Radio Soul

In the 1950s and the early 1960s there was a new music genre born in the United States: Soul. This music genre combines Afro-American gospel music , blues and rhythm. The music is known for his funky rhythms and horn sections. The music style became very popular for dancing. In the 1960s the soul music dominated the pop charts in the United States but also in the United Kingdom soul music became very popular. James Brown better known as the Godfather of Soul is the greatest soul artist that has ever lived. He was born on May 3 1933 in South Carolina. Although he grew up in extreme poverty he managed to work himself up to the top of the funk. The combination of his voice and dancing made him the Godfather of Soul. James Brown had become a very important black person in the United States. He also began devoting more and more of his time to social causes. His record Don’t Be a Dropout was a plea to the black community to place more focus on education. He also tried to stop the riots after the murder on Martin Luther King. The day after the murder he gave a live concert in Boston in the hope that the black community came to his concert instead of going to the riots. James Brown is also known for his personal problems. In the late 1980s James Brown had become a drug addict with a depression. Although James Brown died in 2006, the soul didn’t die with him. Nowadays soul music is still alive and you can still hear the influence of soul music in the charts of today. For example an artist like Alicia Keys has a strong soulful voice. But fortunately real soul music is still broadcasted by many radio stations!