RnB Soul 60s

 
 
 
 
 
 
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SOUL

On the Rnb Vocals scene, the king of soul Sam Cooke (1931-1964) suffered a violent death at the age of 33. Otis Redding (1941-1967) became the new king of soul, but he too died prematurely at the height of his fame, and it was posthumously that his signature song '(Sitting on) The dock of the Bay' was published in January 1968. Coming from the Detroit gospel community, Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) released her debut album in 1960 amd shined in various registers such as blues-jazz and RnB rock, while becoming the undisputed queen of soul from the mid-60s to the late 70s. Soul singers Ben E. King, Marvin Gaye, Percy Sledge, Aaron Neville and Dionne Warwick also appeared during the decade, as did vocals groups The Temptations, The Four Tops and The Jackson Five. Girl vocal groups had seen popularity earlier - as with the songs 'Lollipop' (1958, The Chordettes) and  'I met him on a Sunday' (1958, The Shirelles) - and thrived on the 60s Soul scene where the most popular became The Supremes with Diana Ross with the planetary hit 'Baby love' (1964).

SINGERS  ∙  1960  ∙  Chain gang / Wonderful world (don't know much) (Sam Cooke)  ∙  I want to know (Sugar Pie DeSanto)  ∙  Gee Whiz (Carla Thomas)  ∙  He don't love you like I love you (he will break your heart) (Jerry 'Iceman' Butler)  ∙  1961  ∙  Stand by me (Ben E. King)  ∙  Jamie (Eddie Holland)  ∙  If you gotta make a fool of somebody (James Ray)  ∙  1962  ∙  Cry to me (Solomon Burke)  ∙  These arms of mine (Otis Redding)  ∙  Don't play that song (Ben E. King, ver.  80s)  ∙  Something's got a hold on me (Etta James)  ∙  1963  ∙  Don't make me over (Dionne Warwick)  ∙  That's how heartaches are made (Baby Washington)  ∙  1964  ∙  Good news (Sam Cooke)  ∙  Mercy, mercy (Don Convay)  ∙  My guy (Mary Wells)  ∙  The shoop shoop song (Betty Everett)  ∙  (You don't know) How glad I am (Nancy Wilson)  ∙  The name game (Shirley Ellis)  ∙  I had a talk with my man (Mitty Collier)  ∙

∙  1965  ∙  You're gonna make me cry (O.V. Wright)  ∙  If you love me (really love me) (Esther Phillips)  ∙  Rescue me ( Fontella Bass)  ∙  Ain't that peculiar? / I'll be doggone (Marvin Gaye)  ∙  Hold me, thrill me, kiss me (Mel Carter)  ∙  The Birds and the bees (Jewel Akens)  ∙  Nobody's fault but mine (The Staple Singers)  ∙  1966  ∙  When a man loves a woman (Percy Sledge)  ∙  Tell it like it is (ver 1988) (Aaron Neville)  ∙  Sunny (Bobby Hebb)  ∙  Knock on wood (Eddie Floyd)  ∙  Love is a hurtin' thing (Lou Rawls)  ∙  It's a man's man's man's world (James Brown)  ∙  What becomes the brokenhearted (Jimmy Ruffin, ver. mid-70s)  ∙  High flyin' bird (Richie Havens)  ∙

∙  1967  ∙  Do right woman, do right man / Respect (Aretha Franklin)  ∙  Piece of my heart ( Erma Franklin, ver. 1992)  ∙  When love slips away (Dee Dee Warwick)  ∙  Ain't no mountain high enough ( Tammi Terrell & Marvin Gaye)  ∙  Whisper you love me boy (Chris Clark)  ∙  Come on sock it to me (Syl Johnson)  ∙  Groovin' (Willie Mitchell)  ∙  Gimme a little sign (Brenton Wood)  ∙  Sweet soul music (Arthur Conley)  ∙  1968  ∙  Sitting on the dock of the Bay (Otis Redding)  ∙  Fly me to the moon (Bobby Womack)  ∙  I'm gonna make you love me (Madeline Bell)  ∙  1969  ∙  Rainy night in Georgia (Brook Benton)  ∙  The chokin' kind (Joe Simon)  ∙  Am I the same girl? (Barbara Acklin)  ∙  The first time ever I saw your face (Roberta Flack)  ∙

