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Description of Soul/R&B

 
Soul/R&B is a broad category that encompasses much of non-sacred African American music. Its reach spans from the early vocal hits by Sam & Dave such as "Hold On, I'm Coming" and "Soul Man" to Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" to the mid-1970s radio-ready soul/pop of the Delfonics' "Didn't I Blow Your Mind" and Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," and all the way to the modern R&B of Beyonce and Usher. The category is united by emotive vocals, hints of funk and, of course, ample doses of pure, impassioned soul.
 

Soul/R&B Key Albums

 
 

Soul/R&B Key Artists

 
Aaron Neville

Neville brother Aaron and
his gorgeous, wafer-thin
falsetto found a solo niche
with hits including "Tell It
Like It Is." Neville took his...

Barry White

A legendary love jam
specialist, Barry White's
vast catalog has been
rampantly sampled for its
impeccable grooves. Barr...

Curtis Mayfield

A seminal Soul figure best
known for "Superfly," he
mixed his rich falsetto and
funky guitar with messages
of black pride. Mayfield fr...

Diana Ross

Motown's preeminent Girl
Group, the Supremes
earned five consecutive No.
1 hits in 1964-65, bridging
Soul and Pop. Mary Wilson...

Earth, Wind & Fire

This dynamic, spiritually
focused Funk/Soul outfit
authored slick harmonies,
phenomenal horn parts, and
resonant hit songs. Drum...

Ike and Tina Turner

This '60s duo may not have
found marital bliss, but they
rocked R&B and rock with a
nearly unmatched ferocity.
Tina's original name is An...

Irma Thomas

A Soul crooner who never
got the success she
deserved, Thomas
recorded "Time Is On My
Side" before the Rolling St...

James Brown

Known as the Godfather of
Soul, James Brown is the
hardest-working man in
show business. Even before
he revolutionized Funk, J...

Marvin Gaye

With a career that
exemplified the maturation
of romantic black pop into a
sophisticated form spanning
social and sexual politics,...

Parliament

Half of George Clinton's P.
Funk empire, this vocal
group grew into one
sprawling '70s intergalactic
Funk love jam. Parliament...

Prince

A suave Svengali and the
savior of post-Parliament
funk, Prince has found love
on the pop charts since the
1980s. Prince has been co...

R. Kelly

A successful R&B vocalist,
producer and songwriter,
R. Kelly has sold more than
20 million albums. Hip-hop
beats work with Kelly's c...

Ray Charles

This national treasure has
combined Gospel with the
best of secular music to
help give birth to soul, rock
and hard bop. Charles' sil...

Ruth Brown

Ruth Brown is best known
for her sultry vocal style,
which got more seductive
with each passing year.
Acknowledging her phen...

Sly & the Family Stone

Along with James Brown
and Parliament-Funkadelic,
Sly & the Family Stone,
virtually invented 1970s
funk. Their fusion of R&B r...

The Staple Singers

Dad-and-daughters group
began as a Gospel act, but
quickly branched out into
folk-tinged, message-driven
soul. The Staple Singers w...

Tina Turner

After a tumultuous
relationship, which Tina
Turner has described as
being marked by physical
and emotional abuse (clai...

Whitney Houston

As the daughter of
renowned gospel and soul
singer Cissy Houston, and
the cousin of Dionne
Warwick, Whitney Houst...

Wilson Pickett

Together with Otis Redding
and Aretha Franklin, Wilson
Pickett was among the most
popular and acclaimed soul
singers of the 1960s. His g...

Electronics

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