Arthur Conley – The Sweet Soul Music Legend

Arthur Conley was an American R&B singer best known for the 1967 hit “Sweet Soul Music”. Conley was born in Georgia and moved to Boston as a child. He began singing as a gospel singer in the church choir. After moving to Atlanta, he joined the R&B group The Tams and had some success with the song “I Go Crazy”. Conley’s biggest hit came with “Sweet Soul Music”, which reached number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was

Introduction

Arthur Conley was an American R&B singer best known for the 1967 hit “Sweet Soul Music”. Conley was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and grew up in its Westside. When he was ten years old, he joined the choir of his local church, Vineville Baptist Church. After winning a singing contest sponsored by radio station WIGO, he began to develop a fan base. He sang often on weekend talent shows broadcast on WIGO and other radio stations in the area. In 1962, while still in high school, he recorded “If I Could Help Somebody” for an album called Songs of Faith & Inspiration, produced by R&B singer Gloria Lynn.

Early Life and Career

Arthur Conley was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946. He started singing gospel music as a child, and by his teens he was performing with the legendary gospel group The Soul Stirrers. In the early 1960s, Conley switched from gospel to secular R&B music. He recorded several hits for the label, including “Sweet Soul Music” and “Funky Street.” Conley also toured with Otis Redding and appeared in the concert film “The Kids Are Alright.” In the 1970s, Conley’s career began to decline, but he continued to perform and record until his death in 2003.

Rise to Fame

Arthur Conley’s career in the music industry began when he moved to Atlanta in the early 1960s. There, he met Otis Redding, who was impressed by Conley’s singing and decided to sign him to his record label, Jotis Records. Redding produced Conley’s first single, “Pride and Joy”, which was a moderate hit. In 1967, Conley had his breakthrough hit with “Sweet Soul Music”. The song reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned Conley a Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Recording. “Sweet Soul Music” established Conley as a successful soul artist and helped to launch him into a successful career in music.

Later Years and Death

In the early 1970s, Conley’s career began to wane. Atlantic Records lost interest in him, and he was unable to find success with other labels. His last charting single was “Who’s Fooling Who” in 1973. He continued to tour and perform throughout the 1970s and 1980s, mostly in Europe.

Conley died of cancer on November 17, 2003, at his home in Schnectady, New York. He was posthumously inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

Legacy

Arthur Conley was an R&B singer who had a string of hits in the 1960s, including the classic “Sweet Soul Music.” Though he never reached the same level of stardom as Otis Redding, with whom he collaborated on “Sweet Soul Music,” Conley was a major figure in the development of Southern soul music. His recordings for Atlantic Records helped to define the genre and influenced countless other artists. After his commercial peak in the late 1960s, Conley continued to record and perform for many years, although he never again achieved the same level of success. In recent years, his work has been widely anthologized and reappraised by critics, and he is now widely considered one of the most important soul singers of his generation.