BBC - Soul Deep The Story of Black Popular Music (2005) Part 1 The Birth of Soul Ray Charles

This foot-stomping six-part series - made by the BBC team who produced the critically-acclaimed “Lost Highway”, “Walk on By” and “Dancing in the Streets” series - charts the evolution of soul music, with a fascinating combination of rare archive footage and over 100 contemporary interviews. In the words of its greatest performers, producers and songwriters, “Soul Deep The Story of Black Popular Music” is a search through time and place for the roots of black music, the genetic blueprint for nearly all other forms of modern popular music. From rhythm & blues, soul, Motown, funk and hip hop, we learn the story of the rise…and further rise of black music—the biggest single influence on global popular culture today. “Soul Deep” is the story of the beat that made the dance floor jump, the sax that made ears ring and the songs that made us laugh and cry. It's the story of legends like James Brown, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, and of the music that changed the world. Central to the rise of soul music as a global phenomenon was the independent record labels, from Stax Records in Detroit to Atlantic Records in New York. The importance of the producer in record making is exemplified by Berry Gordy, founder of Motown Records, who single-handedly managed to create the most prolific 'music-making factory' the world has ever seen, producing artists such as The Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and The Jackson 5. Now, after years of struggle for mainstream acceptance, soul music is one of the biggest musical genres in the world and a billion-dollar industry. This landmark documentary reveals how black music has achieved the enviable position of not having to compromise on its 'blackness' or its attitude.

Part 1 The Birth of Soul Ray Charles

The 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 previously unseen BBC interview with Ray Charles, he reveals how his innovations first brought soul to a wider audience. As the black sounds crossed the racial divide, rhythm and blues gave birth to rock 'n' roll – a far more sanitised version of the black sound which was seen to be “too uninhibited, too loose, and too sweaty.” Black artists were squeezed out of the mainstream charts by white covers of their songs and Charles looked back to his roots for his inspiration and the creation of his own distinctive sound. This first episode tells the story of Ray Charles, “the man who invented soul”, and traces the history of Rhythm and Blues, which led to the explosion of Rock and Roll, changing the image of pop music forever. Programme also reviews the rise of James Brown, Louis Jordan and Fats Domino. Film includes interviews with Ray Charles, James Brown, Ruth Brown, Etta James, Ahmet Ertegun, Jerry Wexler, David “Fathead” Newman and Branford Marsalis.

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