
9890-404: The integration of country music , rhythm and blues, and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records , notably with his two Modern Sounds albums. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company. Charles' 1960 hit " Georgia on My Mind " was the first of his three career No. 1 hits on
10005-544: The key record label . Burke's early 1960s songs, including " Cry to Me ", " Just Out of Reach " and "Down in the Valley" are considered classics of the genre. Guralnick wrote: Soul started, in a sense, with the 1961 success of Solomon Burke's "Just Out Of Reach". Ray Charles, of course, had already enjoyed enormous success (also on Atlantic), as had James Brown and Sam Cooke — primarily in a pop vein. Each of these singers, though, could be looked upon as an isolated phenomenon; it
10120-492: The label: a jazz record ( The Genius After Hours , 1961); a blues record ( The Genius Sings the Blues , 1961); and a big band record ( The Genius of Ray Charles , 1959) which was his first Top 40 album, peaking at No. 17. Charles' contract with Atlantic expired in 1959, and several big labels offered him record deals. Choosing not to renegotiate his contract with Atlantic, he signed with ABC-Paramount in November 1959. He obtained
10235-562: The late 1960s, continued to produce soul recordings in the 1970s and 1980s. In Detroit , producer Don Davis worked with Stax artists such as Johnnie Taylor and the Dramatics . Early 1970s recordings by the Detroit Emeralds , such as Do Me Right , are a link between soul and the later disco style. Motown Records artists such as Marvin Gaye , Michael Jackson , Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson contributed to
10350-479: The late 1990s and early 2000s. Psychedelic soul, sometimes known as "black rock", was a blend of psychedelic rock and soul music in the late 1960s, which paved the way for the mainstream emergence of funk music a few years later. Early pioneers of this subgenre of soul music include Jimi Hendrix , Sly and the Family Stone , Norman Whitfield , and Isaac Hayes . While psychedelic rock began its decline,
10465-540: The most adventurous white fans felt its impact at the time; the rest had to wait for the coming of soul music in the 1960s to feel the rush of rock and roll sung gospel-style. According to AllMusic, "Soul music was the result of the urbanization and commercialization of rhythm and blues in the '60s." The phrase "soul music" itself, referring to gospel-style music with secular lyrics, was first attested in 1961. The term "soul" in African-American parlance has connotations of African-American pride and culture. Gospel groups in
10580-433: The most successful acts in this era include Smokey Robinson, Jeffry Osbourne, Peabo Bryson , Chaka Khan , and Larry Graham . After the decline of disco and funk in the early 1980s, soul music became influenced by electro music . It became less raw and more slickly produced, resulting in a style is known as contemporary R&B , which sounded very different from the original rhythm and blues style. The United States saw
10695-513: The mother of Ray's son Charles Wayne Hendrix, died at 38 years old, which led to Ray having to care for the child. The official cause of her death is unknown. In 1974, Charles left ABC Records and recorded several albums on his own label, Crossover Records. A 1975 recording of Stevie Wonder's hit " Living for the City " later helped Charles win another Grammy. In 1977, he reunited with Ahmet Ertegun and re-signed to Atlantic Records, for which he recorded
10810-577: The musical mainstream. Charles' version of the Don Gibson song " I Can't Stop Loving You " topped the Pop chart for five weeks, stayed at No. 1 on the R&B chart for ten weeks, and gave him his only number-one record in the UK. In 1962, he founded his record label, Tangerine , which ABC-Paramount promoted and distributed. He had major pop hits in 1963 with " Busted " (US No. 4) and " Take These Chains from My Heart " (US No. 8). In 1964, Margie Hendrix
10925-527: The musical recording and video " We Are the World ", a charity single recorded by the supergroup United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa. In 1990 he participated for the first time in the Sanremo Music Festival with song Good Love Gone Bad , written by Toto Cutugno . Before the release of his first album for Warner, Would You Believe , Charles made a return to the R&B charts with
11040-522: The next year, he had hits with " It Should've Been Me " and "Don't You Know". He also recorded the songs "Midnight Hour" and "Sinner's Prayer" around this time. Late in 1954, Charles recorded " I've Got a Woman ". The lyrics were written by bandleader Renald Richard. Charles claimed the composition. They later admitted that the song went back to the Southern Tones ' "It Must Be Jesus" (1954). It became one of his most notable hits, reaching No. 2 on
11155-584: The piano for bands at the Ritz Theatre in LaVilla for over a year, earning $ 4 a night (US$ 46, in 2023 value ). He joined Local 632 of the American Federation of Musicians , in the hope that it would help him get work, and was able to use the union hall's piano to practice, since he did not have one at home; he learned piano licks from copying the other players there. He started to build
11270-661: The pop charts in the U.S. Otis Redding was a huge success at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. The genre also became highly popular in the UK, where many leading acts toured in the late 1960s. "Soul" became an umbrella term for an increasingly wide variety of R&B-based music styles – from the dance and pop-oriented acts at Motown Records in Detroit , such as the Temptations , Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder , to " deep soul " performers such as Percy Sledge and James Carr . Different regions and cities within
11385-489: The right hand movements by reading braille with the left hand, then combining the two parts. Charles' mother died in the spring of 1945, when he was 14. Her death came as a shock to him; he later said the deaths of his brother and mother were "the two great tragedies" of his life. Charles decided not to return to school after the funeral. After leaving school, Charles moved to Jacksonville to live with Charles Wayne Powell, who had been friends with his late mother. He played
11500-458: The show beginning in the 1980s. As disco and funk musicians had hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s, soul went in the direction of quiet storm . With its relaxed tempos and soft melodies, quiet storm soul took influences from fusion and adult contemporary . Some funk bands, such as EW&F, the Commodores and Con Funk Shun would have a few quiet storm tracks on their albums. Among