GIRL GROUPS  ∙  1958  ∙  I met him on a Sunday (The Shirelles)  ∙  1960  ∙  Will you love me tomorrow (The Shirelles)  ∙  1961  ∙  Please Mr. Postman (The Marvelettes)  ∙  1963  ∙  Be my baby (The Ronettes)  ∙  1964  ∙  Walking in the rain (The Ronettes)  ∙  Baby love (The Supremes ft Diana Ross)  ∙  Dancing in the streets (Martha & the Vandellas)  ∙  Needle in a haystack (The Velvelettes)  ∙  (Like a) Nightmare (The Andantes)  ∙  1965  ∙  I'm blue (The Ikettes)  ∙  It's gonna take a miracle (Royalettes)  ∙  He's an oddball (The Lewis Sisters)  ∙  1969  ∙  Cheating is telling on you (The Lollipops)  ∙

MALE GROUPS  ∙  1960  ∙  Shop around (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles)  ∙  1961  ∙  That's what girls are made for (The Spinners)  ∙  Blue moon (The Marcels)  ∙  1962  ∙  Papa oom mow mow (The Rivingtons)  ∙  1964  ∙  Keep on pushing (The Impressions)  ∙  My girl (The Temptations)  ∙  1966  ∙  Reach out (I'll be there) (The Four Tops)  ∙  Hold on I'm comin' (Sam & Dave)  ∙  1967  ∙  Soul man (Sam & Dave)  ∙  Apples, peaches, pumpkin pie (Jay & the Techniques)  ∙  1969  ∙  What does it take (to win your love) (Jr. Walker & the All Stars)  ∙  The tracks of my tears (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles)  ∙  Baby, I'm for real (The Originals)  ∙  I want you back (The Jackson Five)  ∙

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PROGRESSIVE RnB

Progressive RnB took hold in 1966 - the same year as progressive rock (cf. Rock USA 60s) - and blew a new wind. Incumbent vocals groups such as The Temptations and Diana Ross & the Supremes successfully joined the genre, where the band Fifth Dimension took center stage. Three songs among the jewels from this era: Marlena Shaw's 'California soul', Donny Hathaway's 'The Ghetto pt. 2' and 'Cissy strut' by funk pioneers The Meters.

∙  1965  ∙  The clapping song (Shirley Ellis)  ∙  1966  ∙  Time has come today (The Chambers Brothers, ver. 1969)  ∙  Get ready (The Temptations)  ∙  Land of a thousand dances (Wilson Pickett)  ∙  1967  ∙  I was made to love her (Stevie Wonder)  ∙  I heard it through the grapevine (Gladys Knight & the Pips)  ∙  Reflections (Diana Ross & the Supremes)  ∙  1968  ∙  Love child (Diana Ross & the Supremes)  ∙  Stoned soul picnic (Fifth Dimension)  ∙  I heard it through the grapevine (Marvin Gaye)  ∙  Twenty-five miles (Edwin Starr)  ∙  Cloud nine / I wish it would rain (The Temptations)  ∙  1969  ∙  Runaway child, running wild (The Temptations)  ∙  Aquarius/Let the sunshine in (Fifth Dimension)  ∙  California soul (Marlena Shaw)  ∙  The Ghetto, Pt 2 (Donny Hathaway)  ∙  Cissy strut (The Meters)  ∙  Things got to get better (Marva Withney)  ∙  You're driving me (to the arms of a stranger) (Mavis Staples)  ∙

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BLUES-JAZZ

The decade was marked by the rise and shine of Nina Simone (1933-2003) the great lady of the 1960s’ blues-jazz where veteran Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong (1901-1971) released as a sort of farewell song 'What a wonderful world' (1967), which became his biggest ever commercial success. At the other end of the spectrum, "Little" Stevie Wonder was blind and 13 when his soul-jazz single "Fingertips part II" (1963) topped the Billboard and 17 when his progressive RnB track "I was made to love her" (1967) topped the RnB charts. Singer-songwriter and pianist Roberta Flack (born 1937) personifies the next generation of popular soul jazz and released her first album in 1969 with her thrilling and lingering version of Gene McDaniels' protest song "Compared to what?".

