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| SOUL
MUSIC - The Roots of Soul. What does it mean to Garage
and House Music?
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| What
is Soul? Good question. My understanding of it is that
it has more than one descriptive meaning. Previously,
known as Rhythm and Blues, sees Soul music as merely an
extension of Gospel music. Soul opted for profit, and
and improvement of ones self through the music. Where
as Gospel main purposes was geared towards singing for
the Lord and praising him. Wrong? Ah well, lets try something
else.
Dig into the backgrounds
of the present or yester years Soul greats and you will
be more than likely find a connection between themselves
and the church. This seems to apply to the present day
Garage vocalists as well. The gospel influence is strong
here. So all of you who thought it was "sissy"
to sing within a church choir may mnow have missed out
on a multi-million dollar singing contract!
The relationship between
gospel vocalists, and those that made their way for fame
and fortune within the Soul or Secular music world, during
the late 1950's, early 1960's was to say at the very least
"frosty". But as times have
changed. Those prejudices between the 2 camps have largely
disappeared. Allowing artists that from a gospel musical
backroom, to enter the world of Soul and Garage based
music (Ann Nesby, Randy Crawford, Kim English please take
a bow ), whilst still be accepted within the gospel world.
Examples of Gospel music
influence within Soul music can be found using
Candi Stanton's interpretation reworking of a
Country and Western Classic.."Stand by your man"
which was originally done by Tammy Wynnet.
Even better the great Ray Charles who
produced a Soul/Gospel classic with the
track called "I can't stop loving you".
Along with the late, great Sam Cooke, Ray Charles
is probably credited with having been the Spiritual
father of Soul/Rnb music; even though his musical
honing came through the Church also.
He's influence on other great musical idioms such as
James Brown and Bobby Bland is important ot note here.
Mr. Ray. Charles is just as important
as Sam Cooke, who himself inspired artists
such as Otis Redding and others is now part of
Folklore . |
However, Soul music's roots
go back even further than the output of those worthy artists
that I just mentioned. Earlier R&B
artists like Roy Brown, Roy Milton and Louis Jordan
also played their parts in honing this music that influenced
other music's across the board in the process.
Other factors come into
play with regards to Soul music rise. For instances the
factors of whee your based. Regional musical influences
within the Usa. that hekped shape the music that we secreatly
all love. For instances within the City of Memphis,
the city that was the birthplace to W.C. Hardy
( self claimed Father of the Blues ) and also
gave to the world - Elvis Presley, Jerry "
lee" Lewis and Roy Orbison and other Rock n' Roll
artists; also helped the music of Soul gain its
distinctive sound and gut wrench emotive feeling one gets
from listening to great Soul artists around the world.
Memphis, Tennessee,
Usa, Stax Records Label claim to fame with its
evolution of Soul's music direction is an important one.
It's influence in helping Soul music being taken seriosly
during the years of 1960'S and early 1970's is great.
Artists that have appeared under the label during its
most prolific era range from Isaac Hayes, Brooker
T and the Mg's, Otis Redding, Wilson Picket and the Staple
Singers.
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Chicago, known to the world as the
"Windy City", also cannot
be left out of the framework. Known as the "Capital
of the Blues. (South side - Chicago)"
Though other cities within the USA may want to challenge
that claim; and also many are claiming that the City
of Chicago is also home of House music;( and
again other cities may want to challenge that claim.)
Also Chicago other claim to fame has been its ability
in producing Soul music artists that can match any other
city in the world.
Chicago, has always been blessed with
a rich amount of Soul music talent; it also has been
blessed with many recording outlets. Pre World
War 2 saw major record companies such
RCA and Columbia setting up specialist "Race
Records" to be cut by the many Blues artists
within the city. As time progressed other record companies
such as Chess, Mercury and Vee Jay
also made their home base in the city.
For instances, Brunswick
Records, signed Jackie Wilson, and
Mercury Records, signed Brook Benton. These
2 artists alone spurned on many young and talented
Chicagoans to carry on their good work. But
the artists who supercedes them, would have to be Sam
Cooke. Tracks like "Only sixteen",
"You send me" and "Wonderful world"
are proof of his genius. Actually born in Chicago,
Cooke grew up within a period of black music
where Gospel and Secular music where
kept at a distance.
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Cooke's musical training, came from
his involvement in gospel groups. In fact his father
was a Baptist minister. Cooke, decided
on taking a huge gamble with the knowledge that if he
failed with his indulgence into the Soul music
world, the shielded world of Gospel music of the
1950's might never allow him to return back
to the music he had lef
Cooke's skills as a more
prominent songwriter allowed him to become the star
of the Soul music world (*Within his time)
in regards to his close rival Jackie Wilson.
Jackie Wilson,
who's talent was immense didn't forefill his immeasurable
potential. He seem to put more energy onto his
showmanship than into his recordings. Many
people have stated that many of Michael Jackson's
showmanship technique's come from this
man alone. But take nothing way from the man. He could
sing. One my personnel favourites from his catalogue
of songs has got to be the track called "I
get the sweetest (sweetest feeling)".
What a song that is. Just tailor made for somone like
Jackie Wilson.
