Muddy Waters once sang, “The blues had a child and they named it rock and roll”.
Well, R&B went to church on Sunday, took gospel music and gave birth to what became known in the 1960s as “Soul”. The mix of passionate preaching from vocalists, with call and response akin to the pastor and congregation along with a mix of the gospel “beat” joining with juke joint jumpin was melded together and became the soundtrack for baby boomers. It’s no coincidence that many of the leading singers of the “soul” genre came from the church, with Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Lou Rawls, Johnny Taylor, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield just a quick sampling of the singers that crossed over to the secular route.
Recently released are a boxed that cover the width, breath and depth of soul music.
The first, Forever Soul, focuses primarily on the 1950s and 60s. The nine disc set includes a complete disc dedicated to Sam Cooke, who started with gospel group The Soul Stirrers before being the template for artists like Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye. His mix of gospel, romance and social consciousness is reflected in songs such as “Cupid”, “Chain Gang” and “Bring It On Home To Me”. Doo Woppers and R&B stars laid the foundation with songs like Ray Charles (“I’ve Got A Woman”) and Ben E. King (“Stand By Me”) and Jerry Butler (“He Will Break Your Heart”).
Other than that, the heartland of soul originated in three basic areas and labels, Detroit with Motown, New York with Atlantic, and Memphis with STAX. Motown is well represented here by The Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and The Supremes, with each artists sounding slick, sleek and polished. From Memphis, AL Green, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave and Wilson Picket gave a grittier feel to the genre. There was also a mix of jazz for extra spice as by Young Holt Unlimited’s “Soulful Strut”, Booker T. & The MG’s “Green Onions” and Archie Bell’s “Tighten Up”.
Both sides of the railroad tracks are represented here, with soul turning into funk by the end of the 1960s with bands like Sly and the Family Stone (“Everyday People”) and The Fifth Dimension (“Stoned Soul Picnic”). An excellent overview of music that eventually influenced all other styles in its wake.