Honey Soul

“Anything great always starts with love,” says soul-music aficionado Vonnie “Honey” Woods, former banker and self-described “bridge … between good old soul music and those of us who love it.” Well, we really love her website - it is called “Honey Soul”. A great site for finding out information on everything about Soul and R&B Artists. Check them out!

Honey Soul

The World Of Funk & Disco

Funk Funk music is a musical style which originated in America in the mid to late 1960’s. This musical genre blends together Rhythm and Blues, jazz and soul music into a trendy and danceable style.

Funk concentrates on a strong rhythmic groove from the rhythm section melody and harmony are de-emphasised. Back line instruments such as electric guitar, electric bass, Hammond organ and drums are used to play interlocking grooves. Most funk songs, unlike other musical styles such as soul and R and B, comprise of very few chords sometimes as little as a vamp on one chord. A horn section (saxophones, trumpets and sometimes trombones) is often used in funk bands to provide stabs and punches to accentuate rhythms and grooves.

Performers in this genre include James Brown with songs such as ‘I feel good’, Earth, Wind and fire, Kool and the Gang who had a hit single with ‘Celebration’, and Tower of Power. Funk has had a large influence on more recent forms of music such as disco and hip hop.

Disco Nothing sets of a party better than a bit of disco music, the genre which blended together two favourite music genres, soul and funk. Disco music became popular in the 1970’s and took over the mainstream pop music charts. This music form relies heavily on a very steady four to the floor bass drum beat, a quaver or semi quaver hi-hat pattern using an open hi-hat on the off beat, and a solid, often syncopated electric bass line. The vocals are high impact and use a great deal of reverb. Electric instruments including guitars, pianos, string sounds, often played on synthasisers, play in the background and are less important than the high impact drums and vocals. Popular artists in this genre include ‘The Jackson Five’, ‘The Bee Gees’ and ‘Donna Summer’, music by these artists is bound to get any aged person tapping or too their feet! Disco music helped the creation of techno and house in the 1990’s.

Charlotte Jones - Groove Online

What Is Special About Northern Soul?

Soul music was not only popularized in the US. The UK too had a great role in the popularity of soul music. One cannot talk about the history of soul music completely without making a mention about northern soul music. When we say northern soul music, we are talking about the form of soul music that was popular in the northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul music was basically the recordings of the American soul music and a number of blues. They were all fast beat tracks. A major portion of this music was from the northern States of the United States. It does not mean no music from the southern states of the US came to the UK. The artists from the UK started making their own soul music records by 1970. The term “Northern Soul” was first used by Dave Godin one of the journalist in 1970s.

The Mod Movement contributed a great deal towards the northern music and they shared a great passion for soul music. Many changes took place within the Mod Movement; some of them moved to become psychedelics while others to become skinheads while some stick to hard core Northern Soul.

Northern soul created its own trends in fashion as much as it did with music. Poly velt shoes, blazers with lots of buttons in the shirts and blazers along with baggy trousers became part of northern soul fashion. Club badges were not uncommon among the northern soul music artist. Northern soul has a definitive say on the fashion in 1970s.
Some of the northern soul clubs that contributed significantly to this genre of music include The Catadombs, Casino Club, North Park, Blackpool, KGB, Winter Gardens, VA VA, etc.

Soul music lovers will find that northern soul is one of the expensive genres. People are ready to pay £15,000 for rare soul music from the north. If you have a rare northern soul music collection, then you have a treasure with you. Many of the northern soul artists despite their talents could not shine much because they did not have enough financial backing to promote their projects. So they remained popular at local levels. Northern soul would have seen much greater glory if some of its top musicians had enough financial backing.

You will be able to find some of the most rare soul tunes in the UK and northern England continues to be a popular hub for soul music.

