Soul

Soul music originated in African-American culture of the 20th century. It resulted from the combination of the ecstatic vocals of Gospel music with the upbeat instrumentation of Rhythm & Blues, consisting of guitar, bass and percussion. Two further strong influences on the style are Big Band brass and the call-and-response style of Work Song. The vocal delivery is the most important and distinctive feature of soul music, with most vocalists possessing an expressive, flexible voice. Despite the loose and unleashed feeling of the music, the expectations towards a soul singer include virtuosity and discipline, as well as great abilities as an entertainer. Many soul musicians became icons of popular culture and were more sexually explicit than their contemporaries, a point that was stretched by the closely related Funk, popularized by singer James Brown (who was dubbed the "Godfather of Soul"). Other founding fathers of soul and recording giants are Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.