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| Among the many groups
who were born in the city of Chicago,
and to take this call where the group called the Chi-
Lites. Appearing first on the Vee Jay
label as the Chantuers, before deciding on the
name on which they made their fame and fortune. The Chi-Lites
driven by the falsetto singing of Marshall Thompson
and the great song writing skills of Eugene Record.
The group enjoyed 2 Decades of unbridled
success…Who hasn't heard of - "Have
you seen her, Homely girl, Too good to be forgotten, I
found Sunshine"?
The group had a huge female
following as their songs seemed to talk about being either
in or out of love. But they were able as well to talk
about serious social issues that they wrote and performed
as well on one or more occasions
Other great musical talent
to come from the city of Chicago was via the group called
the Impressions, which included Jerry
Butler and Curtis Mayfield.
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Curtis Mayfield,
went onto pursue a solo career that peak with the album
called Super Fly, a sound track album
to the Film of the same name. The film went on to become
a monster hit, which pushed Curtis
Mayfield into International stardom.
If Marvin Gaye is often
credited as the artist who introduced a new theme to "Soul
Music" artists of the time - which is Social Commentary"
instead of just singing about "Love".Then, Curtis
Mayfield wasn't far behind. He's track called
"Pusher Man" is now being used
in many classrooms within the USA,
as a teaching tool about the dangers of Drug addiction,
and the Drug dealer/s .
The songs tells the listener
how the Modern Drug dealer is looked
upon as a Saint. But written between
the lines of the song, he clearly makes out the dangers
of following this lead. Remember this song was written
nearly 30 years ago!!
Other songs written about
racism of the time and the environment, all put together
with smooth melodic trademark lines, makes him one of
the most revered person in Soul Music. The City
of Chicago can proudly say that they have a Superstar
Soul heros with both Curtis Mayfield, J ackie Wilson and
Sam Cooke. |
Marvin Pentz Gay Jnr., Born
- 2 April 1939, Washington DC, USA, Died - 1 April
1984, Los Angeles, California, USA. However,
the whole world knows him as Marvin Gaye.
Probably the most famous Soul Star of them all, and
yes he was born in the capital - Washington
D.C, Usa. Gaye was named after his father,
a minister in the Apostolic Church.
The spiritual influence of his early years played a
formative role in his musical career, particularly from
the 70s onwards, when his songwriting shifted back and
forth between secular and religious topics. He abandoned
a place in his father's church choir to team up with
Don Covay and Billy Stewart in the
R&B vocal group the Rainbows. In 1957, he
joined the Marquees, who recorded for Chess
Records under the guidance of Bo Diddley.
The following year the group was taken under the wing
of producer and singer Harvey Fuqua,
who used them to re-form his doo-wop outfit the Moonglows.
When Fuqua moved to Detroit in 1960, Gay went
with him: Fuqua soon joined forces with Berry
Gordy at Motown Records, and Gay became a session
drummer and vocalist for the label. In 1961,
he married Gordy's sister, Anna, and was offered
a solo recording contract. Renamed Marvin Gaye, he began
his career as a jazz balladeer, but in 1962 he was persuaded
to record R&B, and notched up his first hit single
with the confident "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow",
a Top 10 R&B hit.This record set the style
for the next three years, as Gaye enjoyed hits with
a series of joyous, dance-flavoured songs that cast
him as a smooth, macho, Don Juan figure. He also continued
to work behind the scenes at Motown, co-writing Martha
And The Vandellas' hit "Dancing In The
Street", and playing drums on several early recordings
by Little Stevie Wonder.
In 1965, Gaye dropped the call-and-response
vocal arrangements of his earlier hits and began to
record in a more sophisticated style. The striking "How
Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" epitomized
his new direction, and it was followed by two successive
R&B number 1 hits, "I'll
Be Doggone" and "Ain't That
Peculiar". His status as Motown's bestselling
male vocalist left him free to pursue more esoteric
avenues on his albums, which in 1965 included a tribute
to the late Nat "King" Cole
and a misguided collection of Broadway standards.
To capitalize on his image
as a ladies' man, Motown teamed Gaye with their leading
female vocalist, Mary Wells, for some
romantic duets. When Wells left Motown in 1964,
Gaye recorded with Kim Weston until 1967,
when she was succeeded by Tammi Terrell. The
Gaye/Terrell partnership represented the apogee
of the soul duet, as their voices blended sensually
on a string of hits written specifically for the duo
by Ashford And Simpson.
Terrell developed a
brain tumour in 1968, and collapsed
onstage in Gaye's arms. Records continued
to be issued under the duo's name, although
Simpson allegedly took Terrell's place on some
recordings. Through the mid-60s, Gaye
allowed his duet recordings to take precedence over
his solo work, but in 1968 he issued the epochal "I
Heard It Through The Grapevine" (written
by Whitfield/Strong), a song originally released
on Motown by Gladys Knight And The Pips, although
Gaye's version had actually been recorded first.
With its tense, ominous rhythm arrangement, and Gaye's
typically fluent and emotional vocal, the record represented
a landmark in Motown's history - not least because it
became the label's biggest-selling record to
date.
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