Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 50s, 60s
Clyde McPhatter was one of the most influential R&B singers of the '50s and early '60s. In his own time, his name and voice loomed so much larger than that of the group the Drifters, which he founded, that it took five years for them to recover from his departure. McPhatter was idolized by Black audiences as few singers before or since ever... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s
Perhaps because he didn't cross over to the pop audience as heavily as Motown's stars, it may be that the scope of Curtis Mayfield's talents and contributions have yet to be fully recognized. Judged merely by his records alone, the man's legacy is enormous. As the leader of the Impressions, he recorded some of the finest soul vocal group music... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 50s, 60s, 80s
Not entirely content with being a 1950s R&B star on the strength of his immortal New Orleans classic "Lawdy Miss Clawdy," singer Lloyd Price yearned for massive pop acceptance. He found it, too, with a storming rock & roll reading of the ancient blues "Stagger Lee" and the unabashedly pop-slanted "Personality" and "I'm Gonna Get Married" (the... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
From gospel and early R&B to soul and jazz to blues and straight-up pop, Lou Rawls was a consummate master of African-American vocal music whose versatility helped him adapt to the changing musical times over and over again, while always remaining unmistakably himself. Blessed with a four-octave vocal range, Rawls' smooth, classy elegance --... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s
Blessed with a warm, sweet voice, Major Lance was one of the leading figures of Chicago soul during the '60s and the top-selling artist for OKeh Records during the decade. Lance not only had a lovely voice, but his material was excellent. During the height of his success, the majority of his songs were written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 60s
One of the most influential soul singers of the 1960s, Otis Redding exemplified to many listeners the power of Southern "deep soul" -- hoarse, gritty vocals, brassy arrangements, and an emotional way with both party tunes and aching ballads. He was also the most consistent exponent of the Stax sound, cutting his records at the Memphis... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
I am a young 23 yr old male who currently works for the US Navy. However it is my dream to one day become a music star in the as it has been since i was a young boy. I come from humble beganings and I really just want to give back to the world. Please enjoy my latest track and let me know what you think. GOOD OR BAD
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 50s, 60s
The Platters started out as a Los Angeles-based doo wop group with little identity of their own to make them stand out from the pack. They started out making their first records for Federal, a subsidiary of Cincinnati's King Records. These early sides don't sound anything like the better-known sides that would eventually emerge from this... [+] Read More
Genre: Gospel/ Spiritual
Decades Active: 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s
Indisputably among the premier gospel groups of the modern era, the Soul Stirrers pioneered the contemporary quartet sound. Pushing the music away from the traditional repertoire of jubilees and spirituals towards the visceral, deeply emotional hard gospel style so popular among postwar listeners, the group's innovative arrangements -- they were... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s
The Staples' story goes all the way back to Winona, MS, in 1915. It was then and there that patriarch Roebuck Staples entered the world. A contemporary and familiar of Charley Patton, Roebuck quickly became adept as a solo blues guitarist, entertaining at local dances and picnics. Gradually drawn to the church, by 1937 he was singing and playing... [+] Read More
Genre: R&B/Soul/Urban
Decades Active: 60s, 70s
Walter Jackson was '60s Chicago soul at its sweetest and, occasionally, most mainstream. In the mid-'60s, he had a brace of solid R&B hits -- "Suddenly I'm All Alone," "It's an Uphill Climb (To the Bottom)," "Speak Her Name," "Welcome Home," "A Corner in the Sun" -- without ever rising higher than the lower reaches of the Top 100. Recording for... [+] Read More