Soul had its Golden Era from around 1964 through 1975, and while it might seem obvious these days, mixing blues, country, and R&B with southern gospel passion and secular lyrics, modern soul, like any other vernacular American pop music, didn't just spring to life fully formed. There were many artists, some who went on to have big careers, who explored the roots and avenues of soul long before the term was even formatted as a musical genre. This fascinating, informative, revelatory, and romping two-disc set tells the story of the roads and branches that ended up manifesting itself as soul between 1954 and 1962, and features early sides from
Joe Tex,
Gene Allison,
Bobby Bland,
Roscoe Shelton,
Sam and Dave,
Joe Perkins,
Grover Mitchell,
Lavelle White, and many more.