Overview
The role of African American musicians in rock and roll had changed drastically by the 1960s. Black musicians were largely relegated to roles where they took direction from major record labels, record producers, or television show producers. As rock music included more and more white performers and listeners, many African American musicians and listeners began seeking out new modes of musical expression, which came to fruition in a new genre of music that would be called soul. Soul music came in many different variations, such as sweet soul, the Motown style, and southern soul.
Objectives
- Examine the roots of soul music and the cultural and economic factors that led to its creation
- Identify several prominent artists from the genre of soul music including Sam Cooke, the Supremes, the Temptations, and Aretha Franklin
- Identify several record labels that were critical to the development of soul music, including Motown, Atlantic, and Stax
Atlantic and Stax continued
In the 1960s, soul music replaced rhythm and blues as the defining genre of African American popular music. However, producers such as Motown’s Berry Gordy created soul music that was intended to appeal to whites and to achieve crossover success. Motown followed the Brill Building model and released dozens of hits in the 1960s, and Gordy carefully controlled every element of his performers’ presentation in order to craft a classy, cultivated image for Motown. Atlantic Records produced the Southern soul style, which some white listeners considered more "authentic" because it drew heavily on gospel music. Under the leadership of Jerry Wexler, Atlantic made stars out of musicians such as Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin.
