What is soul music? Some famous Sol musicians know it like this:
Otis redding said, "I am not a blues singer, nor a rhythm and blues singer, but a Sol singer. We walked into the studio unprepared and recorded what we sang. This is Saul. Sing if you want. "
A General History of American Pop Music explains that Saul is "what you really want to say ... what you think, what you think, what you see and what you feel".
Aretha aretha franklin said, "It is an obvious fact that Saul comes from gospel songs and blues. For me, Saul is a feeling, a deep feeling, which comes from my heart and I show it ... it is such a feeling that affects others through it. "
Milt jackson said, "(Saul) is a performance that you can't get from books or research. As far as I am concerned, I believe that what I hear and feel in church music ... has the most powerful influence on my music career. "
We can see that Saul emphasizes the free expression of inner feelings, which is related to black religion. Therefore, a critic concluded: "If we combine the characteristics of rhythm and blues with gospel songs and allow musicians to fully and freely use these elements to express his or her inner feelings, obviously, we can get close to understanding the elusive term' Sol'."
The General History of American Pop Music is more concise: "Saul is a rhythm and blues with religious passion for gospel songs".
Therefore, we can draw a conclusion that Sol is a combination of gospel songs and rhythm and blues, and it is the result of secularization and popularization of gospel songs as a religious music form.
Blue-eyed soul
Soul music refers to soul and R &；; The combination of music performance and singing by white musicians. It first appeared in the mid-1960s, when Justice Brothers sang "The Feeling of Losing Love" with percussion, which became its symbol. Throughout the late 1960s, soul music began to be decadent, and bands like Rogue, Box Top, Mickey Ryder, Tony jo white and Roy Hyde suffered a series of serious losses. In the 1970s, soul music continued to develop, such as Hall &；; The progress of Oates, Rebbert Palmer, Avige White, Boz Scaggs and david bowie made the playing style more modern.
List of bands/artists in this style:
Cultural club
David Bowie
Rod Stewart
Simple red
Texas
Gospel song
/kloc-at the end of 0/9, with the rise of Pentecostalism (one of the Christian sects, mainly composed of the lower classes), the gospel was born. It appeared almost at the same time as ragtime music and jazz. The difference is that it comes from the black church service and is an integral part of the service, but it is also spread through concerts, radio and records.
There is also a song in black religious life called Spirit. Soul songs came into being earlier than gospel songs, and were developed by slaves in the southern United States under the influence of white hymns in the early19th century. The theme of soul songs is mostly related to death, resurrection, liberation and hope. Its spread mainly depends on oral communication, and its melody and harmony are relatively simple. This rhythm evolved from black labor songs. Generally without musical instruments, singing is often accompanied by clapping and stamping. Soul songs developed late, and gradually evolved into gospel songs because of more and more jazz elements.
The lyrics of gospel songs are taken from the Bible or the life experience of blacks, with many black dialects. According to some priests, it narrates "gospel truth" and brings "good news", so it is called "gospel song". When singing gospel songs, the feelings are strong and the forms of expression are wild and free, which is very different from when white people sing religious songs. So some people say? Quot Black religion approaches God not through meditation, but through body dancing and vent shouting, and achieves ecstasy in ecstasy. "
There are many singing forms of gospel songs, such as solo, chorus, duet and chorus. Most of them are fast, syncopation rhythm is complex, and the voices echo, with shouting, moaning, wailing and falsetto in the middle, accompanied by dancing movements such as clapping and stamping, providing counterpoint rhythm (Example 4 1). For example, gospel songs are widely used as interludes in the American film Nuns Are Crazy. The earliest gospel songs were accompanied by tambourines, and later other musical instruments such as organ, piano and guitar were added. Generally speaking, the structure of gospel songs is relatively simple, and there are many repetitions of phrases. However, due to the free play of emotion-driven when singing, the melody of songs often appears sliding cadenza, and the rhythm becomes more complicated.