11615-726: The song on the floor of the state legislature. In 1980 Charles performed in the musical film The Blues Brothers . Although he had notably supported the American Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s, Charles was criticized for performing at the Sun City resort in South Africa in 1981 during an international boycott protesting that country's apartheid policy. He later defended his choice of performing there, insisting that
11730-501: The song was Charles' first work with Sid Feller , who produced, arranged and conducted the recording. Charles' rendition of the tune helped elevate it to the status of an American classic, and his version also became the state song of Georgia in 1979. Charles earned another Grammy for the follow-up track " Hit the Road Jack ", written by R&B singer Percy Mayfield . By late 1961, Charles had expanded his small road ensemble to
11845-437: The text or the notated music, conveys the message. Pleasants continues, "Ray Charles is usually described as a baritone, and his speaking voice would suggest as much, as would the difficulty he experiences in reaching and sustaining the baritone's high E and F in a popular ballad. But the voice undergoes some sort of transfiguration under stress, and in music of gospel or blues character he can and does sing for measures on end in
11960-422: Was also influenced by Louis Jordan and Charles Brown . He had a lifelong friendship and occasional partnership with Quincy Jones . Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles "the only true genius in show business", although Charles downplayed this notion. Billy Joel said, "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley ." For his musical contributions, Charles received
12075-546: Was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius". Among friends and fellow musicians, he preferred being called "Brother Ray". Charles was blinded during childhood, possibly due to glaucoma . Charles pioneered the soul music genre during the 1950s by combining elements of blues , jazz , rhythm and blues , and gospel into his music during his time with Atlantic Records . He contributed to
12190-415: Was eventually dropped, as the search lacked a proper warrant by the police, and Charles soon returned to music. In the early 1960s, on the way from Louisiana to Oklahoma City , Charles faced a near-death experience when the pilot of his plane lost visibility, as snow and his failure to use the defroster caused the windshield of the plane to become completely covered in ice. The pilot made a few circles in
12305-405: Was four years old. Charles started to lose his sight at the age of four or five, and was blind by the age of seven, likely as a result of glaucoma . Destitute, uneducated, and mourning the loss of her younger son, Aretha Robinson used her connections in the local community to find a school that would accept a blind African-American pupil. Despite his initial protest, Charles attended school at
12420-564: Was keen to have his own band. He decided to leave Florida for a large city, and, considering Chicago and New York City too big, followed his friend Gossie McKee to Seattle , Washington, in March 1948, knowing that the biggest radio hits came from northern cities. There he met and befriended, under the tutelage of Robert Blackwell , the 15-year-old Quincy Jones . With Charles on piano, McKee on guitar, and Milton Garred on bass, The McSon Trio (named for Mc Kee and Robin son ) started playing
12535-512: Was kicked out of the Raelettes after a big argument. In 1964, Charles' career was halted once more after he was arrested for a third time for possession of heroin. He agreed to go to a rehabilitative facility to avoid jail time and eventually kicked his habit at a clinic in Los Angeles. After spending a year on parole, Charles reappeared in the charts in 1966 with a series of hits composed with Ashford & Simpson and Jo Armstead , including
12650-447: Was later revitalized by her recordings for Atlantic. Her 1967 recordings, such as " I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You) ", " Respect " (written and originally recorded by Otis Redding), and " Do Right Woman, Do Right Man " (written by Chips Moman and Dan Penn ), were significant and commercially successful recordings. Soul music dominated the U.S. African-American music charts in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into
12765-715: Was not only headlining major black venues such as the Apollo Theater in New York, but also larger venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival , where his first live album was recorded in 1958. He hired a female singing group, the Cookies , and renamed them the Raelettes . In 1958, Charles and the Raelettes performed for the famed Cavalcade of Jazz concert produced by Leon Hefflin Sr. held at
12880-557: Was only with the coming together of Burke and Atlantic Records that you could begin to see anything even resembling a movement. Ben E. King also achieved success in 1961 with " Stand By Me ", a song directly based on a gospel hymn. By the mid-1960s, the initial successes of Burke, King, and others had been surpassed by new soul singers, including Stax artists such as Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett , who mainly recorded in Memphis, Tennessee , and Muscle Shoals, Alabama . According to Jon Landau : Between 1962 and 1964 Redding recorded
12995-535: Was performing in clubs with his band. Despite some radio stations banning the song because of its sexually suggestive lyrics, the song became Charles' first top-ten pop record. It reached No. 6 on the Billboard Pop chart and No. 1 on the Billboard R&;B chart in 1959. Later that year, he released his first country song (a cover of Hank Snow 's " I'm Movin' On ") and recorded three more albums for
13110-483: Was required to stay in the segregated but thriving black community of Overtown . Stone later helped Jerry Wexler find Charles in St. Petersburg . After signing with Swing Time Records , Charles recorded two more R&B hits under the name Ray Charles: "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951), which reached No. 5, and "Kissa Me Baby" (1952), which reached No. 8. Swing Time folded the following year, and Ahmet Ertegun signed Charles to Atlantic . In addition to being
13225-533: Was sparked at Wylie Pitman's Red Wing Cafe, at the age of three, when Pitman played boogie woogie on an old upright piano ; Pitman subsequently taught Charles how to play the piano. Charles and his mother were always welcome at the Red Wing Cafe and even lived there when they were in financial distress. Pitman also cared for Ray's younger brother George, to take some of the burden off their mother. George accidentally drowned in his mother's laundry tub when he
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