SWEET SOUL MUSIC OF THE 1960s

Debbie D.32 Comments#MusicalMemories, Life, Music
Sweet Soul Music featured image

Rock music has long been a staple here at The Doglady’s Den and my “Eternal Hippie/Rockchick” persona is well-documented. Would it surprise you to know I like other genres as well?

Listening to music Bitmoji wearing summer clothes

This is for my new blogging friend, Pete**, who isn’t a hard rock fan. When asked about his preferences, he said:

I was a ‘Soul Boy’, Debbie. Otis Redding, Tamla Motown, The Miracles, The Elgins, The Marvelettes, Marvin Gaye, Sam and Dave, all that stuff.

**Visit Pete’s site, beetleypete – The musings of a Londoner now living in Norfolk,
for an interesting blend of anecdotes, observations, photos, history, fiction, etc.

I can dig it! That sound was also a huge part of my youth in the 60s and 70s. Are you ready for some Sweet Soul Music? 😀

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FIRST, A LITTLE HISTORY:

Soul music is rooted in the U.S.A. and sprang from traditional blues and gospel. Ray Charles, Etta James, Sam Cooke, Clyde McPhatter, Little Richard, Hank Ballard and other pioneers of the 1950s were all gospel singers. The soul genre evolved as they added blues tropes and shifted to secular lyrics.

Sub genres of soul include rhythm and blues (R&B), urban blues, Motown, smooth jazz and funk. It also laid the foundation for disco, hip hop, and electronica.

Much of soul music’s growth is specific to three regions, each with a major record label attached:

Southern Soul

Area: Memphis, Birmingham, Atlanta, New Orleans
Record Label: STAX Records, founded in 1957 as Satellite Records
Famous Artists: Otis Redding, Booker T & the MGs, Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave, Isaac Hayes

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

Detroit Soul

Area: Detroit (and later, Los Angeles)
Record Label: Motown Records, founded in 1958 as Tamla Records
(Known as Tamla Motown outside North America)
Famous Artists: Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Stevie Wonder,
Diana Ross and the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations

♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫

New York Soul

Area: New York City
Record Label: Atlantic Records, founded in 1947
Famous Artists: Aretha Franklin (who was based in both Detroit and New York), Ray Charles, Percy Sledge.

Atlantic would eventually become a distributor for Stax Records,
helping to release chart-topping hits by Sam and Dave and Otis Redding.

And, there is also
 British Soul

Widespread British interest in soul music developed after the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s and the subsequent interest in American music.

In the early 1960s, rhythm and blues, including soul, was particularly popular among some members of the beat music (aka Merseybeat) boom, like The Beatles, Stones, Animals, etc.

Britain produced a handful of soul acts in the 1960s, most significantly the blue-eyed soul singers Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield.

Arguably the most notable Motown-influenced act from the UK aside from Springfield were the Foundations, a multi-racial soul group described by Billboard as “the best practitioners of the Motown sound to be found on the far side of the Atlantic.” 

– From Wikipedia

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My first introduction to soul music was through “Little” Stevie Wonder, who had several hits in the 1960s, age 12-19 (and, of course, became an even bigger star as an adult):

PLAYLIST: “LITTLE” STEVIE WONDER, 1962-1969

Little Stevie Wonder playlist contents
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There was a prolific output of soul music in the 1960s. It’s impossible to pare it down to a manageable list, but here’s a selection:

PLAYLIST: DEBBIE’S SOUL FAVOURITES OF THE 1960s

Debbie's Favourite Soul Music playlist
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Since I’m in playlist create mode, here’s one, based on the artists Pete mentioned:

PLAYLIST: PETE’S FAVOURITE SOUL ARTISTS

Pete's favourite soul artists playlist
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Do YOU like some of that Sweet Soul Music?

Music note surfing bitmoji
Debbie signature style 5

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32 thoughts on “SWEET SOUL MUSIC OF THE 1960s”

  1. I grew up in Memphis, Tennessee. Sam Moore & Dave Prater became prominent in town, the regionally, then nationally, the year I turn ten years old… “Hold On I’m Coming”, “Soul Man” and “I Thank You” were all written by a local song writing team of Isaac Hayes & David Porter.

    Decades later, after we moved away from Memphis, my daughter came home from cheerleading camp to tell me, their instructor there was the son of Memphis songwriter David Porter.

    Reply

  2. I own the first two albums with songs you mentioned, and I know the last song; that 3rd song I’ve never heard before… and I don’t miss it one bit! lol

    Dad’s favorite artist was Ray Charles; I have no idea who Mom’s favorites were, but I do know she hated the Supremes and Diana Ross, and there were a couple of James Brown albums at one time.

    Being younger, I didn’t pay any attention to who did what unless it showed up on TV, since I never listened to the radio then. I was a big fan of the Temptations, but other than seeing the Jackson Five on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1969, that’s all I remember of 60’s soul music… which is a shame, but so be it.

    Reply

    1. Diana Ross and the Supremes weren’t my taste either, but Ray Charles was awesome! The great thing about the internet is that you can listen to all kinds of old music that you may have missed before. Long live YouTube. 😀 Thanks for coming by, Mitch!

      Reply

  5. Thanks for the trip to the past. I grew up in east Tennessee and heard lots of R & B on the radio. There were lots of songs out of Memphis in the early 60’s like Rufus Thomas & his daughter Carla. I remember loving Isaac Hayes and buying Hot Buttered Soul album. I went to college in Nashville and of course lots records were recorded there. Thank you!

    Reply

    1. Hi Carol, it sounds like you are a huge fan. 🙂 No wonder, since you were right in the area! ? I didn’t remember Rufus and Carla, but this sounds familiar:

      Reply

  11. I certainly like some of that sweet soul music. I miss hearing this type of music on the radio. It still amazes me that “top 40” stations of the 1960’s played such a variety of music. And, my husband and I were discussing “Fingertips” just the other day. Husband knew the music but never knew the name of the song. As for me, I think I’ve only heard “Part 1” a couple of time in my life. So much here; I’ll have to come back a few more times to listen to even more.

    Reply

  13. Hokey smoke, Debbie, you sure do have the tunes! This makes me giddy, really seriously giddy. I love long playlists and you have multiple ones for me to enjoy. This is gonna take time but I’ll get through them. I’m going to just let them play in the background while I’m busy doing other things. 🙂 Feel free to join the 4M dance party, whenever you have music to share, we want to boogie with you! 😉 Have a great day, dear friend!

    Reply

  14. Some excellent choices, and great list compilations, Debbie. Many thanks for mentioning me, and for creating my personal list too. Good to see Etta James mentioned, such a voice. In Britain, we also had a sub-genre called ‘Northern Soul’. These were American records that were not mainstream, chosen by young soul fans who lived in the north of England. And those fans are still legion today, even in their late sixties.
    This is a classic example, the great Darrell Banks.

    Best wishes, Pete.

    Reply