GOSPEL, SOUL, and
MOTOWN
Chapter 19
Soul
While the stylistic elements of soul weren’t
new, their application to rock music was
 For perhaps the first time, there was a nocompromise presentation of black music
for the masses, comparatively free of
being watered down
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Blues and gospel are the “musical
parents” of soul
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Until the 1960s record labels selling blues
or gospel oriented music typically calmed
down the driving beat, shouting vocal style
and passionate emotion to broaden its
market to white teenagers
Doo-wop, still reflected the influence of
smoother vocal styles, like Nat King Cole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJLMv
H92KjQ
 Some R&B artists changed their lyric
subjects from oppression, poverty and
general misery to cars, puppy love and
nagging parents
 Once in a while an artist would break out
of that mold, like Little Richard
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Before the term soul came to be applied to
their style, artists like James Brown, Ray
Charles and Aretha Franklin were pulling
out the stops and turning their concerts
into revival meetings
Atlantic Records
Was founded by Ahmet Ertegun in 1946
 Began as a small independent label
specializing in R&B and gradually gained
success featuring crossovers like the
Coasters and Ray Charles
 In the 1960s the label specialized in the
new gospel-based form of black rock –
called soul and became a major label on
par with RCA and Columbia

Gospel
The term soul reveals the most
fundamental aspect of its style; it is the
secular offspring of music from the black
church
 Most soul artists learned the style from
singing in church
 The most important development in black
church music in the 20th century was the
coming of gospel music and its creator,
Thomas Dorsey

Thomas Dorsey
born in Georgia, 1899
 Popular vaudeville blues composer, singer
and pianist in the 1920s
 Wrote somewhat ‘suggestive’ blues songs
 He was the son of a minister and had
never fully left the church
 In 1929 he devoted the rest of his life to
composing and performing religious music
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Thomas Dorsey- Father of Gospel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEosw5GUCz
Q
He brought into church performances the same
intensity and instrumentation he would have
used at a dance hall
Obviously this was met with opposition at first
Black religious music had long involved
shouting vocals and a driving rhythm, but
Dorsey’s music was too close to the sound
of blues – something the faithful
considered to be the devil’s music
 Through the persistence of Dorsey and a
number of talented singers, this music,
which came to be known as gospel music,
caught on
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Dorsey brought the blues style into the
church as gospel music – soul then
brought the gospel style back into the
world of rhythm and blues
James Brown
Born in Georgia, 1933
 Formed the Famous Flames in the 1950s
 Known many times as the “Godfather of
Soul” and the “hardest working man in
show business”
 I Feel Good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgDrJ5
Z2rKw

As a musician his goal was to “give people
more than what they came for — make
them tired, 'cause that's what they came
for.”
 His performances were famous for their
intensity and length
 He worked out spectacular but precise
dance steps, inspiring many artists to
come, most notably Michael Jackson.
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Vocally, James Brown emulated Little
Richard’s coarse shouting/screaming
style, inserting grunts and shrieks – not
only did these add energy, but they served
a rhythmic purpose too
He also modeled his appearance after
Little Richard – tall hair and a flashy
wardrobe including shiny suits and
skintight pants
 As a bandleader, he was extremely
demanding – discipline, perfection and
precision
 If band members weren’t wearing the
exact costumes, arrived to a rehearsal or
performance late or even played wrong
notes they were fined

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A notable part of James Brown’s live show
was the cape routine. Toward the end of
the show Brown would collapse onstage,
with the MC tending to him and draping a
cape over his shoulders. Just before
leaving the stage he would run back out
and finish the song.
Please, Please, Please
Released his first hit in 1956 – “Please,
Please, Please” (Cape Routine/ Please
Please Please)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0n62J9WP1A
 Very close to a typical doo-wop song with
piano triplets, smooth background vocals
and a passionate lead vocal

Think
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In 1960 he released “Think” – it showed a
distinct style change; the horn section acted like
background vocalists and the drum beat was
more crisp and driving
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgPj7GoBfHE
His style was further set in stone when he won a
legal battle with his record label to gain complete
artistic control over his career
Right after this he released “Papa’s Got a
Brand New Bag”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6Ore4
8uq-4 and “I Feel Good” – his first two top
10 hits
 As the 1960s progressed, Brown
continued to release music that would
eventually influence the development of
funk music in the 1970s

At the end of the 1960s he released “Cold
Sweat,”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni5ELU
VM2eI which some consider to be the first
true funk record – it was also the first of
his songs to feature a drum break and a
mainly single chord harmony
 With in the next two years he released a
number of singles that would influence not
only funk, but hip hop and various styles of
electronic dance music


“Funky Drummer” is notable for arguably
being one of the most sampled recordings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQ4AtsFWVM

“Give It Up or Turn it a Loose” became a
popular hip hop/breakdance song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTJEu7Tngaw

Brown continued to record through the 80s
90s and early 2000s as well as appearing
in a number of movies and TV shows
Although his singles didn’t experience
quite the same attention they once did, his
influence is undeniable
 Songs that sample James Brown
http://www.whosampled.com/artist/James
%20Brown/
 He died Christmas day, 2006

Ray Charles
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Born 1930 in Georgia
At age 6 he lost his sight due to glaucoma
He was trained in music at a school for the deaf
and blind in Florida
Began as a traveling musician at the age of 15,
eventually settling in Seattle, WA
His early influences were artists like Nat King
Cole, and his early music reflected that
I Got A Woman (live with intro)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81cyUwnM71
U
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He moved to Atlantic Records in 1952, an
independent label specializing in “soul” music
In 1953 he released “Mess Around,” written by
Ahmet Ertegun, president of Atlantic Records –
this song led to a string of hit singles until 1959
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3T8dJk8LjE
As he was developing his sound, he began to
incorporate female background singers, dubbed
the Raelettes
In 1959 he crossed over to top 40 radio
with “What’d I Say” a song that was
improvised at a concert when the planned
performance ended early
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzkLs7y
mZqU
 Because the song was over 6 minutes
long (too long for AM radio) it was split into
two parts

