Soul Man (song)
Encyclopedia
"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written by Isaac Hayes
and David Porter
, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records
soul
duo Sam & Dave
.
found the inspiration for "Soul Man" in the turmoil of the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In July 1967, the 12th Street Riot
in Detroit, Michigan
occurred. Watching a television newscast of the aftermath of the riots, Hayes noted that black Detroit residents had marked the buildings that had not been destroyed during the riots - most African-American owned and operated institutions - with the word "soul". Relating this occurrence to the biblical
story of the Passover
, Hayes and songwriting partner David Porter
came up with the idea, in Hayes' words, of "a story about one's struggle to rise above his present conditions. It's almost a tune [where it's] kind of like boasting 'I'm a soul man'. It's a pride thing."
Issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax
label for which Hayes and Porter worked, Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" was the most successful Stax single to date upon its release. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart, and at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
in the United States
during the autumn of 1967. "Soul Man" was awarded the 1968 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental
.
The exclamation "Play it, Steve" heard in the song refers to guitarist Steve Cropper
of Booker T. & the M.G.'s
, the house band who provided the instrumentation for this and many other Sam and Dave singles; Cropper provides guitar for both the original Sam and Dave recording, as well as the live and studio covers by the Blues Brothers.
singing the words "Comin' to you...", whereas the other version goes straight in from the intro with no roll, and the drum kick and opening lyrical line are not as enthusiastic. The latter rendition is the more readily available version in all formats, whereas the former rendition tends to be harder to find, but can be found most often on the radio or on original 45 vinyl pressings.
band member Sweet Charles Sherrell
recorded the song for his 1974 debut solo album Sweet Charles: For Sweet People, on Brown's People Records label.
The Blues Brothers performed the song on an episode of the NBC
comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live
in late November 1978, and later released the song as a single that reached the top twenty in March 1979. The song was performed by Lou Reed
and Sam Moore
on the soundtrack to the comedy film, Soul Man
(1986), supported by a music video
.
In 2004, the song was performed by the comedy duo Drake Bell
and Josh Peck
on their sitcom
, Drake & Josh
, in the episode "Blues Brothers". The song appeared on the show's soundtrack
, released in 2005.
In 2007, Australian singer Guy Sebastian
covered the song for his fourth album, The Memphis Album
, which featured Steve Cropper
and Donald "Duck" Dunn, two of the musicians featured on the first ever recording of "Soul Man" 40 years ago, and were also members of the Blues Brothers' band.
Ted Nugent
often performs "Soul Man" in his live shows, as did Prince
during his Musicology
tour.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
covered "Soul Man" on their album "Goin' To Memphis"
Howard Hewett
covered "Soul Man" as a placeholder theme song for Season 2 of the ABC
series Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
starring Mark Curry
. The song was a temporary replacement for the original theme song which was performed by fellow cast members Holly Robinson and Dawnn Lewis
, who had just left the cast after the end of Season 1 and was ultimately a result of Lewis' departure.
It was also used as the theme for the late 1990s ABC sitcom Soul Man
.
The American alternative band Three Penny Ride recorded it in their song "R&B Triple Play" in 2010
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
and David Porter
David Porter (musician)
David Porter is an American soul musician. Porter is best known as the songwriting and production partner of Isaac Hayes at Stax Records during the 1960s...
, first successful as a #2 hit single by Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
duo Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave
Sam & Dave were an American soul and rhythm and blues duo who performed together from 1961 through 1981. The tenor voice was Samuel David Moore , and the baritone/tenor voice was Dave Prater .Sam & Dave are members of...
.
Song history and background
Co-author Isaac HayesIsaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
found the inspiration for "Soul Man" in the turmoil of the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. In July 1967, the 12th Street Riot
12th Street riot
The 1967 Detroit riot, also known as the 12th Street riot, was a civil disturbance in Detroit, Michigan, that began in the early morning hours of Sunday, July 23, 1967. The precipitating event was a police raid of an unlicensed, after-hours bar then known as a blind pig, on the corner of 12th and...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
occurred. Watching a television newscast of the aftermath of the riots, Hayes noted that black Detroit residents had marked the buildings that had not been destroyed during the riots - most African-American owned and operated institutions - with the word "soul". Relating this occurrence to the biblical
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
story of the Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
, Hayes and songwriting partner David Porter
David Porter (musician)
David Porter is an American soul musician. Porter is best known as the songwriting and production partner of Isaac Hayes at Stax Records during the 1960s...
came up with the idea, in Hayes' words, of "a story about one's struggle to rise above his present conditions. It's almost a tune [where it's] kind of like boasting 'I'm a soul man'. It's a pride thing."
Issued on the Atlantic-distributed Stax
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
label for which Hayes and Porter worked, Sam and Dave's "Soul Man" was the most successful Stax single to date upon its release. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart, and at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the autumn of 1967. "Soul Man" was awarded the 1968 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental
Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...
.
The exclamation "Play it, Steve" heard in the song refers to guitarist Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
of Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
, the house band who provided the instrumentation for this and many other Sam and Dave singles; Cropper provides guitar for both the original Sam and Dave recording, as well as the live and studio covers by the Blues Brothers.
Original and alternate recording
During the same session, two versions of "Soul Man" were subsequently recorded and released. The distinct difference between the two versions can be found within the first thirty seconds of the song, where one version opens the tune with a trilling roll, an emphatic drum kick and a more enthusiastic Sam MooreSam Moore
Samuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981...
singing the words "Comin' to you...", whereas the other version goes straight in from the intro with no roll, and the drum kick and opening lyrical line are not as enthusiastic. The latter rendition is the more readily available version in all formats, whereas the former rendition tends to be harder to find, but can be found most often on the radio or on original 45 vinyl pressings.
