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Thursday 26 March 2015

Why Has Soul Music been removed from the Music categories ? Lets bring it back #SoulTown

After watching an awards program back in 2005, Ola Onabule wrote the song, ''Soul Town'' asking why ? has the music we love so much, been removed from all the award ceremony music categories...





Soull Music as much as we love it, but why has it been removed from today's musical categories? Sam Cooke was one of the first to release a #1 Soul single, as far back as 1957 with, ''You Send Me''.





The single went on to inspire many Soulful artists including, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack, Jackie Wilson, were also on the same path. Motown RecordsBerry Gordy enjoyed his first taste of early success making, Wilson into a R&B / Soul superstar. Gordy used the money from, ''Lonely Teardrops'' single success to form Motown Records within a year in the January of 1959. 


Motown records had hit after hit, with such greats as,Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Marvin Gaye, Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Four Tops and many other great artists, songwriters and producers. 
Other record labels followed including, Stax Records, Atlantic Records, & Philadelphia International Records, who later enjoyed much success in the 70's & 80's .
Soul Music was selling by the bucket, even back then labeled as Rhythm & Blues (R&B), in some cases, later in Billboard Magazine listing a chart as, ''Best selling Hot Soul Chart.''

 As we went on through to the 70's, many Soul artists started recordingDisco Songs, as the  Disco scene exploded we then had, The Disco Charts and The Disco category remained popular with the mainstream until about 1979, although it's never really disappeared, as even today artists such as,Robin Thicke, Daft Punk, Bruno Mars, and the likes, we will keep having hits with the Disco Style sound as it's a Genre we once accepted and still love & will always accept again.






Boogie followed in the 80's, with many Disco artist recording under this tag, oh how we must love putting Music into CategoriesFunk, Jazz-Funk,Psychedelic Funk, Blue Eyed Soul etc... 

What has happened in 2014 is the big question? 
These days the Award ceremonies have forgotten Soul Music, they have many categories even, Gospel, Country, Jazz, Rap, Latin, Dance/ Electronic (which includes House Music), R&B , but No Soul or Soulful

True the likes of, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Mary J Blidge, can fit into theR&B category, but where do we place such artists such as, Michael Jackson,Smokey Robinson, Aretha Franklin, who have had strong sellers this year? 
Ron Islet, Kem, Will Downing, Chris Jasper, Earth Wind & Fire, Betty Wright, have no music category to fit into as such! 

Maybe it would be a good idea to do a Soulful category? If  Anita Baker's new album ever gets a release i'm sure this would fit this section as would many Grammy award winning Soul artists that are still recording today. 



It's a great pity, not only have the record shops (that we have left), but the download stores also, are just not sure where to put Soul music!
Lisa Stansfield has just had a top 20 UK album, with so many people still saying, we did not know ,Lisa Stansfield has a new album or where do we find music like this?
Please help spread the word! SOUL MUSIC is here to stay, as we all need it! The music we love & grew up with so, Lets keep it Soulful. 




Soul Town by Ola Onabule the remixes will be released on 13th April on DSG Music to see if we can't bring Soul back to the place we love ... 



Colin Watson CW Remix, Mike Maurro House Of Soul Remix, Nigel Lowis Remix 
to be released 13th April on DSG Music.


Where you gonna go, now that Soul Town’s gone 
How you gonna do, What ’has been so undone 
Once you were hip, right at the tip 
The very essence of cool 
Street savvy and fly, Steel in your eye 
Thought you were nobody’s fool
It’s why I wanna know
What you gonna say, when they talk it down
That at the peak of it’s day ,
It was nothing, nothing but a plain Jane town
You say Soul Town, Is the way it ‘s all meant to be
And someday we’ll build it all again,
When we’ve had enough of this emptiness
Far too much of this loneliness
We’ll start afresh, raise it up, and grow
When you gonna see, that Soul Towns passed
And all those beautiful people you used to know,
Well they ain’t so fast
You riding high, in infinite skies
Just being that was your precious pearl
With one dream in your hearts and faith in that dream
You thought you’d be changing the world
You say Soul Town’s the prettiest place you knew
And someday we’ll build it all again,
When we’ve had enough of this emptiness
Far too much of this loneliness
We’ll start afresh, raise it up, and grow
Where you gonna go, now that Soul Town’s gone
How you gonna do, What ‘s been so undone
This! This ain’t nostalgia, This ain’t a love song
I’m talking bout Soul Town, because Soul Town’s gone
Those crazy clothes you used to wear, flowers in your hair
And your peace signs everywhere, way on back in Soul Town
Somebody tell me what happened to all those dreams of peace,
And understanding and harmony and brotherhood and love,
Being together for ever and ever
Don’t it seem like Soul Town, Soul Town is gone
This! This ain’t a love song This ain’t nostalgia,
Thus is a silly game we played with a game we loved
Way on back in Soul Soul Soul Town





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