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Explore the iconic R&B artists who defined the 1970s with their soulful sounds, from Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder to Aretha Franklin and more.
- Michael Jackson. A dynamic force as the pre-teen frontman of chart-topping family group The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson moonwalked his way into solo superstardom.
- Stevie Wonder. Over the course of his five-decade career, Steveland Morris has often been dubbed the eighth wonder of the world. Blind since birth but blessed with natural gifts as a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Stevie Wonder is one of the few artists able to successfully transition from teen to adult stardom.
- Smokey Robinson. With his piercing green eyes, sweet falsetto and prolific pen, William “Smokey” Robinson has kept females swooning since the ‘60s when he and his group The Miracles helped put Motown on the map with such love-charged hits as “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Ooo Baby Baby.”
- Ray Charles. Nicknamed “The Genius” for his skills as a singer, songwriter, musician and composer, Ray Charles set off a firestorm in 1955. That’s when he scored his first No. 1 single, “I’ve Got a Woman” — and simultaneously pioneered the soul genre with his game-changing combination of R&B, gospel and blues.
- Kool & The Gang
- The Temptations
- Commodores
- The Jackson 5
- The Isley Brothers
- Gladys Knight & The Pips
- Earth Wind & Fire
Before their 1980s explosion with R&B-pop hits “Celebrate,” “Get Down on It,” and “Cherish,” Kool & The Gang already hit the R&B chart with this 1970 instrumental self-titled debut and their self-produced 1972 follow-up, Music Is the Message, which reached No. 25 on the R&B chart. By 1973, Kool & The Gang was tapping into more funk with their Wild ...
Throughout he 1960s, The Temptations were already helping define R&B with Motown Records’ hits “My Girl” in 1964 and the 1966 single “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg.” By the 1970s, The Temptations entered the new decade with just the right R&B croon—their No. 1 hit “Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)” and the Norman Whitfield- and Barrett Strong-pe...
By the late 70s, The Commodores were leaving behind some of their biggest hits, including the soulful Lionel Richie-penned “Easy”—later becoming a hit for Faith No More, who covered the song in 1992— the funked up “Brick House” in 1977, the 1978 hits “Three Times a Lady” and “Natural High” and the group’s final single featuring Richie as lead singe...
Before Michael Jackson had a bigger breakthrough with his Quincy Jones-produced Off the Wall in 1979, and wining a Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male for “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,” he and The Jackson 5 were releasing hit albums like the 1970 releases ABC and the follow-up, Third Album, which reached No. 1 on the R&B charts with sing...
Already conquering funk and soul in’60s, by 1973, 3 + 3, gave the Isley Brothers Top 10 R&B-pop hits “That Lady” and their cover of the Seals and Crofts’ “Summer Breeze.” The Isley Brothers continued releasing platinum albums, including Harvest for the World in 1976, Go for Your Guns (1977), and the 1978 release Showdown, with more Top 40, pop, and...
Reaching commercial success after signing to Motown Records in 1966, Gladys Knight & The Pips continued their streak into the 1970s with hits “If I Were Your Woman,” “I Don’t Want to Do Wrong” and the Grammy-winning “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye).” After moving to Buddha Records, the group continued releasing more soulful...
Masters of mixing soul, funk, jazz, disco, and Afro-pop beats, Earth, Wind & Fire kicked off the 1970s by hitting the Billboard R&B Albums chart with their score for the soundtrack of the 1971 Melvin Van Peebles blaxploitation film, Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song. The group’s funkier 1975 hit, “Shining Star,” earned them a Grammy Award for Best ...
- Mark Edward Nero
- Michael Jackson. The "King of Pop," Michael Jackson, began his career as a child star at the age of ten and electrified the world for over 40 years with his unparalleled talent until his death in 2009.
- Aretha Franklin. Aretha Franklin, also known as "The Queen of Soul," is one the most powerful singers in music history. She has a record list of hits throughout the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s.
- James Brown. James Brown was also known as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr. Dynamite," and "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business." Brown was an R&B and soul music pioneer who established the highest standard of showmanship.
- Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder is one of America's greatest singer-songwriters who recorded numerous hit songs from the 1960s through the '80s. His first hit single was "Fingertips (Pt.
Apr 20, 2021 · R&B and soul music, for one, was still pretty much a singles game as the '60s turned into the '70s. But then, right at the turn of the decade, something happened with Curtis Mayfield and Marvin ...
R&B began to encompass many different sounds during the decade, though the most successful songs were characterized by strong singing voices. The following singers are some of the most legendary R&B singers to come out of the 1970s.
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