Cover versions
James BrownJames Brown
James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
band member Sweet Charles Sherrell
Sweet Charles Sherrell
"Sweet" Charles Sherrell is an American bassist known for recording and performing with James Brown.-Biography:Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Sherrell began his career playing drums with fellow Nashville residents Jimi Hendrix and Billy Cox, practicing at a club a block from Hendrix's residence...
recorded the song for his 1974 debut solo album Sweet Charles: For Sweet People, on Brown's People Records label.
The Blues Brothers performed the song on an episode of the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy/variety show Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
in late November 1978, and later released the song as a single that reached the top twenty in March 1979. The song was performed by Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
and Sam Moore
Sam Moore
Samuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981...
on the soundtrack to the comedy film, Soul Man
Soul Man (film)
Soul Man is a comedy film made in 1986 about a man who undergoes racial transformation with pills to qualify for a Black only scholarship at Harvard Law School. It stars C. Thomas Howell, Rae Dawn Chong, Arye Gross, James Earl Jones, Leslie Nielsen, James B...
(1986), supported by a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
.
In 2004, the song was performed by the comedy duo Drake Bell
Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell , better known as Drake Bell, is an American actor, comedian, guitarist, singer/songwriter, producer, and occasional television director. After beginning his career as a child star in the late 1990s and early 2000s, he appeared on The Amanda Show and became well-known among young...
and Josh Peck
Josh Peck
Joshua Michael "Josh" Peck is an American actor, comedian, director, and voice actor best known for playing Josh Nichols in the Nickelodeon live-action sitcom Drake & Josh. He began his career as a child actor in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and became known to young audiences after his role on...
on their sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
, Drake & Josh
Drake & Josh
Drake & Josh is an American sitcom that premiered on the Nickelodeon television network on January 11, 2004, which follows the lives of two stepbrothers. It stars Drake Bell and Josh Peck as stepbrothers Drake Parker and Josh Nichols, respectively. Both actors had played roles in The Amanda Show,...
, in the episode "Blues Brothers". The song appeared on the show's soundtrack
Drake & Josh: Songs from and inspired by the hit TV show
The Drake & Josh soundtrack is the soundtrack that features many of the songs from the Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh...
, released in 2005.
In 2007, Australian singer Guy Sebastian
Guy Sebastian
Guy Theodore Sebastian is an Australian pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter who was the first winner of Australian Idol in 2003. He is currently a judge on the Australian version of The X Factor. Sebastian has released six top ten platinum/multi platinum albums, including a number-one and...
covered the song for his fourth album, The Memphis Album
The Memphis Album
The Memphis Album is a cover album of Memphis soul songs by Australian singer Guy Sebastian released in Australia by Sony Music on 10 November 2007. The album was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis with Steve Cropper, Donald 'Duck' Dunn, Steve Potts , and Lester Snell...
, which featured Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper
Steve Cropper , also known as Steve "The Colonel" Cropper, is an American guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the guitarist of the Stax Records house band, Booker T...
and Donald "Duck" Dunn, two of the musicians featured on the first ever recording of "Soul Man" 40 years ago, and were also members of the Blues Brothers' band.
Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...
often performs "Soul Man" in his live shows, as did Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
during his Musicology
Musicology (album)
Musicology is the thirtieth studio album by Prince, released on April 20, 2004, which proved to be his most successful in years, reaching the Top 5 of the album charts in the U.S, UK, Germany, and many other countries....
tour.
Paul Revere & The Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders
Paul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks" , "Hungry" , "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" and the 1971 No...
covered "Soul Man" on their album "Goin' To Memphis"
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett
Howard Hewett is an American R&B and gospel singer and former lead vocalist of the R&B group Shalamar.Raised in Akron, Ohio, Hewett moved to Los Angeles. He would eventually meet Soul Train dancer and future first wife Rainey Riley-Cunningham, then a secretary of the show's creator and original...
covered "Soul Man" as a placeholder theme song for Season 2 of the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
series Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...
starring Mark Curry
Mark Curry (actor)
Mark G. Curry is an American actor and comedian. He is best known as the star of the ABC sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, and as one of the various hosts of the syndicated series It's Showtime at the Apollo.-Early life and education:...
. The song was a temporary replacement for the original theme song which was performed by fellow cast members Holly Robinson and Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis
Dawnn Lewis is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for her roles on sitcoms such as A Different World and in the first season of Hangin' with Mr. Cooper.-Career:...
, who had just left the cast after the end of Season 1 and was ultimately a result of Lewis' departure.
It was also used as the theme for the late 1990s ABC sitcom Soul Man
Soul Man (TV series)
Soul Man is an American sitcom that aired on ABC in 1997 that lasted two seasons and starred Dan Aykroyd.The series premiered on April 15, 1997, and was picked up for a second season of 22 episodes after only three episodes aired for the first season...
.
The American alternative band Three Penny Ride recorded it in their song "R&B Triple Play" in 2010
Personnel
- Vocals by Sam MooreSam MooreSamuel David Moore is an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the tenor vocalist for the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 through 1981...
and Dave PraterDave PraterDave Prater was an American Southern Soul and Rhythm & Blues singer who was the deeper, baritone and second tenor vocalist of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave from 1961 until his death in 1988... - Instrumentation by Booker T. & the MG's and the Mar-Keys HornsMar-KeysThe Mar-Keys, formed in 1958, were an American studio session band for the Stax label from Memphis, Tennessee, in the 1960s. As the first house band for the label, their backing music formed the foundation for the early 1960s Stax sound.-Career:...