The popularity of all modern soul singers is determined by a single thing, being an unknown. It is a music genre made popular in England by youth sub-cultures who loved soul music from the United States. English DJs brought the songs of little known American singers to English venues, where they grew into a northern soul movement. The latter is a spin-off of the northern soul movement; it started in the 1970s.
The new style of music is characterized by soulful lyrics and melodies and an uptempo beat. The term modern came from comparison to the more traditional, and frenetic sounds of northern. The soulful sound was a newer, more complex genre than its counterpart. The two styles coexist in British venues today.
The fans began as converts from the northern style. They still appreciated the uniqueness of rare titles mined from little known, independent labels in America. However, they preferred the contemporary sound along with the new releases that never seemed to stop.
Blackpool Mecca became one of the first British clubs to shift from northern to modern style, eventually becoming famous as a modern soul venue. DJ Ian Levine was responsible for starting the movement there with the song, It Really Hurts Me Girl, by the Carstairs.
Eventually, there was a rift between fans of the two styles. The former fans thought their counterparts were sellouts to artists who frequently went on make mainstream music. Latter fans felt their counterparts were musically limiting and missing out. They separated and clubs played one style or the other exclusively. Now, either style will be played in any British club featuring either genre.
Singer Johnny Bristol was an example of the kind of artist followed by the new group of fans. He released songs for independent labels Anna Records and Tri Phi. They were marginal successes in the United States, but became underground favorites. He spent the next several years writing and producing songs for other artists. In the late seventies, he recorded two albums with Atlantic Records. One of the tracks called, Strangers in the Dark Corners, became a hit in the rare songs scene. It is the rarity of a song that gives it appeal to underground audiences.
The contemporary movement allows for greater crossover appeal than could be offered through the northern movement. Artists in the traditional genre are popular because they are unique, rare, and out of the mainstream. Newer genre artists, however, may start out being obscure, but often attain some level of general appeal. Bobby Womack, The Whispers, and Luther Vandross are among artists who fall into this category. They each rose from anonymity to great success and popularity with mainstream fans.
When Cotillion record label released the first albums of Luther Vandross, he was an unknown. He became a well-known solo artist in the eighties, and was nominated for thirty-one Grammys over his career, winning eight times. After a great career, Bobby Womack was a 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. The Whispers had two albums go number one during their long career together. They had two albums go gold and three go platinum. Several modern soul singers earned fame as well, but to a lesser degree. Most artists retained virtual anonymity, but were loved in the movement.
The new style of music is characterized by soulful lyrics and melodies and an uptempo beat. The term modern came from comparison to the more traditional, and frenetic sounds of northern. The soulful sound was a newer, more complex genre than its counterpart. The two styles coexist in British venues today.
The fans began as converts from the northern style. They still appreciated the uniqueness of rare titles mined from little known, independent labels in America. However, they preferred the contemporary sound along with the new releases that never seemed to stop.
Blackpool Mecca became one of the first British clubs to shift from northern to modern style, eventually becoming famous as a modern soul venue. DJ Ian Levine was responsible for starting the movement there with the song, It Really Hurts Me Girl, by the Carstairs.
Eventually, there was a rift between fans of the two styles. The former fans thought their counterparts were sellouts to artists who frequently went on make mainstream music. Latter fans felt their counterparts were musically limiting and missing out. They separated and clubs played one style or the other exclusively. Now, either style will be played in any British club featuring either genre.
Singer Johnny Bristol was an example of the kind of artist followed by the new group of fans. He released songs for independent labels Anna Records and Tri Phi. They were marginal successes in the United States, but became underground favorites. He spent the next several years writing and producing songs for other artists. In the late seventies, he recorded two albums with Atlantic Records. One of the tracks called, Strangers in the Dark Corners, became a hit in the rare songs scene. It is the rarity of a song that gives it appeal to underground audiences.
The contemporary movement allows for greater crossover appeal than could be offered through the northern movement. Artists in the traditional genre are popular because they are unique, rare, and out of the mainstream. Newer genre artists, however, may start out being obscure, but often attain some level of general appeal. Bobby Womack, The Whispers, and Luther Vandross are among artists who fall into this category. They each rose from anonymity to great success and popularity with mainstream fans.
When Cotillion record label released the first albums of Luther Vandross, he was an unknown. He became a well-known solo artist in the eighties, and was nominated for thirty-one Grammys over his career, winning eight times. After a great career, Bobby Womack was a 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee. The Whispers had two albums go number one during their long career together. They had two albums go gold and three go platinum. Several modern soul singers earned fame as well, but to a lesser degree. Most artists retained virtual anonymity, but were loved in the movement.
About the Author:
For helpful info modern soul singers take a look at Pauline Newman's home page. You can find out all about this talented singer when you visit http://www.paulineenewman.com today.
No comments:
Post a Comment