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soul music: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As soul

Photos

Solomon Burke singing into a vintage microphone, shown in a close-up black and white portrait with his head bowed and eyes closed.
The Queen of Soul
Isaac Hayes
Portrait of Etta James in the early 1960s, wearing a gold off-the-shoulder dress with short platinum blonde hair, looking at the camera and smiling softly.
The Temptations pose in suits, with David Ruffin reclining in front, Paul Williams and Eddie Kendricks seated in the center, and Melvin Franklin and Otis Williams behind them.
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Related Topics and References

Topics

Key People

The Queen of Soul
Aretha Franklin
American singer
Mary J. Blige wearing a white sleeveless dress and large hoop earrings, with short blonde hair styled in a side-swept bob, posing in front of a blue backdrop.
Mary J. Blige
American singer-songwriter and actress
SZA smiles on the red carpet wearing a sheer dress with colorful floral accents at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas.
SZA
American singer-songwriter
James Brown
James Brown
American singer
Lionel Richie performs on stage holding a microphone and pointing upward, with blue stage lights and a blurred band in the background.
Lionel Richie
American singer, songwriter, and producer
Prince stands on stage in a turquoise suit, holding a purple, symbol-shaped guitar above his head, during his Super Bowl XLI halftime performance.
Prince
American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer
Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
American singer, composer, and musician
The Staple Singers
Mavis Staples
American singer
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Duck Dunn
American musician
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Percy Sledge
American singer
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Maurice White
American musician
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Steve Cropper
American musician
Stevie Wonder smiling and wearing sunglasses and a dark jacket while performing outdoors.
Stevie Wonder
American singer, composer, and musician
Marvin Gaye smiling and looking to the side, wearing a patterned knit cap and a casual shirt in this black-and-white portrait from the 1970s.
Marvin Gaye
American singer and composer
Alicia Keys smiles at the camera, wearing a bright yellow jacket and a colorful necklace, with her hair in a high curly updo, at the 2024 Tony Awards Nominees event in New York City.
Alicia Keys
American musician
The Motown sound
James Jamerson
American musician
Sam Smith sings into a microphone on stage, wearing a black outfit with textured, feathery shoulders, during a performance at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, Netherlands.
Sam Smith
British singer
Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
American singer-songwriter
John Legend sits at a black Yamaha grand piano singing into a microphone, surrounded by flag bearers and choir members, performing at the Superbowl XLIX in Glendale, Arizona.
John Legend
American singer-songwriter and pianist
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
American musician

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