Psychedelic soul (originally called black rock or conflated with psychedelic funk) is a music genre that emerged in the late 1960s and saw Black soul musicians embrace elements of

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

, including its production techniques, instrumentation, effects units ( wah-wah pedal, phaser, etc.) and drug influences. It came to prominence in the late 1960s and continued into the 1970s, playing a major role in the development of

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

and

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

. Pioneering acts working in the genre included Sly and the Family Stone,

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, actor, songwriter, and composer. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwri ...

, and the Temptations. Mainstream acts that developed a psychedelic sound included the Supremes,

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, the Chambers Brothers, the 5th Dimension, Edwin Starr, Rare Earth, Arthur Brown and George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic ensemble.

History

Origins

Following the lead of

, in the late 1960s psychedelia began to have a widespread impact on

Afro American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of enslav ...

musicians, particularly the stars of the

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

label."Psychedelic soul"
''AllMusic'', retrieved 27 February 2017. Influenced by the civil rights movement, it had a darker and more political edge than much psychedelic rock. Building on the

sound of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honor ...

, it was pioneered by Sly and the Family Stone with songs like " Dance to the Music" (1968), " Everyday People" (1968) and " I Want to Take You Higher" (1969), which had a sound that emphasized distorted electric rhythm guitar and strong basslines.R. Gulla, ''Icons of R&B and Soul: an Encyclopedia of the Artists who Revolutionized Rhythm, Volume 2'' (London: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2008), , pp. 278–81. Also important were the Temptations and their producer Norman Whitfield, who moved from a relatively light vocal group into more hard-edged and topical material like "

Cloud Nine Cloud Nine, cloud 9 or cloud nine is a name colloquially given to the state of euphoria, and may refer to: Books and comics * Cloud 9 (comics), a Marvel Comics superhero that debuted in ''Avengers: The Initiative'' * ''Cloud Nine'' (novel), a 19 ...

" (1968), "

Runaway Child, Running Wild "Runaway Child, Running Wild" (shown as "Run Away Child, Running Wild" on the label of the original single) is a 1969 hit single for the Gordy (Motown) label, performed by The Temptations and produced by Norman Whitfield. The single was both the s ...

" (1969), and " Psychedelic Shack" (1969).

Development

Other Motown acts soon followed into psychedelic territory, including established performers like the Supremes with " Reflections" (1967), " Love Child" (1968), and " Stoned Love" (1970). Psychedelic influences could also be heard in the work of

and in

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., who also spelled his surname as Gaye (April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984), was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo ar ...

's socially conscious work from '' What's Going On'' (1971). Acts that broke through with psychedelic soul included the Chambers Brothers with " Time Has Come Today" (1966, but charting in 1968), the 5th Dimension with a cover of Laura Nyro's " Stoned Soul Picnic" (1968),G. Case, ''Out of Our Heads: Rock 'n' Roll Before the Drugs Wore Off'' (Milwaukie, MI: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2010), , pp. 70–1. Edwin Starr's " War" (1970) and the Undisputed Truth's " Smiling Faces Sometimes" (1971). George Clinton's interdependent Funkadelic and Parliament ensembles and their various spin-offs, taking influence from Detroit rock groups including

MC5 MC5, also commonly called The MC5, is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The original line-up consisted of Rob Tyner (vocals) Wayne Kramer (guitar), Fred "Sonic" Smith (guitar), Michael Davis (bass), and Dennis ...

and The Stooges, used extended distorted guitar solos and psychedelic sound effects, coupled with surreal imagery and stage antics, especially on early Funkadelic albums such as '' Funkadelic'' (1970), '' Free Your Mind... and Your Ass Will Follow'' (1970), and ''

Maggot Brain ''Maggot Brain'' is the third studio album by the American funk rock band Funkadelic, released by Westbound Records in July 1971. It was produced by band leader George Clinton and recorded at United Sound Systems in Detroit during late 1970 an ...

'' (1971); and Parliament album ''

Osmium Osmium (from Greek grc, ὀσμή, osme, smell, label=none) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mos ...

'' (1970),J. S. Harrington, ''Sonic Cool: the Life & Death of Rock 'n' Roll'' (Milwaukie, MI: Hal Leonard Corporation, 2002), , pp. 249–50. producing more than forty singles, including three in the US top ten, and three platinum albums.V. Bogdanov, C. Woodstra and S. T. Erlewine, ''All Music Guide to Rock: the Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul'' (Milwaukee, WI: Backbeat Books, 3rd edn., 2002), , p. 226. Shuggie Otis's 1974 album ''

Inspiration Information ''Inspiration Information'' is the third album by Shuggie Otis, who produced it and performed most of its instrumental parts. Released in 1974 on Epic Records, it reached number 181 on '' Billboards Top 200 Pop Albums list, and its title track al ...

'' was a psychedelic soul record that emerged too late to take advantage of the style's popularity, but later found acclaim when it was reissued in 2001.

Decline and influence

While psychedelic rock began to waver at the end of the 1960s, psychedelic soul continued into the 1970s, peaking in popularity in the early years of the decade, and only disappearing in the late 1970s as tastes began to change.

and Curtis Mayfield added orchestral instrumentation, creating

cinematic soul Cinematic soul is a genre of soul music with a "cinematic" style, combining traditional rock / soul arrangements with orchestral instruments. Style Cinematic soul builds on the foundations of soul music. The backing track can include drum kit, dr ...

, which ultimately led to

. Acts like Earth, Wind & Fire, Kool & the Gang, and

Ohio Players Ohio Players is an American funk band, most popular in the 1970s. They are best known for their songs "Fire (Ohio Players song), Fire" and "Love Rollercoaster", and for their erotic album covers that featured nude or nearly nude women. Many of t ...

, who began as psychedelic soul artists, incorporated its sounds into funk music and eventually the disco which partly replaced it.A. Bennett, ''Rock and Popular Music: Politics, Policies, Institutions'' (Abingdon: Routledge, 1993), , p. 239.

Modern artists

Modern psychedelic soul artists include Erykah Badu,

Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...

, Janelle Monáe, and

Black Pumas Black Pumas is an American psychedelic soul band based in Austin, Texas, led by singer/songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist/ producer Adrian Quesada. The group received its first Grammy Award nomination in 2020 for Best New Artist. History In 20 ...

References