Artist Index How to use Artist INDEX

Voyage　

One Way　

This was the later identity of the group originally called the Soul Partners. Al Hudson, Alicia Myers, guitarists Dave Robertson and Cortez Harris, bassist Kevin McCord, and drummers ..more

Laura Lee　

A tough ’60s soul singer with a salty sense of humor (aimed mostly at the men in her life), Laura Lee recorded at Rick Hall’s FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals for the Chess label, and late ..more

Roberta Flack / Donny Hathaway　

Roberta Flack　

Classy, urbane, reserved, smooth, and sophisticated -- all of these terms have been used to describe the music of Roberta Flack, particularly her string of romantic, light jazz ballad hits in ..more

Regina Belle　

Regina Belle emerged as a prolific, consistently engaging vocalist on the urban contemporary scene. Born in New Jersey, Belle’s early experience was in gospel, though she was also attracte ..more

Ray Parker Jr.　

Guitarist/songwriter/producer Ray Parker, Jr. had hits as Raydio (the million-selling Jack and Jill, You Can’t Change That), Ray Parker Jr. and Raydio (Two Places at the Same Time ..more

Ray Charles　

Ray Charles was the musician most responsible for developing soul music. Singers like Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Charles did even more to ..more

Luther Vandross　

Luther Vandross was one of the most successful R＆B artists of the 1980s and ’90s. Not only did he score a series of multi-million-selling albums containing chart-topping hit singles and perform ..more

Lou Ragland　

Linda Lewis　

Born in London, Linda Lewis made her stage debut as a child, performing alongside her mother and father in the clubs near her East End home. In 1961, again encouraged by her parents, Lewis land ..more

Little Beaver　

Born William Hale on August 15, 1945, in Forrest City, AR, Little Beaver moved to Florida when he was a teenager. After recording for other labels, he recorded sides for the Cat label, an imp ..more

Leon Ware　

Songwriter, singer, and producer Leon Ware is one of the less-recognized products of the Motown Records music factory of the 1960s and ’70s, primarily because he has tended to work behind the sc ..more

Lionel Richie　

After leaving the Commodores, Lionel Richie became one of the most successful male solo artists of the ’80s, arguably eclipsed during his 1981-1987 heyday only by Michael Jackson and Prince ..more

Eugene Mcdaniels　

Unv　

John J-Ski Powe and his brother Shawn grew up singing together in Lansing, MI. They added John J.C. Clay and Demetrius Peete (aka Peete) in high school and college; the quartet formed ..more

Melba Moore　

There were early signs that Melba Moore would become an entertainer. The most obvious motivation was her mother, Bonnie Davis, who was also a successful singer. Witnessing the success that her m ..more

Mary Jane Girls　

Just as Vanity 6 and Apollonia 6 wouldn’t have existed without Prince, the Mary Jane Girls were created by Rick James and were very much a product of the funkster’s imagination. The gro ..more

Maceo Parker　

One of the key sonic architects of funk, Maceo Parker first became a legend for his work with James Brown, whose impassioned shouts for a sax solo (Maceo! Blow your horn!) would make Park ..more

Meters　

The Meters defined New Orleans funk, not only on their own recordings, but also as the backing band for numerous artists, including many produced by Allen Toussaint. Where the funk of Sl ..more