Soul music of the '60s and 70s was peppered with artists who defied strict categorization—Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Bobby Womack among them. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Womack spent years accumulating impressive credits, but no solo hits. He played guitar for Sam Cooke and inspired a young Jimi Hendrix with his chordal style; his It's All Over Now, a song he wrote and recorded with the Valentines, became the Rolling Stones' first No. 1 U.K. hit; and he added tasty licks to albums by Aretha, Wilson Pickett and Sly and the Family Stone. Womack finally broke out on his own at age 27 with That's the Way I Feel About 'Cha, which made it to No. 2 on the R&B charts in 1971.
Ballads done up with a sexy, simmering groove helped Al Green emerge as the first great soul man of the '70s. Producer Willie Mitchell created the perfect setting, a cross between the tough Memphis Stax/Volt sound and the string-laden sheen of Philly soul. Let's Stay Together launched Green with his first No. 1 (both pop and R&B) record, while L-O-V-E (Love) kept his R&B hit string intact.
Gladys Knight and the Pips, established players in the '60s Wlotown empire, hit a commercial peak after signing with Buddah in 1973. The group's Grammy Award-winning signature song, Midnight Train to Georgia, was originally written as Midnight Plane to Houston by Jim Weatherly. He also composed Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me, a No. 1 country hit for Ray Price before Gladys and crew took it over.
Knight's former labelmate Jermaine Jackson also left Motown for greener pastures; at Arista he promptly charted with Dynamite and Do What You Do. With the Jackson 5, he had covered La La Means I Love You by the Delfonics, whom younger brother Michael once named his favorite group. Doo-wop veterans who became early purveyors of the smooth Philly-soul sound, the Delfonics again unleashed William Hart's soaring lead vocals on Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time). And they weren't the only East Coast group to enjoy a long career. After lead singer Cuba Gooding (father of the same-named actor) joined the Main Ingredient, the New York trio hit its stride with Everybody Plays the Fool. And the Tavares brothers took a decade to top the R&B charts—the fivesome did it in 1974 with She's Gone, a song that also hit in '76 for its writers, Daryl Hall and John Dates (who first released their recording in 1974 to lesser acclaim).
In Detroit, the New Birth, having evolved from three different groups, landed their only No. 1 R&B record in 1975 with Dream Merchant. Enchantment, best known for It's You That I Need, persevered as one of the last sweet soul outfits to score hits. Los Angeles claimed the Friends of Distinction, whose polished sound on Going in Circles was reminiscent of the 5th Dimension. The city also held bragging rights to the Whispers, soul survivors who passed the 40-year mark in 2004 buoyed by such past ballad glories as Lady.
By the time the word "funky" entered the mainstream in the late '60s, soul music had grown increasingly rhythmic and danceable. New Orleans had the funk with artists like Lee Dorsey and King Floyd, especially in his hit Groove Me. The Big Easy also claimed the first family of R&B, the Nevilles—and the hometown crowd bought 40,000 copies of Aaron Neville's Tell It Like It Is during its first week of release. Floridians James and Bobby Purify laid down I'm Your Puppet at Fame studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama—HQ of deep soul.
The '70s disco era left room for old-school soul artists and songs. Dorothy Moore had her biggest record in 1976 with a cover version of Misty Blue, a country hit for Wilma Burgess in 1966. GQ first took off thanks to the dance-floor workout Disco Nights (Rock-Freak), but the group subsequently dipped into the past by remaking I Do Love You, a 1965 soul classic from Billy "Fat Boy" Stewart.
Amid the disco craze, Natalie Cole embraced a more traditional sound that yielded gold singles, including I've Got Love on My Mind. Jazz drummer Norman Connors, who had gigged with John Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, switched to urban R&B in the mid-'70s. His You Are My Starship featured vocals by Michael Henderson, former bass player with Miles Davis during his early jazz-funk phase. A Taste of Honey picked an odd choice for a ballad—remodeling Sukiyaki, a 1963 No, J pop hit sung in Japanese by Kyu Sakamoto, with English lyrics and a "quiet storm" feel. Capitol reluctantly issued it as a single, and the recording zoomed up the charts.
Many top vocalists were backup singers before they attained stardom. Dionne Warwick caught the ear of Burt Bacharach and Hal David at a Drifters recording session and became their hit-making machine into the early 70s. The success of I'll Never Love This Way Again gave Warwick her first platinum album in J979. Minnie Riperton harmonized behind Etta James and applied her multi-octave voice to the psychedelic soul band Rotary Connection before deciding to quit music. Stevie Wonder coaxed her back, convincing her to join his group, Wonderlove, and helping on her LP Perfect Angel, which showcased Lovin' You.
The silky-voiced male crooners followed a similar path. Luther Vandross was the quintessential session and jingle singer, not to mention a prolific producer and songwriter, as heard on Any Love. Balladeer Freddie Jackson backed Melba Moore, who returned the favor on Jackson's first album—which included Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake) and You Are My Lady. Peabo Bryson glided easily between solo hits like I'm So Into You and duets with Roberta Flack, Melissa Manchester and Regina Belle. And Teddy Pendergrass crooned Come Go with Me to No. 14 on the R&B charts three years after leaving Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.
Younger artists updated the soul ballad tradition with newer styles and influences. Hi-Five, a teenaged quintet in the mold of the Jackson 5 and New Edition, hit in 1991 with I Like the Way (The Kissing Game)— the object of which was to score kisses. Produced by New Jack Swing kingpin Teddy Riley, the record proved again that music and sports go together like rhythm and blues.
- Charles McCardell
Charles McCardell is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, Musician anil American Record Guide.