I have heard about Soul music and how it came from African-American artists, but I wanted to learn more about it. In this blog will be writing about soul music and its characteristics, what Ray Charles has done for soul music and all his awards over the years, and the performance style of soul music.
Soul music combines rhythm and blues, urban blues, Motown, smooth jazz, and gospel music. Ray Charles was the first person to perform soul music. He was known as The Genius and contributed to the founding of soul music. It became popular because of its distinctive style in the 1960s and became even more popular in the 1970s. During the 1960s Civil Rights movement Black college students started to reject the nonviolent and integrationist approach from the civil rights leaders. Their activism started a political movement and Black people started to assign social and cultural meanings which is described as "soul". This term started to become associated with Black Cultural productions like music, dance, natural hairstyles, and many more. Soul music roots started in gospel music and broader Black church culture, soul music can capture the spirit, emotions, and chaos of the 1960s civil unrest. '
Ray Charles had a big influence on soul music. Here is some of his background: In 1949 he recorded his first single called, "Confession Blues" which he recorded with the McSon Trio. But before going solo he toured with guitarist Lowell Fulson. Some of his background is that he spent 8 years at the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind which is where he discovered and developed his music skills and when he was there he was known as the most talented musician at the school. The school taught him how to play the piano, saxophone, organ, trumpet, and clarinet. In the Ray Charles - In the 1940s article it says, "Between the years 1949 and 1963, he recorded 15 LPs and literally countless singles, spanning musical genres and charting new stylistic territories; his singles topped the charts in both the U.S. and abroad, selling millions of copies and laying the foundation for his legendary career...". In the 1950s when he signed with Atlantic Records he came out with "I've Got a Woman" which became his first his to crossover nationally. In 1959, he signed with ABC-Paramount and during that time was the first major recording artist to release a Billboard Top 10 Pop Chart Hit. People said that he saved the Wurlitzer Electric Piano from extinction because he made it "cool" for other artists and bands to use it. In the 1960s he received multiple GRAMMY nominations like Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track Male and Best Performance by a Pop/Rock/Contemporary Single Artist which were both for his single "Georgia On My Mind". In 1970, he received many awards like "The Golden Plate Award" which was presented to him in 1975 by the American Academy of Achievement and he was named to the Academy's Board of Directors. He also performed his song, "America The Beautiful" to President Richard Nixon at the White House. In 1981 during ABC-TV's 20/20 he was awarded two Emmys and during the same year, he received a Star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. In 1983 he was the recipient of the Hall of Fame Award at the NAACP's Image Awards. During that same year, he was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Country Vocal Performance (Male) for his single "Born to Love Me" which means in 1975 he won a total of 10 GRAMMY Awards. In 1988 he was nominated for an Emmy by the Academy of Television Arts and Science for his performance on the TV special honoring Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday. In 1989 his single "Ellie My Love" hit number 1 which was recorded for exclusive release in Japan and he also received the "Japanese Award" which is equivalent to a triple-platinum recording in the U.S.. In 1992 he was honored by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as the 1992 Black History Month Honoree. 1995 marked Ray Charles' 50th show business anniversary and 1994 marked the 35th anniversary of Ray Charles' association with Joe Adams, who had been his manager since 1959. In 1999 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Wilberforce University and he appeared in 4 episodes of the sitcom The Nanny as Sammy. He also received a GRAMMY for Best Historical Album Ray Charles: The Complete Country & Western Recordings. In 2001 he received the "Trumpet Award" on behalf of Turner Broadcasting Systems. In 2003 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Dillard University and he performed at the 89th Annual White House Correspondents Dinner. In 2007 he was honored by Cedars-Sinai Medical Center when they re-named the Center "The Ray Charles Cafeteria". Even after he passed they were still honoring him like in the 2016 Smithsonian Salutes Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House the tribute celebrated the iconic Ray Charles with performances by Usher, Demi Lovato, and many others.
His Biggest Hits
Hit the Road Jack on Saturday Night Live 1996
The sound of soul music encompasses many different vocal styles and timbres. Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions had more of a lyrical and tempered style while Al Green had the gospel-folk style of the Staple Singers. When people would perform soul music people would find it very similar to the preaching style and gospel singing heard in African American churches. Most often times the singing was improvised and intensified the performance by repeating words and phrases and punctuating with grunts, shouts, and moans. While singing the instrumentalists would imitate the vocal sounds that the timbres would often alternate between like, lyrical, and percussive, shifting from high to low pitches, and incorporating bends, slides, and melisma. They would imitate it by using technological devices like using guitar wah-wah pedals and keyboard synthesizers to make their instruments "talk". Most performers promote the ideology of Black Power through their lyrics, which advocate national Black unity, activism, and self-pride.
All Green Soul Music
Curtis Mayfield Soul Music
Work Cited:
Class, Master. “Soul Music Guide: History and Sounds of Soul Music - 2023.” MasterClass, 2021, www.masterclass.com/articles/soul-music-guide.
I asked ChatGPT for an outline of what I should write about
Maultsby, Dr. Portia K. “History of Soul Music.” Timeline of African American Music, 2023, timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/soul.
Foundation, Ray Charles. “Ray Charles - In the 1940s.” Ray Charles, 14 Sept. 2022, raycharles.com/legacy/1940s/#:~:text=In%201949,Lowell%20Fulson%20before%20going%20solo.
Hirsh, Marc. “Ray Charles: ‘Georgia’ at a Glacial Pace.” NPR, NPR, 2 Sept. 2011, www.npr.org/2011/09/02/140143464/ray-charles-georgia-at-a-glacial-pace.
“The Story of Ray Charles: Blog.” IBVI, 30 Sept. 2020, ibvi.org/blog/the-story-of-ray-charles/#:~:text=During%20the%20eight%20years%20he,%2C%20organ%2C%20trumpet%20and%20clarinet.
Şen, Ertuğrul. “Soul(Ful) Music - Pio Gastro Bar & Bistro: Latin Street Foods.” PIO Gastro Bar & Bistro | Latin Street Foods, 3 Sept. 2018, piogastrobistro.com/knowhow/soulful-music/?lang=en.
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