Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community in the United States in the 1950s and early 1960s. It combines elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues and jazz. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening in the United States, where record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa.
Please Please Me is the debut studio album by the English rock band the Beatles. Parlophone rush-released the album on 22 March 1963 in the United Kingdom to capitalise on the success of the band's singles "Please Please Me" and "Love Me Do". The album topped Record Retailer's LP chart for 30 weeks, an unprecedented achievement for a pop album at that time.
Parlophone Records Limited is a German-British major record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded in 8 August 1923 as The Parlophone Co. Ltd., which developed a reputation in the 1920s as a jazz label. On 5 October 1926, the Columbia Graphophone Company acquired Parlophone's business, name, and release library, and merged with the Gramophone Company on 31 March 1931 to become Electric & Musical Industries Limited (EMI). George Martin joined Parlophone in 1950 as assistant label manager, taking over as manager in 1955. Martin produced and released a mix of product, including comedy recordings of The Goons, pianist Mrs Mills, and teen idol Adam Faith.
Martha and the Vandellas were an American all-female vocal group formed in 1957. The group achieved fame in the 1960s with Motown. Selected members of the group were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Formed in 1957 by friends Annette Beard, Rosalind Ashford and Gloria Williams, the group eventually included Martha Reeves, who moved up in ranks as lead vocalist of the group after Williams' departure in 1962. The group signed with and eventually recorded all of their singles for Motown's Gordy imprint.
Capitol Records, Inc. is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label in the United States in 1942 by Johnny Mercer, Buddy DeSylva, and Glenn E. Wallichs. Capitol was acquired by British music conglomerate EMI as its North American subsidiary in 1955. EMI was acquired by Universal Music Group in 2012 and was merged with the company a year later, making Capitol and the Capitol Music Group both a part of UMG. The label's circular headquarter building in Hollywood is a recognized landmark of California.
The Fourmost were an English Merseybeat band that recorded in the 1960s. Their biggest UK hit single was "A Little Loving" in 1964.
Arthur Alexander was an American country songwriter and soul singer. Jason Ankeny, music critic for Allmusic, said Alexander was a "country-soul pioneer" and that, though largely unknown, "his music is the stuff of genius, a poignant and deeply intimate body of work on par with the best of his contemporaries." Alexander's songs were covered by such stars as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Otis Redding, Tina Turner and Jerry Lee Lewis.
Mary Esther Wells was an American singer who helped to define the emerging sound of Motown in the early 1960s. Along with the Supremes, the Miracles, the Temptations, and the Four Tops, Wells was said to have been part of the charge in black music onto radio stations and record shelves of mainstream America, "bridging the color lines in music at the time."
"Twist and Shout" is a 1961 song written by Phil Medley and Bert Berns. The song was originally recorded by the Top Notes. It first became a chart hit as a single by the Isley Brothers in 1962. The song has since been covered by several artists, including the Beatles on their first album Please Please Me (1963), as well as the Tremeloes in 1962 and the Who in 1970 and 1984.
Backing vocalists or backup singers are singers who provide vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. In some cases, a backing vocalist may sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are used in a broad range of popular music, traditional music and world music styles.
Patrice Yvonne Holloway was an African-American soul and pop singer.
"Devil in His Heart" is a song written by Richard P. Drapkin, who recorded under the name Ricky Dee.
"Bad Boy" is a song composed and recorded by Larry Williams. The song was recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California on August 14, 1958. The musicians on the recording included Williams on vocals and piano, Earl Palmer on drums, René Hall on guitar, Jewell Grant on baritone sax, Plas Johnson on tenor sax, and Ted Brinson on bass. The record did not break the Top 40 charts in the United States.
The Vernons Girls were an English musical ensemble of female vocalists. They were formed at the Vernons football pools company in the 1950s in Liverpool, settling down to a sixteen strong choir and recording an album of standards.
"Baby It's You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach (music), Luther Dixon, and Mack David (lyrics). It was recorded by the Shirelles and the Beatles, and became hits for both. The highest-charting version of "Baby It's You" was by the band Smith, who took the song to number five on the US charts in 1969.
Dawn Angeliqué Richard, known professionally as Dawn Richard or D∆WN, is an American singer-songwriter, actress and animator. Richard started her career after auditioning for Making the Band 3 in 2004. During this time Richard became a member of American girl band Danity Kane, from 2005 to 2009, and reformed the group with 3 of the original 5 members in late 2013. In 2009 Richard joined Diddy-Dirty Money with label head Sean "Diddy" Combs and Kalenna Harper, disbanding in 2011.
The Jaynetts were a girl group based in The Bronx, New York, who became a one-hit wonder in 1963 with the song "Sally Go 'Round the Roses", which reached No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Wanda Young is a retired American singer, famous for being a member and co-lead singer of the popular Motown all-female singing group the Marvelettes.
Thornetta Davis is an American Detroit blues and rhythm and blues singer. She has opened for Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, and Etta James, and sang backing vocals on Bob Seger's 1991 album, The Fire Inside. She also worked with Kid Rock and Alberta Adams, and has released two full-length solo albums.
The Top Notes was a rhythm and blues vocal group, centered around the singers Derek Martin and Howard Guyton. They released a number of singles in the early 1960s, amongst which was the first recording of "Twist and Shout".
