The Brothers of Soul Music

Check out the top soul music hits from The Brothers of Soul Music.

The Funk Brothers

The Funk Brothers were a group of Motown session musicians who performed on the majority of the label’s hits from 1959 to 1972. The group was made up of some of the most talented and skilled musicians in the country. They were also responsible for creating the distinct sound of Motown.

The Funk Brothers’ history

The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based musicians who performed the backing tracks for many Motown Records hits from 1959 to 1972. The majority of these musicians were African-American, and they developed a close working relationship with the label’s in-house producer, songwriter and arranger Holland-Dozier-Holland.

The Funk Brothers’ history began in the late 1950s, when they were brought together by Motown producer Berry Gordy Jr. to play on the label’s first hit record, “Money” by Barrett Strong. The group continued to work on a number of Motown hits over the next few years, including “Please Mr. Postman” by the Marvelettes and “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles.

In 1962, the Funk Brothers added James Jamerson on bass and Bob Babbitt on drums, solidifying their lineup for the next decade. With this lineup in place, they went on to play on numerous Motown hits from the 1960s, including “My Girl” by the Temptations and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” by Marvin Gaye. The group remained relatively unknown to the general public during their years with Motown; however, they did gain some exposure through their work on filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary film about the making of Gaye’s album What’s Going On (1971).

The Funk Brothers’ final recording with Motown was Stevie Wonder’s hit single “Superstition” in 1972; they parted ways with the label shortly thereafter. The group continued to perform and record sporadically over the next few decades; however, it was not until producer Paul Justman’s documentary Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) that they began to receive widespread recognition for their contributions to popular music.

The Funk Brothers’ influence on Motown

The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing tracks for most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972.

While the vocalists and songwriters at Motown Records were household names, the Funk Brothers were largely unknown to the general public. In 2002, however, that all changed with the release of Standing in the Shadows of Motown, a documentary film that told their story and brought them long overdue recognition.

The Funk Brothers were recruited by Motown founder Berry Gordy from local jazz and R&B bands. They quickly developed a signature sound that was an essential ingredient of the Motown “sound”.

The group was led by bassist James Jamerson, who is widely considered to be one of the greatest bass players in rock history. Other members included keyboardists Earl Van Dyke and Joe Hunter, guitarist Robert White, drummer Richard “Pistol” Allen, and percussionist Jack Ashford.

Over the years, these musicians performed on hundreds of hit records by artists such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Temptations, and many others.

Although they were not always credited on the records themselves, the Funk Brothers’ contributions to Motown’s success cannot be overestimated. As producer/songwriter Lamont Dozier said in Standing in the Shadows of Motown: “Without them, there would be no Motown”.

The Isley Brothers

The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that started as a gospel group but found fame with their R&B and soul songs. The group has been a force in the music industry for over six decades. The brothers have had numerous hits, including “Shout,” “Twist and Shout,” and “It’s Your Thing.”

The Isley Brothers’ history

The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that started as a family band in 1954. The group has had five No. 1 hit singles on the Billboard Hot 100, and 16 Top 10 hits on the pop chart. They have also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, and the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The original members were brothers O’Kelly Isley Jr. (born 1935), Rudolph Isley (born 1939) and Ronald Isley (born 1941). The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2013, the group received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy.

The Isley Brothers’ influence on R&B and Soul

The Isley Brothers are an American musical group originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, that started as a gospel group but found success as a soul and R&B band. The group has been cited as having influenced numerous bands and artists in different genres, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder.

The Isley Brothers began their careers singing gospel music in the late 1940s. In 1953, they released their first single, “Nobody But Me”, which was a minor hit. The following year, they released their first album, “Rock & Roll Wedding”.

In 1959, the group released their second album, “The Isley Brothers Came to Town”, which contained the song “Shout”. “Shout” became a major hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #47 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has since been covered by numerous artists in different genres.

The Isley Brothers continued to have success in the 1960s and 1970s with songs like “It’s Your Thing” and “That Lady”. They also experimented with different genres of music, including funk and disco. In recent years, the group has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 was an American pop band composed of five brothers from Gary, Indiana: Tito, Jermaine, Jackie, Marlon, and Michael. The group was founded in 1964, and they began performing in 1965. The brothers were signed to Motown’s record label in 1968 and released their first album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5, that year. The band’s first four singles, “I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”, all reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The Jackson 5’s history

The Jackson 5 (stylized as the Jacksons in their later years) were an American pop band composed of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They were among the first black American performers to attain a crossover following, preceded by the Supremes, the Four Tops and the Temptations. Called “The First Family of Soul” and “The Kings of Pop”,[1][2] they were noted for their youthful appeal, catchy tunes, choreography and success in the African-American market.[3]

The Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of their era.[4] The quintet’s first four singles (I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, I’ll Be There), released between 1969 and 1970,[5] are some of the best-selling singles ever by a pop group.[6][7] Through stage performances and television appearances on programs such as Soul Train and American Bandstand,[8] they reached a broad audience with their music. The band’s 1971 debut album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (later reissued as an expanded edition entitled The Ultimate Collection in 2009) peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.[9] The group’s next three albums – Maybe Tomorrow (1971), Goin’ Back to Indiana (1971) and Lookin’ Through the Windows (1972) – all peaked within the top six on both charts.[10][11] Their fourth studio album, 1976’s joyous Coming of Age yielded another chart-topper for lead singer Michael Jackson with its title track.

The Jackson 5’s influence on Pop and Soul

The Jackson 5 (stylized as the Jackson 5ive), later known as the Jacksons, was an American pop band composed of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. The group was founded in 1963 by father Joseph Jackson and debuted on the professional music scene in 1968, signing a record deal with Motown Records after winning a local talent show. They achieved success with their first four singles (“I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”), all of which peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart within a period of 16 months.

The Jackson 5’s widespread appeal led to TV bookings, including several high-profile appearances on popular variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Hollywood Palace, as well as their own ABC sitcom, The Jacksons. With Michael as the lead singer, they left Motown for Epic Records in 1975 and continued to produce hits throughout the 1970s and early 1980s with such albums as Destiny (1978) and Triumph (1980). After Jermaine departed from the group in 1984 to pursue a solo career,Michael became the group’s undisputed lead singer and began crafting synth-pop/R&B fusion albums such as Bad (1987).

Michael subsequently launched a highly successful solo career that included album releases Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982),Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991) and HIStory (1995). The brothers reunited in 2001 for the Motown 45th Anniversary TV special—titled Jackson 5: An American Dream—and again in 2012 for their first tour since 1984. In 2009–2010,they performed over 50 concert dates during what was billed as The Victory Tour. The brothers have sold an estimated 100 million records worldwide both as solo artists and with the Jackson 5. They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.