soul musicians

Aretha Franklin began life as the golden daughter of a progressive and promiscuous Baptist preacher. Raised without her mother, she was a gospel prodigy who gave birth to two sons in her teens and left them and her native Detroit for New York, where she struggled to find her true voice. She found fame, fortune, and that remarkable voice in 1967 with "Respect" and a rapid-fire string of hits. Aretha turned the industry on its head by refueling pop with heavy soul. The Queen of Soul had survived, and arrived.

Chronicles the life of singer Sam Cooke, discussing how he found respect as an African-American musician in the racial-segregated music industry.

A group of fame-starved, working-class Irish youths with a passion for the music of Sam Cooke and Otis Redding form a band and a plan to bring Soul to Dublin.

Autobiography of the singer and actress revealing her life with its struggles and pains, her highly successful career, and her experiences as a mother and wife.

Text and photographs trace the life and musical career of Aretha Franklin up to 2001.

Chronicles the life and career of singer, James Brown, and describes growing up in the segregated South and introduction to gospel, R & B, and soul music, and his personal struggles that included trouble with the law.

A biography of the singer and Grammy Award winner known as the Queen of Soul, discussing the challenges she has faced in her personal life, and looking at her phenomenal career.

A biography of the popular singer, dancer, and songwriter who earned the nickname "Godfather of Soul.".