Since 1977, Grammy Awards have added two singing awards: traditional gospel songs and modern gospel songs. 1983 changed to three awards for best gospel song singing: male, female and chorus. Obviously, the gospel song has gone out of the church and is no longer a simple liturgy. Therefore, gospel songs have become more popular through various kinds of communication, which also makes them enter the secular commercial society. This invisibly indicates a result: Sol's music gradually takes shape. So Saul's music is the result of secularization and popularization of gospel songs.
III. Sol Singh
From 65438 to 0948, driven by the Atlantic Ocean, many Sol songs and singers appeared gradually. By the end of 1960s, Sol had become an important variety of pop music, and its representatives included ray charles, Wilson/pickett, Aretha Franklin, Sam and Dave, Joe Tex and so on. The following focuses on the three most famous sol musicians, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and James Brown.
Ray Charles (ray charles)
Ray charles, born in 1930, was an early Sol singer. He was blinded by glaucoma when he was 6 years old. Before that, he began to learn piano and later became a pianist and singer. When talking about his influence in the church in his early years, he said, "I go to church every Sunday, so naturally, I am surrounded by church music." The preacher said a few words, and all the church staff would sing what he said, which was completely impromptu; In ray charles's early records, he improvised secular lyrics into his familiar gospel songs, often combining some elements of jazz and blues.
By the early 1960s, this kind of black music, which combined secularism with religion and had a strong emotional color, was sometimes called "funk", and the word "Sol" was used more and more, with almost the same meaning as "funk". ("funk" is a complex rhythm that combines the characteristics of gospel songs and African music. It is characterized by improvising introductory fragments on the basis of one or two chords, repeated constantly, prolonged time and strong syncopation rhythm; Its speed is usually suitable for dancing. ) Compared with gospel songs, the beat of Sol (or funk) becomes stronger, electro-acoustic instruments are added to the band, and the overall music framework is more fixed. But Sol singer has always maintained full freedom in the expression of gospel songs: free pitch, timbre, rhythm and structure.
Aretha Aretha Franklin.
Aretha Franklin, 1942 was born in Memphis and moved to Detroit with her family when she was two years old. Her father is a priest and her mother is a gospel singer. Franklin grew up in a church environment and sang in the church at the age of eight. In the early 1960s, she sang popular songs for six years and recorded four albums, but her performance was not good. Jerry wexler, the producer of Atlantic Records, has long discovered that Franklin has the foundation of gospel songs and should develop in the direction of Sol. So, 1967, after Aretha Franklin's contract with Columbia Records (the previous signing company) expired, wexler immediately asked her to sign with Atlantic Records. Aretha Franklin's long-accumulated ability to sing gospel songs was immediately reflected.
If Atlantic Company has become the representative symbol of Sol's music, then Aretha Franklin is the first bright star on this symbol. The main audience of most Sol singers is still black, and they may occasionally enter the white market. On the other hand, Aretha Franklin did not change Saul's characteristics, but she had a large audience among both blacks and whites. Aretha Franklin has a wide range, and she can often change from a very low contralto to a passionate screaming gospel soprano. No matter what songs she sings, traditional folk songs or Broadway composers' works will bear her own brand.
James brown (james brown)
Just like Aretha Franklin is the representative of Sol female singers and james brown is the representative of Sol male singers, but their styles are different. Aretha Franklin accurately controlled her pitch and timbre, and her voice was clear and powerful. James brown's voice is also very powerful, but it is very rough, and it is very straight.
James brown was born in Augusta, Georgia on 1933. In the mid-1950s, he set up a gospel song group called "Famous Flame" and signed a contract with the record company "King". In the early 1960s, james brown led a 40-member "james brown Song and Dance Team" to tour the country. It was during this period that he formed a unique performance personality. He always tried his best to sing, combining panting, screaming and sobbing, and became a famous "hardest worker" in the entertainment circle. At the end of the performance, his face was sweaty and his knees bent, as if he were going to faint on the stage. At this time, someone comes up to help him step down, and he will go back and continue to sing hard. Going back and forth several times, the audience also fell into crazy excitement. His dancing is also famous, which has influenced many people's performances, from Michael Jagger (the lead singer of the Rolling Stones) to Michael Jackson. Others said: "james brown's eccentric behavior and dance scenes in live performances have become the main part of his art."
