The description and playlist below are from the weekly radio show (A Brief History Of…) that my friend and I host on
WSUM 91.7fm Madison (the college radio station). We selected songs we felt were either historically important or just representative of each specific topic. Please comment if you feel we missed something or just to give your opinion. Remember, however, that we do this show in an hour (about 50 minutes of music). Track length is a major factor in our decisions (shorter is usually better). Thanks!
A Brief History of…Southern Soul looks at Motown’s socially and emotionally expressive counterpart that emanated from Memphis, Nashville, and Muscle Shoals in the 1960s. The overarching theme of the show is the strong connection of Southern Soul to its roots in earlier African-American music. The first portion of the show describes the primary themes of this more lyrically free form of soul music. It also illustrates the rougher sound of Stax and Muscle Shoals records during the peak period of Southern Soul. The final segment shows that the sound of Southern Soul changed after the loss of a few major artists and the decline of the major record labels, but it also demonstrates that the level of social awareness only deepened; the roots of Southern Soul were still strong.
This show focuses more on the lyrical themes than the Motown show (for reasons that will become apparent). For this reason, most of the songs are from the classic period, with less time given to Southern Soul's specific origins. For those origins, look especially to Ray Charles, James Brown's 50s and early-60s work, and Sam Cooke's rougher sound (usually only heard in front of black audiences, but a bit of which can be heard on tracks like "Bring it on Home to Me" and especially "That's Where It's At"). In any case, here's the playlist for this show:
Early Influences - This Is Horn-Driven Soul:
Turn on Your Love Light by
Bobby "Blue" Bland (1961). Notice how rough the vocals sound – even Bobby "Blue" Bland’s voice is rougher than Berry Gordy would have liked. Plus the topic is more overtly sexual than anything from Motown's first decade.
Stax Records:
Green Onions by
Booker T. & The MG's (1962). Booker T. & the MG's was the house band at Stax Records in Memphis. Booker T. & the MG's were the primary creators of the "Memphis Sound," a horn-driven, groove-based sound, and what people most often remember as Southern Soul. "Green Onions" was recorded basically at a jam session of the house band without any singers. It was released as a single and hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The MG's are the backing band on the next three songs.
Hold on I'm Comin' by
Sam & Dave (1966).
Knock On Wood by
Eddie Floyd (1967). In the late 50s and early 60s, Eddie Floyd led The Falcons, a Detroit-based band made of mostly southern musicians. Wilson Pickett was a brief member of The Falcons in 1960. The two would cross paths again in their more successful solo careers at Stax in the mid-60s.
Civil Rights/Gender Roles:
A Change Is Gonna Come by
Otis Redding (1966). Otis Redding, the most successful and famous singer at Stax, gave this 1964 Sam Cooke cassic full Southern Soul treatment with his raspy emotional voice and a much louder horn section. This song makes clear both Southern Soul's roots and its willingness to tackle tough social issues.
The Dark End Of The Street by
James Carr (1966). "The Dark End of the Street" was the defining song of the "Muscle Shoals Sound," which was more likely to include rock and country influences. The song's lyrics regard a love story about an adulterous affair but can also be seen as commentary on racial division.
When A Man Loves A Woman by
Percy Sledge (1966). "When a Man Loves a Woman" was also recorded at Muscle Shoals and is THE classic soul ballad. Even its lyrics, however, admit that...
"When a man loves a woman / Down deep in his soul / She can bring him such misery / If she plays him for a fool / He's the last one to know / Lovin' eyes can't ever see."
It's A Man's Man's Man's World by
James Brown (1966). No explanation needed - this is a chauvinistic song, although Brown's intentions seem noble.
Do Right Woman, Do Right Man by
Aretha Franklin (1967). In "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," Aretha Fanklin responds directly to James Brown's "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" and even includes a reference to Otis Redding's "Respect" (which she, of course, covered on the very same album as this song). The song tackles gender roles and sex fairly explicitly. Again, no Motown artist in 1966 or 1967 would come remotely close to these themes. Aretha Franklin also recorded most of her work at Muscle Shoals (or at least with Muscle Shoals musicians - even if recorded in New York).
Songs About the Music and Musicians:
I'm sure it's just a coincidence, but it seems that Southern Soul artists loved to write songs about other Southern Soul artists or about what exactly made up a Southern Soul song. Here's a rundown of some of the more famous of these genre-reflective songs:
Sweet Soul Music by
Arthur Conley (1967). "Sweet Soul Music" obviously explains who the best soul singers were in 1967. Conley worked with Otis Redding to rewrite and old Sam Cooke song into "Sweet Soul Music."
Memphis Soul Stew by
King Curtis (1967). Need a recipe for Southern Soul? Here it is.
Tighten Up by
Archie Bell & the Drells (1968). Need another recipe for a good Southern Soul song? Here's one that even has a dance to go with it!
Archie Bell & The Drells was a Southern Soul band from Houston, Texas, but soon left the south to record with Gamble and Huff at emerging Philadelphia International Records.
Tramp by
Otis Redding & Carla Thomas (1968). We know what a Southern Soul song is, but what's a Southern Soul artist like? This song with tell you...
Southern Soul’s New Sounds (But Similar Themes):
Otis Redding's death in late 1967 (actually, the plane carrying Redding and four members of his backing band crashed into Lake Manona right here in Madison) in addition to a bad record deal with Atlantic, basically killed Stax records after 1968. Furthermore, soul's sound was changing. Motown's artists were finally expanding musically and lyrically and the psychedelic era created artists like Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone. Southern Soul's sound changed, too:
We'll Get Over by
The Staple Singers (1970). Originally a gospel group, The Staple Singers recorded with both Booker T. & the MG's and the Muscle Shoals musicians in the late 60s and into the 70s.
Soulsville by
Isaac Hayes (1971). Hayes had been a songwriter at Stax since the early 60s (he co-wrote "Soul Man" and "Hold On I'm Comin" by Sam & Dave). The turmoil at Stax gave him an opening to record his own material. His albums from the late 60s are classics and would have been used here except that their tracks are mostly long semi-improvised blues workouts (10 or 12 minutes - too long for the radio show). Nonethelss, "Soulsville" illustrates the same sound in a shorter format and also shows that social concerns remained prominent in this new Southern Soul.
Tired Of Being Alone by
Al Green (1971). Al Green recorded at Hi Records in Memphis and is often called the "last great soul singer." His music was still horn driven, but the songs often contained more complex time signatures and arrangements.
Ain't No Sunshine by
Bill Withers (1971). "Ain't No Sunshine" was produced by Booker T. Jones, but Bill Withers went on to tour with members of The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, a band from Los Angeles. This shows that by the early 70s, music of all genres was becoming more national, at the expense of some of the regional variation that helped define Southern Soul as different from Motown or Chicago Soul.
Influence on Funk:
I Gotcha by
Joe Tex (1972). Southern Soul's rough sound and emphasis on the groove meant it was hugely influential to the developing genre of Funk. "I Gotcha" has one foot in each.
King Curtis