Music soul youtube is an influential form of rhythm and blues that combines gospel, jazz and R&B elements into its soundscape. This style often explores themes related to struggle, desire or romance while placing strong emphasis on dancing and body movement.
Ray Charles is often regarded as the father of soul music, having popularized it with his hits in the 1950s. He utilized elements from gospel music, jazz and rhythm and blues in order to craft his unique signature style.
Origins
Soul music’s roots lie deep within African American culture and experience. Originating in America during the 1950s from rhythm and blues (R&B) and gospel music, its themes of direct emotional delivery, ethnic pride and appreciation of its artistic roots remain present today in popular genres like disco, funk and hip hop music.
Clyde McPhatter, Hank Ballard, and Etta James were pioneers of early soul music. These pioneers studied with gospel groups before merging blues tropes with secular lyrics to form what would later become soul music. Ray Charles is widely considered the father of soul music; his unique combination of R&B, blues, and jazz helped drive its mainstream popularity through hits such as I Got a Woman and It’s All About the Bass.
By the late 1960s, soul music had come to dominate black music charts in both America and Europe, setting the foundation for genres such as disco, funk, hip hop and modern R&B as well as rock and roll; artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin played integral roles in its development.
In the 1970s, white music artists began embracing soul music and its core values of equality and diversity, leading to a subgenre known as blue-eyed soul: R&B/soul performed by white singers that emulated Motown Records or Stax Records’ R&B/soul releases from Memphis Tennessee; famous examples include Righteous Brothers, Rascals and Van Morrison & Them as some of its early proponents.
As early as the mid-1980s, soul was beginning to lose popularity as other genres like funk and hip hop became more prominent. Yet its legacy lives on in popular artists like Mary J. Blige, Anthony Hamilton, Joss Stone and Raphael Saadiq; its rhythmic grooves and upbeat messages continue to influence pop, dance, funk and storytelling genres alike – often used to tell cultural tales of struggle and triumph.
Subgenres
There are various subgenres of soul music. Perhaps one of the most well-known is R&B, which became increasingly prominent throughout the 1960s and has continued since. R&B encompasses numerous musical styles ranging from jazz to rock and funk; traditional Irish and Celtic folk music as well as country/western.
Pop is another subgenre of soul music. This subgenre blends elements of R&B and rock, with catchy melodies and vocal harmony being its trademarks. Pop songs often take on romantic themes and have become immensely popular worldwide, giving rise to artists such as Britney Spears and One Direction who have found great success through it.
Funk, gospel and quiet storm are other genres of soul music. Gospel soul is an amalgamation of gospel music with rhythm and blues; its lyrics often address spiritual or inspirational topics; it is typically performed by African-American musicians. Gospel soul originated during the 1950s due to artists like Ray Charles and Little Richard having an impactful presence within its composition.
Funk is a less commonly heard form of soul music, developed during the late 1960s and early 1970s. This subgenre combines elements from rock, dance, R&B and jazz music; jazz being its source, while rhythm and blues playing an influence role; it features heavy drumming as well as bass instrument accompaniment.
Other forms of soul music include Philadelphia soul and Memphis soul. Philadelpia-created by Philadelphia International label, Philadelphia soul is distinguished by lush string and horn arrangements resembling doo-wop music reminiscent of doo-wop, inspiring artists such as Patti LaBelle, the O’Jays, the Intruders, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes to make doo-wop recordings themselves. Memphis soul on the other hand features driving R&B rhythms with funky brass riffs for an energetic soundscape.
Reggae music became widely popular due to Bob Marley and is one of the more distinctive soul musical genres today. Reggae blends traditional Jamaican folk music with American rock and jazz styles; its deep connection with Rastafarianism religion makes this musical genre particularly groovy with catchy beats and memorable melodies making for an engaging listening experience.
Influences
Soul music is an eclectic musical genre rooted in African-American culture that encompasses gospel, blues, jazz and beyond. Soul’s expressive style conveys equality, desire and hope and has had an enormous influence worldwide on artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and EW&F; its influence can even be found in popular electronic genres like house, drum n bass and UK garage music.
Soul music emerged during the 1950s through a combination of rhythm, blues and jazz performed by black artists. Soul was inspired by both gospel’s spirituality and blues’s improvisational spirit; as more soul groups such as The Temptations and Four Tops rose in popularity so did soul’s popularity. Other influential musicians who contributed to its development included Clyde McPhatter and Hank Ballard along with composers/producers/arrangers like Allen Toussaint.
In the 1970s, soul developed into funk music, featuring more rhythmic dance elements as well as vocal ad-libbing and improvisation, to produce an approachable style emphasizing movement and spontaneity. Funk eventually gave way to quiet storm soul – an unassuming version that took inspiration from fusion music as well as adult contemporary styles popularized by artists such as Smokey Robinson and Chaka Khan.
Neo Soul music emerged as a distinct genre in 1994, mixing 1970s soul vocals and instrumentation with contemporary R&B, hip hop beats, poetic interludes, Fender Rhodes piano “pads”, Wurlitzer electric piano pads over mellow bass grooves with rim shot snare drum sounds; notable artists include Lauryn Hill and John Legend as masters of this form of expression.
Sam Cooke was widely recognized as one of the forefathers of soul by the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. Through his hit songs, he introduced audiences to soul music for the first time. Other legendary musicians from this period such as Ray Charles, Little Richard, and James Brown contributed unique qualities that cemented their position as pioneers within this genre and made them formidable forces within it.
Musicians
Soul music’s variety of styles have inspired artists around the globe. Funk artists like the 5 Royales and Ray Charles to contemporary R&B singers Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston – among many other greats – have all drawn inspiration from soul’s universal appeal. No matter what generation you belong to or whether you need something upbeat to dance to or something soothing for your soul there is sure to be a soul artist out there for everyone.
Deep and Memphis soul emerged during the 1960s. Deep soul is an engaging form that blends R&B energy with gospel music sounds from southern United States gospel music traditions, nurtured mainly by Stax Records’ Memphis branch in Tennessee; vocals were put further back in the mix while vibrant horn parts and emphasis on low frequencies were featured; famous deep soul musicians include Booker T & the MG’s as well as Mar-Keys Horn Section.
Contrast that with contemporary R&B, which is an elegant blend of contemporary R&B with spiritual soul themes. Popular artists in this genre included Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige who combined its elements with urban beats and hip hop music. Neo soul music began surfacing during the 90s; this genre combined elements from 1970s soul style vocals with contemporary production techniques and hip hop beats to produce more sophisticated adult contemporary sounds that included Peabo Bryson, Alicia Keys, Michael Kiwanuka.
As the genre developed, various subgenres emerged. Philadelphia soul, for example, can be defined by lush string and horn arrangements and doo-wop vocals reminiscent of doo-wop music; its founders included Thom Bell, Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff; its popularity was achieved through artists such as Patti LaBelle of O’Jays fame; Kenneth Gamble from Gamble-Holler Productions’ Three Degrees project and Intruders group like Delfonics Intruders Intruders or Delfonics.
Me’Shell NdegeOcello, Maxwell and D’Angelo are among the current wave of soul musicians to showcase neo soul. Some have even integrated other genres into their songs like jazz and hip hop into what has been coined “hypersoul,” an evolving musical form which maintains soul music’s vocal quality while adding contemporary themes and lyrics.