History Main / Soul

** 2022 - ''Music/{{Renaissance|2022}}''

* Music/LittleRichard: Actually signed to a record company who wanted to market him as a rival to Ray Charles. Although he's best known as one of the first and best rock stars of the fifties, his energetic vocal performances and gospel-singing background were very influential on subsequent performers; notably, he was Otis Redding's favourite singer.

Britain is strongly associated with the mod-oriented 'Northern Soul' scene of the 1960s and early 1970s, which grew out of the dance clubs in [[OopNorth northern towns]] like Manchester, Wigan and Blackpool and was sustained by [=DJs=] who specialized in tracking down extremely rare soul tracks from obscure labels which had never quite gained mainstream popularity. Many British pop stars who kicked off their careers at the onset of the 1980s, including Music/ElvisCostello, Music/{{Madness}}, Music/TheSpecials, Music/DexysMidnightRunners (whose name was inspired by an amphetamine popular among northern soul fans, which gave its users the energy to dance all night) and many, many more were active participants in or admirers of the northern soul movement. Pete Waterman, later famously one third of the Stock-Aitken-Waterman production team (the "Hit Factory") whose Hi-NRG and synthpop productions provided the sound of British pop music in the late 1980s and early 1990s, began his musical career as one of the top northern soul [=DJs=] (alongside fellow Hi-NRG producer/songwriter Ian Levine -- later known, bizarrely, as a significant figure in ''Franchise/DoctorWho'' fandom) in the 1970s.

* Music/{{HER}}

** ''Music/TheMiseducationOfLaurynHill'' (1998)
* Music/JenniferHudson

** ''Music/{{Nightbirds}}'' (1974)

** ''Music/InterpretationsTheBritishRockSongbook'' (2010)

->'''''What is soul?!'''\\
Man, I don't know!\\
(heh heh) Soul is the ring around your bathtub''
-->-- '''[[Music/GeorgeClinton Funkadelic]]''', "What Is Soul?"

Soul or soul-styled music performed by white artists is generally called "blue-eyed soul". The British are the most likely to try a soul-influenced sound: Music/DavidBowie broke into the American market after he switched from glam rock to soul (with the NewSoundAlbum ''Young Americans'', recorded in Philadelphia), and two of the biggest soul acts since 2000 are Music/AmyWinehouse and Music/{{Adele}}, both as English as they come. The term "plastic soul" is used pejoratively to describe soul-styled music that replicates the sound and characteristics of soul music, but without its innate meaning (which prompted Music/TheBeatles to name their next album ''Music/RubberSoul'', 'cos, wouldn't you know it, they were high at the time and thought that was funny).

** Music/{{Beyonce}}
** Music/KellyRowland
** Music/MichelleWilliams
* Music/RayCharles: Credited as one of the inventors of soul, Ray was probably the first artist to fuse rhythm and blues with gospel; many of his early songs, including "This Little Girl Of Mine" and "Hallelujah, I Love Her So", borrowed melodies from gospel songs. His 1954 hit "I Got A Woman" is frequently described as the first soul song.
** ''Music/ModernSoundsInCountryAndWesternMusic'' (1962)
* Music/OtisClay
* Music/GeorgeClinton
** ''Music/MaggotBrain'' (1971) (with Funkadelic)
** ''Music/OneNationUnderAGroove'' (1978) (with Funkadelic)
* Music/SamCooke: Along with Ray, Sam Cooke was one of the inventors of the genre, although his songs probably leaned towards gospel moreso than [=R&B=]. Although he died young, he left a legacy of great recordings which have been widely covered and continue to influence aspiring singers. His landmark recording "A Change Is Gonna Come" (inspired by his hearing Music/BobDylan's "Blowin' In The Wind") is often credited as one of the first really socially conscious soul songs.
* Delaney & Bonnie: A CreatorCouple prominent in the late sixties, the Bramletts were the first white act to release an album at Stax. After ''Home'' tanked, they recorded ''Accept No Substitute'', a country- and rock-influenced followup whose early pressings became subject to a bidding war between Atlantic and Apple. Despite limited commercial success, they were favorites of musicians and tended to attract all-star backing bands. Broke up in 1972, both as a musical act and a couple.
** ''Music/OnTourWithEricClapton'' (1970)
** ''Music/MotelShot'' (1971)