In the mid-1960s, james brown's singing became more primitive and rough, emphasizing "shouting", while the music became very simple, often relying on the improvisational repetition mode, the so-called "linking" technique, which made the mood warm and excited. 1967 is the heyday of james brown. It is estimated that 3 million people attended his concert and sold 50 million records. During the period of 1967- 1972, most of his works ranked first in the chart of rhythm and blues. He became a symbol of black people with world influence. By the mid-1970s, the style of pop music had changed, and many black people began to dance disco. Since then, james brown's performance has been in a "flat" state.
Fourth, Motown music.
In the mid-1950s, with the appearance of rock music, pop music seemed to have a unified market, although other aspects of society, such as apartheid, were still very serious. However, in the 1960s, when the society was trying to eliminate apartheid, the music industry returned to an isolated state.
In the early 1960s, teenagers' idols, such as surfing music, folk rock and the Beatles, were all white. Sol is basically only popular on the black market. Sol singers are rarely white, and most of them perform in black clubs or urban slums. The best songs they sing can only be ranked on the charts of rhythm and blues, but only occasionally make breakthroughs. At this time, a record company tried its best to combine black music with Sol's inclined music and pop music, and broke into the white market, becoming famous not only in rhythm and blues, but also in pop music charts. This record company is called "Motown", and it has achieved great success, so Motown has become a representative of a style in pop music.
Compared with the real Sol music, Motown's Sol music has the same foundation: there are both gospel songs and rhythm and blues. But because Sol of Motown absorbed the elements of Pop, on the one hand, it certainly made its audience wider and achieved greater success in business; On the other hand, it can be said that he is not the real Saul.
It is different from the real Sol in that it is not an improvisational art and there is no room for free play (this may be the vitality of the original gospel songs and Sol). The primitive and natural expression of Sol music can't be found in Motown's voice. On the contrary, it has been modified, processed and specialized, and both the vocals and the bands are accurately designed in advance. Nevertheless, it has achieved great success in business. Therefore, Motown music is the product of the commercialization of Sol music.
Motown was founded by record producer and songwriter Berry Gordy (born in 1929). When Gordy was young, he set up a record company in his hometown Detroit to release jazz, but it didn't succeed. 1960, he borrowed 700 yuan to set up Motown Record Company in the same city.
The word Motown comes from Detroit's nickname "Motown". Gordy has learned how to rely on his musical intuition, business thinking and past experience to succeed. Sure enough, in less than ten years, Motown has released many "popular Sol" songs and a group of excellent singers and bands. It has also developed from a small scale to the largest record company owned and operated by African-Americans, so that its record sales exceeded any company in the United States in the 1960s.
Gaudi's success depends first and foremost on talented musicians. Motown singers seldom compose their own music. Gordy hired Smokey Robinson, Norman whitfield, Dozier, Eddie Holland and Brian Holland to compose and record for Motown. Under their elaborate production, a number of singers and singing groups have been successfully launched. They include the Miracle singing group led by smokey robinson, female singer Mary Wells, male quintet "Temptation", male singer marvin gaye, female quintet "Marwit" and male quartet "Four Tops".
Gaudi's success also lies in his management style. He strictly controls Motown's products according to a fixed musical style. Motown's songs have complicated musical arrangement techniques; Accompanied by a band including strings; Lyrics are rarely puns or black words, avoiding any major or controversial topics, and mainly telling the romantic story of teenagers (1968 breakthrough).