BLUES

∙  1961  ∙  I pity the fool (Bobby "Blue" Bland)  ∙  1962  ∙  Don't Lie To Me  (I get evil) (Albert King)  ∙  Weak brain and a narrow mind (Willie Johnson)  ∙  Another night to cry (Lonnie Johnson)  ∙  1963  ∙  How blue can you get? (B.B. King)  ∙  1964  ∙  Devil with a blue dress on (Shorty Long)  ∙  1965  ∙  Baby scratch my back (Slim Harpo)  ∙  Death letter blues (Son House)  ∙  Killing floor (Howlin' Wolf)  ∙  You gotta move (Mississippi Fred McDowell)  ∙  1967  ∙  Ball of chain (ver. 1970) (Big Mama Thornton)  ∙  1969  ∙  Earl's boogie woogie (Earl Hooker)  ∙

JAZZ

∙  1960  ∙  Work song (1962 ver.) (Julian Cannonball Adderley)  ∙  Home (Sam Jones)  ∙  Blues à la carte (Wayne Shorter)  ∙  Giant steps (John Coltrane)  ∙  1961  ∙  My favourite things (John Coltrane)  ∙  Water boy (Don Shirley Trio)  ∙  Last night (The Mar Keys)  ∙  1962  ∙  Waltz for Debby (Bill Evans Trio)  ∙  Caravan (Buddy Rich)  ∙  Green onions (Booker T & the MG's)  ∙  1963  ∙  Fingertips part II (Stevie Wonder (''Little Stevie"))  ∙  1965  ∙  Some day my prince will come (Oscar Peterson Trio)  ∙  Here's that rainy day (orig. 1953) (Wes Montgomery)  ∙  1968  ∙  A time and a place (Junior Mance)  ∙  1969  ∙  Compared to what? (Eddie Harris & Les McCann)  ∙

 VOCAL

∙  1960  ∙  Who woudln't love a man like that (Mable John)  ∙  1960/1961  ∙  Georgia on my mind / Hit the road, Jack (Ray Charles)  ∙  1960/1968  ∙  Mack the knife / Summertime (from Porgy & Bess) (Ella Fitzgerald)  ∙  1961  ∙  Rock-a-bye your baby with a dixie melody (Aretha Franklin)  ∙  1961/1962/1964 /1968  ∙  Work song / If he changed my name / Mississippi Goddam / Ain't got no life (Nina Simone)  ∙  1965  ∙  Big city (Shirley Horn)  ∙  1966  ∙  Wade in the water (Ramsey Lewis)  ∙  1967  ∙  What a wonderful world (Louis Armstrong)  ∙  1969  ∙  Compared to what? (Roberta Flack)  ∙

Reference : American folk-blues festivals 1963-1966 (60 minutes) 

Nina Simone

(circa 1960: Nina Simone Photo by Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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RnB ROCK

RnB rock saw the arrival of The Valentinos with Bobby Womack, Wilson Pickett and Ike & Tina Turner and gave way to psychedelic RnB rock in 1967-1970 with the rise to fame of Jimi Hendrix, Sly & the Family Stone and Funkadelic.

∙  1960  ∙  Think! (James Brown & the Famous Flames)  ∙  Won't be long (Aretha Franklin)  ∙  A rockin' good way (Brook Benton & Dinah Washington)  ∙  Come on (let the good times roll) (Earl King)  ∙  1960/61  ∙  A fool in love / Think it's gonna work out fine (Ike & Tina Turner)  ∙  1961  ∙  Hit the road Jack (Ray Charles)  ∙  You'll lose a good thing (Barbara Lynn)  ∙  Hide 'n' go seek (Bunker Hill)  ∙  Looking for a love (The Valentinos ft Bobby Womack)  ∙

∙  1964  ∙  It's all over now (The Valentinos)  ∙  I got you (I feel good) /  Out of sight (James Brown & The Famous Flames)  ∙  1965  ∙  In the midnight hour (Wilson Pickett)  ∙  Shotgun (Junior Walker & The All Stars)  ∙  Shotgun (Buddy & Stacy ft Jimi Hendrix)  ∙  1966  ∙  Barefootin' (Robert Parker)  ∙

∙  1966/67/68  ∙  Hey Joe / Purple haze / All along the watchtower (Jimi Hendrix)  ∙  1968  ∙  I'm a midnight mover (Bobby Womack)  ∙  Here comes the judge (Shorty Long)  ∙  Dance to the music (Sly & the Family Stone)  ∙  1969  ∙  I want to take you higher (Sly & the Family Stone)  ∙  1970  ∙  Friday night, August 14th (Funkaledic)  ∙

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