Real Soul ;)

I don't know about everybody else here, but my music taste seems to stay strictly tamed inside the Old R&B/Soul category.

A few favorites: James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Rick James, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Nina Simone, Isaac Hayes - what are some of your favorite oldies? Any suggestions?

Try Johnny Adams, O.V. Wright and Annette Snell. I've only discovered them recently, so I don't really know which albums to recommend, but youtube has stuff by all three.

Crushing: Bill Withers, "hope she'll be happier" Amazingly, this live version isn't as good as the one in the new movie "Soul Power", which is absolutely perfect.


OV Wright: "8 Men, 4 Women" Someone else mentioned him. I'd recommend picking up his collected singles or the 8 men, 4 women collection


There is a great series of records that focuses on small, local labels (Think smaller versions of Stax and Volt; locally run and lovingly produced records that often never made it out of their regions) called "Eccentric Soul". The first focuses on Capsoul, from Columbus, OH.
This, Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum and Durr doing "You Can't Blame Me" is from that.


One of my (unmentioned so far) favorites is Solomon Burke. Here he is, doing "Down in the Valley" in 1986. The man never had a top 20 hit, and he still kills it.


If you have the cash, I'd recommend picking up the Stax box set, but it's pricey and huge.

here's a few:






also, Ann Peebles:


and more OV Wright:

oops.

^^ That Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum and Durr track is great.

You can't talk about soul music without talking about Sam Cooke.

No one's said Marvin Gaye yet?

Thank you everybody! I love all of these so far!

P.S. Sam Cooke is fucking great, another favorite!

Here's another good movie you should check out: Watt Stax, a documentary about the big concert that Stax Records (from Memphis, probably the most important music label in American Soul music history). It might be a little on the funk, rather than soul, side of things, but there's enough of both.

Rufus Thomas (the world's oldest teenager) Doing the Funky Chicken .


Bar-Kays: "Son of Shaft"


Johnnie Taylor (and i think he's got some of the Muscle Shoals rhythm section backing him): "Jody's Got Your GIrl and Gone"


Here's the trailer:

How about an Etta James:



Barry White's epic take on 'Standing in the Shadows of Love'



And a couple of irresistible 80s classics:

i'm surprised that no one has mentioned the King of Soul yet, Otis Redding.

Here are a couple of my favorite R&B/ Soul Tracks. I hope you enjoy them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0llxc1ZKPC4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBrnsnqnxv0

Sorry about this one it was the best copy of the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naRIH5F9sz0

This one was really hard to find a good version, but this will do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rNx9_yBDVQ



This one is probably my all time favorite group, The Brother's Johnson. A little bit later but just as important.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tgWS9c4kI8

I'm guessing that the OP has already uncovered these hidden gems.

Yous guys should look into the Dead Presidents soundtracks. You'll fall in love...

Sly and the Family Stone- If you want me to stay

Thank you! This is great - I have lots of new people to look up now

I love Otis, Sam Cooke, Sam & Dave, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Rufus Thomas, etc... The PBS Stax documentary is a great watch. Which reminds me how great Booker T & the MG's are/were (Booker is still touring & recording)

nobody's mentioned Wilson Pickett yet:


because they were such huge pop icons, sometimes Stevie Wonder & Ray Charles can get overlooked, but they shouldn't be.