If you are interested in finding rare northern soul music collections, you will be able to find a plenty of collections that you will love at Raresoulgrooves.com. You can enjoy 24 hours TV with lovable soul tracks. You can also order some of the rarest tracks and albums here that you cannot find anywhere else on the web. Many soul music lovers find Raresoulgrooves.com a rare heaven.

If you want to enjoy the original essence of northern soul music, you must listen to the original tracks of the famous soul bands of 1970s.

TJ Grooves - Soul Music TV & Rare Soul Grooves.com

The Guitar and Soul Music

One of the essential characteristics of soul music is that it originated in an environment whereby access to musical instruments was very limited in all senses of the word. However, it was just the limitation of the people and the times in which this music originated and not the limitation of soul music. Soul music belongs to organic music genres and it is a combination of rhythm and blues and gospel music. Normally these genres are not linked with the guitar. Nonetheless, it does not mean that guitar cannot be used as an accompaniment for soul music. With the creativity of the musician, the guitar can become one of the best accompaniment instruments of Soul Music.

The backbone of soul music or the soul of soul music is the rhythm. In all the pop style music, the rhythm will be dependent on the drumbeats whereas in the soul music, the rhythm is not so much dependent on the drumbeats but it relies on the tempo of the vocalist’s voice. It is not easy to follow the tempo of the vocalist voice; it requires a lot of training and experience to accompany playing chords to accompany the vocalist.

So if you want to accompany soul music with the guitar, you must listen to lot of soul music CDs, especially the classic soul music. If you listen to the dynamics of soul music, you will be able to pick up that this genre of music has a kind of “call and response patter” in the lyrics. Most guitarists try to play a single chord at each line of the response. You can other combinations too, but if you are trying for the first time, it is best to start with this technique. As your ears get more accustomed to soul music, you will be able to work wonders with your chords. 

The dynamics of soul music varies a great deal when compared to jazz or reggae. You will need to provide only gentle markers with your chords while accompanying using minimal strumming. Whereas, jazz or reggae would require you to come in with continuous flow of rhythm. 

Soul music is more of a free style music, the singer can improvise anytime with the tone or with the tempo, so you should be attuned to the singers movements not so much to his or her bodily movements but his or her movements on the notes, scale and tempo. Only when you are with the singer you will be able to strike the right chord at the right time. One can easily get off tune while accompanying. What you should be attentive here is not the rhythm as in jazz or other pop genres but to the responsive change that is offered by the vocalist without any warning. If the vocalist sticks to rigid rhythm, soul music will not sound soul.

It is always the vocalist who dominates in soul music and all the accompaniments are kept at the background enhancing the vocalist’s voice. Like in all the other cases, it is practice that will make you perfect. 

TJ Grooves - Soul Music TV & Rare Soul Grooves.com

The Golden Era of Love Unlimited

Love Unlimited were a popular Soul Group of 1972-1980 and were formed by three sisters. Diane Taylor, Lindo James and Glodean James formed this band in 1969. The band gave numerous hit Read more

Jackie Wilson - Mr. Excitement!

A seventeen year American boy, who gave up boxing for his music talent, was soon recognized by Johnny Otis and became renowned by the name of Jackie Wilson. At that time, Johnny Otis was Read more

The Spinners from the Era of 1970’s.

A group of friends from Ferndale High School in 1954, assembled to make some good music including Billy Henderson, Henry Fambrough, C. P. Spencer, James Edwards and Pervis Jackson. Read more

The Staple Singers – “Soul Folk in Action!”

The Staple Singers were an American soul, R&B and gospel music group and were active in years 1948 to 1994. The group was formed by Reobuck Staples with his children Read more

Soul and R&B Concerts 02/14/2009 - 02/18/2009

70s Soul Jam
Liacouras Center
PHILADELPHIA, PA
02/14/2009 Read more

“Ben E King Sings for Soulful Lovers.”

Benjamin Earl Nelson commonly known as Ben E King is a famous American soul singer with genres in soul music and R&B. Ben E King has his occupation as singer, songwriter as well as record producer Read more

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