Civil Rights Movement

Soul music gave individuality to African-Americans in struggling in the US, during the  Civil Rights movement .  Many started to equate soul music to preserve the African American identity while facing prejudice.

During the Civil Rights Movement, it is obvious that African Americans supported other artists who were involved in the soul music scene.  For instance, Otis Redding achieved records with turnouts at some of his concerts.   He also made enough money to start a record company called Jotis, which supported other African American acts.

 

Motown also put out a record of Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech in 1963.

 

Aretha Franklin “Queen of Soul”

According to the website,  Divas, The Site,  many people felt that Aretha Franklin represented Black America, in which she helped boost the dignity and respect of African Americans during the Civil Rights Movement.

 

Per James Brown 

“The word ‘soul’ by this time meant a lot of things—in music and out.  It was about the roots of black music, and it was a kind of pride thing, too, being proud of yourself and your people.  Soul music and the civil rights movement went hand in hand, sort of grew up together.”  excerpt from Rockin’ in Time: A Social History of Rock-and-Roll, pg 168

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking at the Civil Rights March on Washington, D.C., in 1963.

Credit: National Archives and Records Administration

Picture of Aretha Franklin performing at the Nokia Theater in Dallas, Texas, on April 21, 2007. Photo taken by Ryan Arrowsmith.