soul music
genresSOHL
An African American genre combining gospel vocal intensity with rhythm and blues grooves.
Soul music emerged in the late 1950s and 1960s from the fusion of gospel singing with R&B rhythms. Gospel's passionate, emotionally intense vocal delivery — melisma, call and response, improvisation — was applied to secular themes of love, heartbreak, and social consciousness. Key artists include Ray Charles (who pioneered the fusion), Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Stevie Wonder. Motown Records and Stax Records represented two distinct soul styles: Motown's polished pop-soul and Stax's rawer, grittier Southern soul. The rhythm section — drums, bass guitar, guitar, and keyboard — provides tight, groove-driven accompaniment. Brass and strings often add lush orchestral colour. Soul's influence pervades modern R&B, funk, hip-hop, and pop music, and its vocal techniques remain the foundation of popular singing worldwide.
Aretha Franklin's voice was declared a "natural resource" by the state of Michigan in 1985.