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Thank you to Soul Choir for this blog post about Soul music:
In honour and celebration of Black History Month this October, we would like to share some information on the history of Soul music, given its prominent African American heritage.
We feel it’s important to shed light on the background of Soul music that we love so much and to embrace those that have inspired generations of new artists within the genre and other sub-genres.
ORIGINS OF SOUL MUSIC
Soul is an African American style of music combining gospel and rhythm and blues. It first came to light in the late 1950s in the United States. The genre became associated with the social and political changes impacting the lives of African American people at the time, and reached the height of its popularity in the mid-1970s.
Prominent soul artists of the early days include that of Ray Charles, James Brown and Sam Cooke.
SOUL'S INFLUENCE: ON MUSIC STYLES AND BRITISHARTISTS
Soul has influenced many different styles of music overtime, including: funk, hip pop, disco, contemporary RnB, Neo-soul….
British singers have also drawn inspiration from the soul genre within their own music. To name a few of these artists:
Dusty Springfield, George Michael, Simply Red, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, Michael Kiwanuka.
NEO-SOUL
Neo-Soul is a music genre that emerged in the 1990s. It combines aspects of classic, traditional soul (vocals & melodies) with the grooves of hip pop and funk.
Examples of some classic Neo-soul artists include: D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill.
Over the 21st century, many new Neo-Soul artists have emerged, such as:
Frank Ocean, Daniel Caesar, Yazmin Lacey, Cleo Sol, Mahalia
Inspired to listen to some Soul music?
Here are some Spotify Playlists for you!
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
References:
https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/soul
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/soul-music-guide
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul
http://www.masterclass.com/articles/neo-soul-music-guide
http://www.albumoftheyear.org/genre/131-neo-soul/2023/