What does the term soul music actually mean?
Soul music back in the 60s was a term applied to singers who improvised melody lines as they sang. It was considered they were singing with such feeling that they were actually singing from their ‘soul’, as the mood of the occasion got to them. Almost certainly had its roots in American gospel music where so many 60s pop artists had their first experience of singing. Mainly applied to Afro-American, or ‘black’, artists originally, but white singers like Dusty Springfield have often been described as ‘soulful’ too. Not to be confused with other ‘singers’ like Whitney Houston, who prefer to scream and shout – that ain’t soul baby, that’s torture!
