King Soul Music: The Sound of Black America

King Soul Music is a site dedicated to the exploration of the music of black America. From the early days of jazz and blues to the rise of hip hop and R&B, we covers the sounds that have shaped a nation.

King Soul: The Sound of Black America

King Soul is a style of music that is rooted in the African-American experience. The sound is a mixture of blues, jazz, and gospel, and it has influenced many other genres of music. The lyrics of King Soul songs often deal with themes of love, loss, and struggling to make it in a hostile world. If you’re looking for something new to listen to, you should definitely check out King Soul.

Origins of King Soul

The term “King Soul” was coined by writer/producer/director Nelson George in his 1993 book The death of Rhythm and Blues. It references the 1966 album release by James Brown and the Famous Flames, It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World. The title track was co-written by Betty Jean Newsome. Newsome claims that she wrote the song after a conversation with Brown where he told her that “Man made the car to take us over the road… Man made the train to carry heavy loads… Man made electric light to take us out of the dark…” and so on. Newsome says that after listening to Brown list all of man’s accomplishments, she asked him, “But what about love?” In response, Brown allegedly said, “Yeah, yeah, that too, man makes that too.” Touched by his words, Newsome went home and wrote the song’s famous opening line: “This is a man’s world.”

While it is certainly true that James Brown was one of the originators of King Soul music, the genre did not truly come into its own until the early 1970s with the release of two game-changing albums: Sly and The Family Stone’s There’s A Riot Goin’ On (1971) and Curtis Mayfield’s Super Fly (1972). These two albums combined elements of Funk, R&B, and Psychedelia to create a new sound that would come to dominate Black popular music for the rest of the decade.

The Sound of King Soul

The Sound of Black America can be heard in the music of King Soul. It is a rhythm and blues sound that is heavily influenced by the blues. King Soul’s music has a feeling of sadness and loss, but it also has an uplifting and celebratory quality. The sound of Black America is also present in the lyrics of King Soul’s songs. The lyrics often deal with topics such as love, loss, and struggle.

The Legacy of King Soul

The music of King Soul was a transformative force in the culture of Black America. It brought together elements of gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, and jazz to create a sound that was both deeply organic and spiritually uplifting. The lyrics were often political and highly charged, but they also celebrated the joys and beauty of everyday life. This music spoke directly to the experience of Black Americans, and it continues to resonate powerfully today.

King Soul was not just a band or a style of music; it was a movement. It gave voice to the hopes and dreams of a people who had long been denied their rightful place in society. And it inspired generations of musicians to create their own unique styles of music.

The legacy of King Soul is alive and well in the 21st century. The sound of Black America continues to evolve and grow, but its roots can be traced back to the music of King Soul.