(ThyBlackMan.com) The first time I heard Jimmy Ruffin sing, it stopped me in my tracks. His voice didn’t just carry a melody—it carried a lifetime of emotions. There was something so honest, so ...

Growing up in Philadelphia in the 1990s, I listened to soul singer-turned-R&B sex symbol Teddy Pendergrass and other artists ...

Five years after it was founded and six years before it relocated to Arkansas, the Oxford American put out its first-ever issue devoted to Southern music. With the exception of 2002 and 2004, when the ...

A properly potent blend of deep funk and soul cuts to score the holidaze. Funk used to be a ba(aaa)d word. Or so they say. But what George Clinton and the musical misfits of the '60s and '70s once ...

It’s an anniversary year for Memphis music, with both Stax and Hi/Royal celebrating their 60th birthdays with various concerts and events over the past year. To honor these dual pillars of Memphis ...

Curtis Mayfield was one of the premiere voices in soul music. Since clinching his first hit record in 1958, Mayfield carved out a unique space in the world of music: taking a stand against the ...

The last few years saw a revival of R&B/soul ballad songs, with the rise of artists like Frank Ocean, Bryson Tiller, 6LACK, H.E.R., Khalid, Daniel Caesar, Sampha, dvsn and others. Everybody loves a ...

On her final, posthumously released album, Jones alternates powerful ballads with the upbeat dance numbers that were staples of her live shows, confirming her stature a contemporary soul-music icon.

SODOM LAUREL - While Madison County residents are aware of the county's outsized impact on music, led by its rich ballad singing, the tradition spanning at least eight generations is now getting ...