Motown 197 1 Leave Detroit and move to Los Angeles (Sunset Avenue). It successfully continued to publish works by Jackson V, Brigadier General, Stevie Wonder and diana ross. But Gordy's strict control made many people unbearable and left Motown. 1988, Motown was finally sold to mca Music Company.
In addition to the singers and groups who have achieved success by signing a contract with Motown, there are female trio "martha and the vandellas", tammi terrell, jr water and so on. The following focuses on Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder.
Diana ross (Diana Ross)
Diana ross, born in Detroit, Michigan from 65438 to 0944, has been singing in church since she was a child. In high school, I formed a women's trio with two friends? Quot the best "(primettes), signed a contract with Motown after graduation. At first, she just sang as a backup singer of Wells, marvin gaye and others. Later, she changed her name to "supremes" and recorded records independently.
Diana ross's voice is clear and euphemistic, which fits the theme of adolescent love expressed in The Supreme. Therefore, her voice is called "Sweet Sol". From 65438 to 0965, "Supreme" toured at home and abroad, and the appearance fee can sometimes be as high as 654.38+ten thousand dollars. With diana ross's solo performance becoming more and more prominent, with the encouragement of Gordy, Diana Ross left Supreme on 1969 to start her solo career, and won the Grammy Award for Best Female Singer the following year. 197 1 starred in the TV series Diana, and 1972 made the first film The Woman Singing Blues, playing the leading role of Billy Halliday, a famous jazz singer in American history. In the 1970s, she also released two albums, diana ross (1976) and Diana (1980). A series of successes made Ross a superstar in the field of pop music. 198 1 sang "Endless Love" (the theme song of the movie of the same name) with Lionel Richie in, and won the pop charts for nine weeks in a row. In the same year, she left Motown and signed with rca.
Stevie wonder.
1950, Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan. His original name was Steve Lan Morris and he was born blind. Soon, he and his family moved to Detroit and sang in the local church. 10 years old, came to Motown to audition through the introduction of members of Miracle. He can sing, play the piano and play drums, and he knows almost all the instruments that can be found in the recording studio. Gordy appreciated his talent so much that he immediately signed a contract with him and renamed him Little stevie wonder. His fourth single Fingertips, part2 (recorded from the second part of a live performance) won the first place in the pop chart of 1963.
Fingertips convey blind people's feelings about life through the touch of fingertips. It is a strong song with the characteristics of gospel songs. "12-year-old genius" (as everyone called him at that time) solo and self-playing harmonica, together with a strong background band, left a deep impression on many people.
In 1960s, Stevie Wonder's 65,438+06 works entered the "Top 40", including authentic Sol songs and covers of white rock songs. By the 1970s, his childish voice had disappeared, and he continued to expand his musical knowledge and theory, paying attention to the creative techniques of his works, especially the use of harmony.
Since then, Stevie Wonder has published a series of albums with his own style, all of which were independently produced by him. In order to get rid of Motown's control, he set up his own record company at 197 1 and reached an agreement with Gaudi. Motown is responsible for the distribution, and the profit is divided in half. In art, Stevie Wonder has the final say, which is unprecedented in Motown.
In Talking Books (for the Blind) from 65438 to 0972, two songs ranked first, one was superstition, which combined the two styles of Sol and psychedelic rock. The other is "You are the sunshine I love" (case 42), which has the characteristics of jazz rock. The lyrics of songs such as the album Inner Visions (1973) have more social significance.
In the 1980s, Stevie Wonder was as beautiful as ever. His song "I'm just calling to say I love you" for the film "The Girl in Red" (1984) not only won the first place in the charts, but also won the Oscar for best film episode. From 1974- 1984, Stevie Wonder * * won 15 Grammy Awards, setting a record for American pop music.
V. Other Sol Music
In the 1970s, Sol's music continued to develop. Like the whole pop music in the 1970s, it also presents a complicated and diverse situation. In addition to the singers and groups mentioned above, Michael Jackson mentioned later, and "psychedelic Sol" by Slay and Si Tong; The Earth, Wind and Fire continues the Motown style but becomes more complicated, and the "blue-eyed soul" gradually rises in Britain.
