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Ray Charles
Nicknamed “The Genius” for his skills as a singer, songwriter, musician and composer, Ray Charles set off a firestorm in 1955. That’s when he scored his first No. 1 single, “I’ve Got a Woman” -- and simultaneously pioneered the soul genre with his game-changing combination of R&B, gospel and blues. Despite naysayers who tagged the booty-shaking blend as blasphemous and sexually suggestive, Charles racked up such classics as “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” “What’d I Say” and “Hit the Road Jack.” -
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Historical R&B Artist
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Tina Turner
Tina Turner pumped out several classics in the ‘60s (“A Fool in Love,” “It’s Going to Work Out Fine”) before scoring dynamic success in 1971 with a fiercely energetic revamp of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Proud Mary.” -
Etta James
Best known for her indelible 1961 version of wedding standard “At Last,” Etta James first took off in 1955 with the R&B chart-topper “The Wallflower.” Her gutsy, take-no-prisoner vocals colorfully interpreted everything from blues and R&B/soul to rock n’roll, jazz and gospel. -
James Brown
The Godfather of Soul. Soul Brother No. 1. Hardest-working man in show business. James Brown was all that and more during a six-decade career that influenced the advent of funk and brought black pride into the musical conversation. Brown’s gritty, street-edged vocals -- a cross between singing and talking -- also laid the foundation for rap/hip-hop -
Sam Cooke
Former gospel singer Sam Cooke broke ground in 1957 with the R&B/pop crossover hit “You Send Me.” Setting the stage for such later soul disciples as Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Bobby Womack and Curtis Mayfeld, Cooke wrapped his smooth, melodic tenor around such unforgettable songs as “Chain Gang,” “Cupid,” “Having a Party” and “Another Saturday Night." -
Smokey Robinson
William “Smokey” Robinson has kept females swooning since the ‘60s when he and his group The Miracles helped put Motown on the map with such love-charged hits as “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Ooo Baby Baby.” -
Aretha Frankin
Aretha Franklin took soul to unprecedented heights with her 1967 breakout “Respect.” Subsequent gems like “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” “Think” and “Call Me” followed, as did the unquestionable sobriquet Queen of Soul. -
Marvin Gaye
with the socially themed 1971 landmark album What’s Going On. Gaye’s battle between spirituality versus sexuality erupted on the provocative follow-up Let’s Get It On. He soared back into limelight in 1983 with “Sexual Healing” and -- at the opposite end of the spectrum -- a soulful reading of the National Anthem -
Issac Hayes
Hayes was already a future Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee in the mid-‘60s. But the in-demand Stax Records session man didn’t stop there. His sonorous bass, shaved head and gold chains shook up the R&B status quo with the 1969 arrival of seminal debut album Hot Buttered Soul. Eschewing the standard three-minute single for 12-minute orchestral treatises (“Walk on By”) and similarly lengthy monologues (“By the Time I Get to Phoenix”), Hayes paved the way for disco and rap. -
Barry White
Barry White literally orchestrated a sea change for R&B in 1973. That’s when he created 40-piece backing band the Love Unlimited Orchestra (“Love’s Theme”), merging classical with R&B for the advent of disco. -
Chaka Khan
the 1978 anthem “I’m Every Woman” followed by “What Cha’ Gonna Do For Me,” “Through the Fire” and the R&B/hip-hop reworking of the Prince gem “I Feel For You.” Khan’s powerhouse vocals netted the singer her first solo nomination this year for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. -
Patti LaBelle
Over the next two decades, she traversed R&B, gospel and dance and pop terrain with “If Only You Knew,” “You Are My Friend,” “New Attitude,” “Stir It Up” and “On My Own” -- not to mention an electrifying version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