Shortly after this Ray Charles left Atlantic
to sign with ABC Records for a much more
lucrative deal – higher royalties, complete
artistic control and ownership of his master
tapes
 He released a number of #1 singles on his
first record at ABC helping his transition to
pop music

For the rest of the 1960s and into the
1970s, his releases were hit or miss
 Over the course of the next few decades,
he appeared in various films (The Blues
Brothers), TV shows and commercials,
increasing his recognition among young
audiences

In 2004, Ray was released – a
biographical movie about Charles starring
Jamie Foxx
 Foxx won an academy award for the role
and the movie continued to increase a
younger generation's awareness of Ray
Charles’ career

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LakGqZmF-Gg

Ray Charles died a few months before the
movie was released due to liver cancer,
but had been deeply involved in the
production of the film
STAX RECORDS
By the 1960s Memphis had been home to
popular blues and rockabilly artists
 As the fifties came to an end though, many
blues singers had moved to Chicago, and
Elvis had moved to Nashville
 Stax records was founded in 1957,
orginially named Satellite Records.
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Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton renamed their
studio in 1961 – eventually Atlantic became the
exclusive distributor of music recorded there
Their first hits were instrumental – soon after,
Otis Redding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCmUhYSre4 and Isaac Hayes began writing hits for the
small record label
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAbYOt2_T5s
The studio left its original formula to compete
with the slick sound of Motown but ultimately
failed and went bankrupt
Aretha Franklin
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Born Memphis Tennessee – 1942
Her father was a Baptist minister – her childhood
was spent hearing gospel music
In the late fifties she decided to cross over into
pop music
Her first record label tried to make her into a
female Nat King Cole crooner, something
neither the white easy listening audience nor the
black R&B audience was interested in
When her contract expired in 1967 Atlantic
grabbed her, using their experience with
soul and gospel to bring out the best of her
voice – they encouraged her to sing in a
shouting gospel style and gave her control
over her songs and arrangements
 First female artist inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame
 Respect
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1Bg7yBxQo

Isaac Hayes
Born 1942 – Died 2008 Tennessee
 Worked with people like Otis Redding
 Known for his really deep voice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqR4CZj
0mJQ “Walk on By”
 Inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame
in 2002
 Played a character in the show “South
Park” - ??
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLaglAD
4iG0 Chef – “South Park” songs

Resigned from South Park for religious
reasons.
Motown Records
Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. in Detroit,
Michigan
 It was known for its ability to produce hit
after hit, similar to an assembly line
 Among the writing staff was the team H-DH (Eddie and Brian Holland and Lamont
Dozier) responsible for 28 top 20 hits in 4
years
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Their formula’s success was undeniable
and has been used ever since
 Lyrics in the verse were disposable, but
the chorus contained the hook line, the
song’s title and was written in such a way
that it stuck in the listener’s head
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By exerting control over every step of the
production process, Berry Gordy created a
distinguishable “Motown sound”
A song was passed around between artists until
the right one was found to sing it
The artists were well-groomed and poised, even
when doing their distinctive dance steps
Lyrics were inoffensive and romantic, the beat
was danceable and the recording length stayed
well within AM time constraints
The music had a wholesomeness and
elegance unlike the aggression of Stax
artists or James Brown, but was more
successful among white audiences
 Eventually some artists grew fed up with
Berry Gordy’s control and renegotiated
their contracts, leading to very unique
sounds coming from Motown
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Motown’s distinct sound was further
helped by “The Funk Brothers” – a group
of studio musicians that appeared on
many of Motown’s hits – Gordy knew they
had formed a unique and valuable sound
and guarded them viciously – they were
forbidden to appear on recordings outside
Motown together or perform live together,
even locally in Detroit under the threat of
being fired
Artists on Motown Records
Stevie Wonder
 The Jackson 5
 Marvin Gaye
 The Supremes
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The Temptations
98 Degrees
Boyz II Men
Lionel Richie
Stevie Wonder
Born in Detroit
 Auditioned for Berry Gordy at 10 years old
– he was impressed by his multiinstrumentalist talent and singing ability
and was marketed as a young Ray
Charles (although he was blind from birth)
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As he gained success at Motown he
eventually renegotiated his contract for
higher royalties and more creative control
 His later recordings show this through
greater experimentation, specifically with
the use of synthesizers and blending
together a number of musical styles
 Superstitious
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ul7X5j
s1vE
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Jackson 5
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Originally a trio of the three older brothers, the
full lineup became Jackie, Tito, Germaine,
Marlon and Michael in 1964
The group was managed (and pushed to work
very hard) by their father
Once signed with Motown the group fell victim to
Berry Gordy’s control, going so far as to creating
a fake discovery story – Michael’s age was
changed from 11 to 9 to make him appear cuter
Although the group played instruments
onstage and were writing and producing
song in their home studio, Motown didn’t
allow them to record their own
compositions or play their own instruments
in the studio
 A massive marketing campaign was
launched with the group starring in TV
specials and cartoons

The group went on to influence the boy
band genre, as well as bringing dances
such as the “robot” into the mainstream
 I Want You Back
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3Q80
mk7bxE
 Michael Jackson Don’t Stop Til You Get
Enough
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bwjT8
wLenE
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Marvin Gaye
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What’s Goin On
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f39Zs0g
B87c
Homework

List five songs (other than those listed
here) for the following people –
Stevie Wonder
The Jackson 5
Marvin Gaye
The Supremes
The Temptations
98 Degrees
Boyz II Men
Lionel Richie