From 12-year-old multi-instrumentalist prodigy to groundbreaking adult songwriter and producer, Stevie Wonder is one of the handful of pop musicians who just about everybody agrees is possessed of genius. His 1960s recordings were great straight-up R…

Marvin Gaye began his career in the late 1950s, singing with various R&B vocal groups. Soon he moved on to work as a session drummer and vocalist at Motown. Gaye's own '60s albums are marked by propulsive, high-energy R&B, and duets with Mary Wells a…

Al Green's passionately regal voice, flying over the supple grooves of the Willie Mitchell-led Hi Records house band, was the very definition of both Memphis soul and early-1970s R&B. Green was a virtual hit machine for the first half of that decade,…

Earth, Wind & Fire was the brainchild of musical Renaissance man Maurice White, a successful ex-session drummer who recorded with everyone from Chuck Berry to John Coltrane. Essentially an R&B group, Earth, Wind & Fire expanded its sound to include e…

Aretha Franklin is one of the most important and influential female soul singers of the 20th century. The daughter of famed preacher Rev. C.L. Franklin, Memphis-born Aretha started out singing gospel while still in her teens in the 1950s, subsequentl…

The Temptations were the most successful R&B vocal group of the 1960s, their popularity rivaled only by Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. Despite several stylistic and line up changes (lead singers Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin both went on to …

Sylvester Stewart, known to the world as Sly Stone, had a musical vision that coalesced quickly in the late 1960s and sadly disintegrated after half a decade. As the leader of Sly & the Family Stone, he and his combination hippie commune/soul revue m…

One of the great 1960s soul men, Otis Redding combined the rhythmic grit of James Brown with the sweet gospel croon of Sam Cooke. The Georgia-born singer/songwriter had his first flush of success in '63 with "These Arms of Mine," and the hits kept fl…

From his beginnings as a sensitive singer and pianist through his ascent to superstardom, Elton John has enjoyed one of the longest and most successful careers in rock & roll. With his outrageous costumes and campy theatricality, the man formerly kno…

The Spinners hailed from Detroit, had roots in 1950s doo wop, and started out in the mid-'60s Motown scene, but they ultimately became known as the ultimate '70s Philly soul vocal group. Famed producer Thom Bell mated their soulful harmony blend with…

A semi-successful Motown vocal group in the early '60s, The Isley Brothers' historical importance would be assured if only for their original version of "Twist and Shout," and the fact that they provided Jimi Hendrix with one of his first big breaks.…

One of the most talented and successful R&B groups of the '70s, the Commodores appealed to a mainstream audience with a string of well-crafted, energetic hit singles and a dynamic live act. Most importantly, however, the group included Lionel Richie …

Although formed in 1958, The O'Jays failed to find major success until the early '70s when they signed to the Philadelphia International label. Under the direction of producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the group (along with label mate Harold Melvi…

Bob Dylan began as a Woody Guthrie acolyte, imitating the dust-bowl balladeer as faithfully as a baby boomer from Hibbing, Minnesota, could. It wasn't long before he found his own voice, spearheading the early-1960s folk revival as well as the singer…

The unrelenting intensity of James Brown's music has made him one of the most recognizable and influential performers since the 1950s. Starting out as a gospel singer, Brown soon switched to R&B and started scoring hits. As the '60s progressed, the s…

In the spotlight since the age of four, Michael Jackson rose to fame as the lead vocalist for the Jackson Five. In the late 1970s, Jackson embarked on a solo career as a young adult with the Quincy Jones-produced OFF THE WALL. With one hit album unde…

Over the course of four decades, Eric Clapton has carried the British blues legacy into the mainstream of pop music. From his mid-1960s days with the Yardbirds and John Mayall, through his years as guitar god with Cream and Blind Faith, and eventuall…

There are few musicians in modern pop music who can truly be called "genius," but in the case of Ray Charles, the term applies. His innovative singing, drawing on both gospel and pop, has inspired legions of great singers. With a long, prolific recor…

Kool & The Gang were one of the most popular outfits to emerge from the '70s funk/R&B movement. They began as a hard-grooving funk band, hitting big with "Jungle Boogie," but they later incorporated disco and pop into their sound. Their greatest succ…

Originally part of the early 1960s British blues/R&B scene, the Rolling Stones rapidly ascended the heights of fame with a perfect combination of hit singles and media-grabbing scandals. By the '70s, Keith Richards had become a bona fide guitar hero,…