1969 THROWBACK: "SOUL CHRISTMAS SPECIAL"

Soul music dominated the U.S. African-American music charts in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in the U.S. Otis Redding was a huge success at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.[10] The genre also became highly popular in the UK, where many leading acts toured in the late 1960s. “Soul” became an umbrella term for an increasingly wide variety of R&B-based music styles – from the dance and pop-oriented acts at Motown Records in Detroit, such as the Temptations, Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, to “deep soul” performers such as Percy Sledge and James Carr. Different regions and cities within the U.S., including New York City, Detroit, Chicago, Memphis, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Muscle Shoals, Alabama (the home of FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studios) became noted for different subgenres of the music and recording styles.

By 1968, while at its peak of popularity, soul began to fragment into different subgenres. Artists such as James Brown and Sly and the Family Stone evolved into funk music, while other singers such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield and Al Green developed slicker, more sophisticated and in some cases more politically conscious varieties of the genre.

However, soul music continued to evolve, informing most subsequent forms of R&B from the 1970s-onward, with pockets of musicians continuing to perform in traditional soul style.

The videos on this website are sourced from YouTube, and are embedded using the public API provided by YouTube. By using this website, you acknowledge that the videos displayed are the property of their respective owners, and remain subject to the copyright laws of the owner. All articles, images, product names, logos, and brands featured on this website are the property of their respective owners, and we make no claim to ownership or affiliation with any of these entities. Please note that your use of embedded videos from YouTube is subject to YouTube's terms of service and privacy policy. By using this website and viewing embedded videos, you agree to abide by YouTube's terms of service and privacy policy. If you have any questions or concerns about the content displayed on this website, please contact us using the information provided on the website.