Soul (music)

Soul
Solomon Burke (1940–2010) was an important early soul singer.
Stylistic origins	Rhythm and blues gospel doo-wop jazz
Cultural origins	Late 1950s and early 1960s, United States
Typical instruments	Electric guitar bass guitar piano Hammond organ drums horn section keyboards clavinet vocals
Derivative forms	Funk contemporary R&B disco
Subgenres
Blue-eyed soul brown-eyed soul Motown Sound neo soul smooth soul quiet storm
Fusion genres
Hip hop soul Nu jazz psychedelic soul soul blues soul jazz
Regional scenes
British soul Chicago soul Detroit soul Memphis soul New Orleans soul northern soul Philly soul southern soul
Other topics
List of soul musicians
2017 in soul music

Soul music (often referred to simply as soul) is a popular music genre that originated in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential in the civil rights era. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.

According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of funky, secular testifying". Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps and extemporaneous body moves, are an important feature of soul music. Other characteristics are a call and response between the lead vocalist and the chorus and an especially tense vocal sound. The style also occasionally uses improvisational additions, twirls and auxiliary sounds. Soul music reflected the African-American identity and it stressed the importance of an African-American culture. The new-found African-American consciousness led to new styles of music, which boasted pride in being black.

Soul music dominated the U.S. R&B chart in the 1960s, and many recordings crossed over into the pop charts in the U.S., Britain and elsewhere. By 1968, the soul music genre had begun to splinter. Some soul artists developed funk music, while other singers and groups developed slicker, more sophisticated, and in some cases more politically conscious varieties. By the early 1970s, soul music had been influenced by psychedelic rock and other genres, leading to psychedelic soul. The United States saw the development of neo soul around 1994. There are also several other subgenres and offshoots of soul music.