Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music
Soul music has conquered the world in the last 50 years - growing from the raw, electric rhythms of the black underclass, it is now a billion dollar industry with R&B and hip hop dominating the world's charts. It's been the soundtrack to some of the most extraordinary social, political and cultural shifts. Together with the civil rights movement, it has challenged white hegemony, helped break down segregation and encouraged the fight for racial equality. This new six-part series, made by the BBC team who produced the critically-acclaimed Lost Highway, Walk On By and Dancing In The Street series, charts the evolution of soul music - with a fascinating combination of rare archive footage and over 100 contemporary interviews. The movers and shakers from the world of soul – such as James Brown, Mary J Blige, Beyoncé and Martha Reeves, - plus some often overlooked talent, track the music that shaped our lives.
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Cast
Seasons
6 Part Mini-Series
- Ep 1
1.The Birth Of Soul: Ray Charles
07-05-200560mThe term rhythm and blues was coined by Billboard Magazine journalist Jerry Wexler after he was asked by his editor to find an alternative for the label 'race music'. In a previous...
- Ep 2
2.The Gospel Highway: Sam Cooke
14-05-200560mSam Cooke was gospel music's crown prince, the man who inspired a generation of singers when he took on the pop world and won. In the process he became soul music's first superstar...
- Ep 3
3.The Sound Of Young America: Diana Ross
21-05-200560mThis episode is about Motown's golden age from 1959 - 1967. It traces the Detroit label's extraordinary rise from cottage industry to mighty record giant before chronicling its fal...
- Ep 4
4.Southern Soul: Otis Redding
28-05-200560mIn the summer of 1967, Otis Redding performed in front of a 200,000 capacity crowd at the Monterey Pop Festival, the biggest audience of his career. Backed by the Stax Records hous...
- Ep 5
5.Ain't It Funky Now: James Brown
04-06-200560mFunk was a brand new Soul bag. It was the soundtrack to riots and revolution, the heady Black Power era in the second half of the 60s and early 70s. Its tough urban rhythms brillia...
- Ep 6
6.From Ghetto To Fabulous: Mary J. Blige
11-06-200560mToday, contemporary R&B is the music that the world spins to. R&B is one of the biggest selling music genres, worldwide its performers are among the most conspicuous celebrities on...
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