Slaughter and Si Tong Family (sly&; Family stone)
Slay Si Tong, born in 1944, sang gospel songs in church since childhood. Soon, he and his family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and studied trumpet, music theory and composition in college for three years. 1967, he imitated the hippie society in the Bay Area and organized a music festival including blacks and whites, men and women. Quot slay and Si Tong family "(sly&; Family stone), ***7 people, including beheaded sister and brother. Slay sings and plays guitar and keyboard instruments by herself.
Slay and Si Tong Family, based on the beat and bass line of rock dance music, combined the common wind music, loose guitar playing and drug-related lyrics in psychedelic rock, and became the first band to perform the so-called psychedelic Sol. When they sing, they are often led by two or three people, and two obviously different male voices are juxtaposed with a female voice, resulting in a unique harmony effect.
Earth, Wind and Fire.
Musically, "the earth, the wind and? Quot This is one of the best black bands in the 1970s. Founded by Maurice White (194 1 born in Memphis) in 1970 in Los Angeles. The band has a large lineup, often with eight or nine people. " The music of Tufenghuo combines complex jazz harmony with strong funk rhythm, so it was later called "jazz funk".
In their albums in the 1970s (such as Thanksgiving 1975, Spirit 1976, etc.). ), you can see that the band's style is gradually maturing. Smooth singing, perfect combination of several voices, often using falsetto; The rhythm is rock, but it is richer than ordinary rock. The close cooperation of drums, bass, rhythm guitar and keyboard instruments is like a complete jazz band. Wind music has complex rhythm and diverse styles, ranging from short response and free expression in Sol style to improvisational monologues in Jazz style. In the 1980s, the important albums of "Local Wind and Fire" were raise (198 1) and powerlight (1982).
Joseph cook (Joe Kirk)
Joseph cook, 1944 was born in Sheffield, England in May, and is a representative figure of "Blue-eyed Sol" in England. Cook/Kloc-walked onto the stage at the age of 0/2 and once joined his brother's band as a drummer and harmonica player. Influenced by rock music, blues and ray charles, Cook's singing has established a unique style.
Joseph cook once worked as an oiler and a packer in a magazine publishing house. 1969, his debut album "A Little Help from Friends" was a great success, and the title song of the same name won the British charts in one fell swoop. From 65438 to 0969, his second album won more honors, and a Delta lady was a hit. In the same year, Cook held a national tour. In the next two years, due to the extreme fatigue of performing and recording and the addiction to narcotics, he temporarily left the stage until he came back again in 1972. From 65438 to 0982, Sheffield Steel is one of Cook's most representative albums, which combines the styles of Saul, rock and narrative songs.
Van morrison (Van Morrison)
Van morrison, born in Belfast, Ireland on August 3rd1945, is one of the representatives of Saul in England. However, van morrison's musical style covers a wide range. The music of blues, jazz, country, folk songs, and Saul are all exposed in his works, and Saul is only a part of his musical style.
Influenced by my parents (my mother used to be a jazz singer), I became interested in blues and jazz since I was a child. 15 left school and began to work in music. 1963 organized the band "They" and released two albums. /kloc-released his first solo album "Starlight Week" at Warner Bros. in 0/969. Moondance, released by 1970, is an important album of his, and he organically combines rhythm and blues with jazz. From 65438 to 0980, the album "Ordinary One" has a strong rural romantic atmosphere. Morrison has released an album almost every year since 1990. The 22nd solo album Days Like This was published on 1995. 1996 recorded an album "Alison's Song: Tell me something" to pay tribute to jazz pianists Ben Sidland and Alison, which is a typical jazz record.
Van morrison has been active in music since 1960s, and is regarded as one of the most striking singers and composers in British pop music.
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James brown's songs and introduction pages ~ ~ ~ recommended!