Who Is Responsible for the Birth of Soul Music?

Many people believe that soul music was born in the African-American community in the early 1960s. However, the genre actually has its roots in a number of different musical styles, including gospel, R&B, and jazz.

Motown

Berry Gordy

Berry Gordy is an African American record producer who created Motown Records in 1960. The label became home to many popular soul and R&B artists, such as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas, Diana Ross and the Supremes, and the Temptations. Gordy oversaw the careers of these artists, creating hit songs and producing stage shows that helped to shape the sound of soul music. Motown became one of the most successful record labels of its time, and its influence can still be heard in popular music today.

The Supremes

The Supremes were an American female singing group and the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. The group achieved worldwide success with their string of number-one hit singles including “Where Did Our Love Go”, “Baby Love”, and “Come See About Me”. At their height in the mid-1960s, the Supremes rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity, and their success made it possible for future African American R&B and soul artists to find mainstream success.

The group was originally known as The Primettes when they were signed to Motown’s Tamla label in 1961. They became The Supremes when they switched to Motown’s marquee label, Motown Records, in early 1962. Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard, and Betty McGlown preceded The Supremes as the reigning queens of Motown during the late 1950s and early 1960s. As Peggy Gordy (Berry Gordy’s sister) put it, “they started a revolution that changed music forever.”

Stax Records

Stax Records was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton in Memphis, Tennessee. It was originally a small independent label, but it soon became one of the most important and influential record labels in the history of soul music. Stax is responsible for the birth of soul music and the careers of some of the most iconic soul musicians of all time, including Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, and Booker T. & the M.G.’s.

Isaac Hayes

Isaac Hayes was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served as a house composer, producer, and artist. As a member of the Isaac Hayes Movement, he recorded several successful albums for the label before leaving in 1971 to pursue a solo career. Hayes scored several hit singles, including the theme song for the film Shaft (1971), and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song. He returned to Stax in the mid-1970s and continued to record well-received albums before his death in 2008.

Otis Redding

Otis Redding is largely responsible for the birth of soul music. He was signed to Stax Records in 1962, and his debut album, “Pain in My Heart,” was released that same year. From there, Redding went on to release a string of hit singles, including “Respect,” “Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay,” and “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay.” His untimely death in 1967 at the age of 26 cut short a promising career, but Redding left behind a rich legacy that has influenced generations of musicians.

Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records is an American record label that was founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. It is headquartered in New York City. Atlantic has released recordings by artists from a wide range of genres, including rock, pop, R&B, jazz, and country.

Ahmet Ertegun

Ahmet Ertegun was a Turkish-American music executive and producer who was one of the co-founders of Atlantic Records. He is credited with helping to launch the careers of some of the biggest names in soul music, including Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, and Wilson Pickett. Ertegun also played a major role in the development of jazz, rock, and R&B. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987.

Wilson Pickett

Wilson Pickett was an African American singer and songwriter who helped shape the sound and style of rhythm and blues and soul music in the 1960s. He is best known for his string of hits including “In the Midnight Hour” (1965), “Mustang Sally” (1966), and “Funky Broadway” (1967).

Born in Prattville, Alabama, in 1941, Wilson Pickett began his musical career singing in church choirs. He later joined a local rhythm and blues group called the Falcons, with whom he recorded his first hit single, “I Found a Love,” in 1962. The following year, Pickett embarked on a solo career, signing with Atlantic Records.

At Atlantic, Pickett found musical and creative freedom to develop his own unique style of soul music. His records were characterized by their raw energy, impassioned vocals, and hard-driving beat. Through hits like “In the Midnight Hour,” “634-5789 (Soulsville U.S.A.),” and “Land of 1,000 Dances,” Pickett became one of the most popular soul performers of the 1960s. He continued to record and tour throughout his career, releasing more than 20 albums before his death in 2006.

Other important figures

Though Isaac Hayes is widely credited with the birth of soul music, he was not working in a vacuum. A number of other important figures were also integral to the development of the genre, including James Brown, Smokey Robinson, and Barry Gordy. Each of these artists brought something unique to the table, and together they created a sound that would change the course of popular music.

James Brown

The musician James Brown is often cited as the one who gave birth to soul music with his hit song “Please, Please, Please” in 1956. From there, he went on to have a hugely successful career as a soul and funk singer, and was a major influence on later musicians in both genres.

Ray Charles

Ray Charles (born Ray Charles Robinson; September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called “Brother Ray”. He was often referred to as “The Genius”. Charles started losing his vision at the age of 5. By 7 he was completely blind. Despite his vision loss, Charles learned to play piano, trumpet, saxophone, and drums and could soon recognize chords by ear. His mother died when he was 10 years old, which caused immense trauma for the young boy. Around this time he began listening to rhythm and blues music on the radio and developed a love for it.