![1950s - Sam Cooke: Nicknamed the 'King of Soul', Cooke paved the way for the likes of future soul and R&B stars Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Bobby Womack, Stevie Wonder and many more. Cooke remains an incredibly influential figure in soul and helped popularise the genre. Before he was murdered in 1964, Cooke founded a record label, a publishing company and achieved 30 top 40 hits during his 13 year career.]()
1950s - Sam Cooke: Nicknamed the 'King of Soul', Cooke paved the way for the likes of future soul and R&B stars Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Bobby Womack, Stevie Wonder and many more. Cooke remains an incredibly influential figure in soul and helped popularise the genre. Before he was murdered in 1964, Cooke founded a record label, a publishing company and achieved 30 top 40 hits during his 13 year career.
![1960s - Otis Redding: Rising to prominence in the early 60s, Otis Redding crafted some of the most iconic soul songs of all time, including 'Respect', 'Try a Little Tenderness' and '(Sittin On) The Dock of The Bay'. Redding was also a leading figurehead of the]()
1960s - Otis Redding: Rising to prominence in the early 60s, Otis Redding crafted some of the most iconic soul songs of all time, including 'Respect', 'Try a Little Tenderness' and '(Sittin On) The Dock of The Bay'. Redding was also a leading figurehead of the "Stax" sound, Southern soul and Memphis soul styles. As with many of the musicians on this list, Redding's life was cut short early - he died in a plane crash in 1967. However, his legacy lives on.
![1960s/70s - Stevie Wonder: Wonder started his career as Little Stevie Wonder, releasing his first single at the age of 11. As his voice broke, record executives considered dropping him from the label until he wrote 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)', which remains one of his best-loved songs. Wonder quickly rose to prominence as one of the most successful soul singers of the 60s and 70s. Wonder has won 22 Grammys, the most ever awarded to a solo artist, and continues to perform live around the world. His last album was released in 2005.]()
1960s/70s - Stevie Wonder: Wonder started his career as Little Stevie Wonder, releasing his first single at the age of 11. As his voice broke, record executives considered dropping him from the label until he wrote 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)', which remains one of his best-loved songs. Wonder quickly rose to prominence as one of the most successful soul singers of the 60s and 70s. Wonder has won 22 Grammys, the most ever awarded to a solo artist, and continues to perform live around the world. His last album was released in 2005.
![1960/s70s - Marvin Gaye: Marvin Gaye spearheaded the Motown movement that dominated the 1960s with hits such as 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine'. As the 60s became the 70s, Gaye also evolved, breaking away from his motown sound and releasing acclaimed concept albums What's Goin' On? and Let's Get It On and exploring and experimenting with a plethora of genres. Gaye's success continued into the 80s when he released his Grammy-winning hit 'Sexual Healing'. Two years later, his father shot him dead.]()
1960/s70s - Marvin Gaye: Marvin Gaye spearheaded the Motown movement that dominated the 1960s with hits such as 'I Heard It Through the Grapevine'. As the 60s became the 70s, Gaye also evolved, breaking away from his motown sound and releasing acclaimed concept albums What's Goin' On? and Let's Get It On and exploring and experimenting with a plethora of genres. Gaye's success continued into the 80s when he released his Grammy-winning hit 'Sexual Healing'. Two years later, his father shot him dead.
![1960s/70s/80s - James Brown: Dubbed the Godfather of Soul, James Brown was also one of the founding fathers of funk. Throughout the 60s, Brown's cemented his status as one of the biggest soul artists out there with hits such as 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag' and 'It's A Man's Man's World', and delivered his famously high-octane live performances almost constantly (he was nicknamed]()
1960s/70s/80s - James Brown: Dubbed the Godfather of Soul, James Brown was also one of the founding fathers of funk. Throughout the 60s, Brown's cemented his status as one of the biggest soul artists out there with hits such as 'Papa's Got a Brand New Bag' and 'It's A Man's Man's World', and delivered his famously high-octane live performances almost constantly (he was nicknamed "The Hardest Working Man in Showbusiness"). Brown established the funk sound as his career continued into the 70s. Brown is credited with contributing to the development of many musical genres.
![1970s/80s/90s - Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson was the king of basically all musical genres, so unsurprisingly he was also one of soul and R&B's most important and prominent artists. We think you'll know enough by now about how incredibly important Jackson was as an artist and how influential and pioneering he was, so we'll leave it there for now.]()
1970s/80s/90s - Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson was the king of basically all musical genres, so unsurprisingly he was also one of soul and R&B's most important and prominent artists. We think you'll know enough by now about how incredibly important Jackson was as an artist and how influential and pioneering he was, so we'll leave it there for now.
![1980s - Lionel Richie: There's more to Lionel than his sappy ballad 'Hello', accompanied by that rather creepy video in which he played a teacher in love with a blind student. Kicking off his career in the 60s as a member of the Commodores, Richie embarked on a rather successful solo career in the 80s and became one of the biggest selling solo artists of all time thanks to hits such as 'All Night Long', 'Say You, Say Me' and 'Dancing on the Ceiling'…and, of course, 'Hello'.]()
1980s - Lionel Richie: There's more to Lionel than his sappy ballad 'Hello', accompanied by that rather creepy video in which he played a teacher in love with a blind student. Kicking off his career in the 60s as a member of the Commodores, Richie embarked on a rather successful solo career in the 80s and became one of the biggest selling solo artists of all time thanks to hits such as 'All Night Long', 'Say You, Say Me' and 'Dancing on the Ceiling'…and, of course, 'Hello'.
![1990s - Babyface: Kenneth]()
1990s - Babyface: Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds has released 9 albums as a solo artist but is also one of the most prolific songwriters in soul and R&B, having written and produced 26 No 1s throughout his career. Babyface founded LaFace Records in 1989, which birthed some of the most successful R&B acts of the 90s, including TLC, Usher and Toni Braxton. Babyface has produced and written music for Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, and many, many more.
![1990s - D'Angelo: With the release of his now-classic debut Brown Sugar, D'Angelo spearheaded the neo-soul movement in the late 90s alongside Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. After a 4 year absence, D'Angelo released his second album, Voodoo, to rave reviews. It featured the single 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)', of which the accompanying video, which featured D'Angelo singing naked to the camera, become infamous. D'Angelo all but disappeared until 2012, when he played a series of shows in Europe. He is yet to release the follow-up to Voodoo, although there are constant rumours its release is imminent.]()
1990s - D'Angelo: With the release of his now-classic debut Brown Sugar, D'Angelo spearheaded the neo-soul movement in the late 90s alongside Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu. After a 4 year absence, D'Angelo released his second album, Voodoo, to rave reviews. It featured the single 'Untitled (How Does It Feel)', of which the accompanying video, which featured D'Angelo singing naked to the camera, become infamous. D'Angelo all but disappeared until 2012, when he played a series of shows in Europe. He is yet to release the follow-up to Voodoo, although there are constant rumours its release is imminent.
![1990s/2000s - Usher: The silky-voiced Usher Raymond IV dominated the airwaves in the late 90s with R&B mega-hits 'U Remind Me' and 'U Got It Bad'. Fourth studio album Confessions, which spawned hit singles 'Burn' and 'Yeah!' ensured Usher stayed relevant throughout the early 00s, selling a whopping 1.1 million units in its first week alone. Usher has released a further three successful albums, and is preparing for the release of his eighth. He's one of the biggest-selling artists in US music history, selling over 23 million units.]()
1990s/2000s - Usher: The silky-voiced Usher Raymond IV dominated the airwaves in the late 90s with R&B mega-hits 'U Remind Me' and 'U Got It Bad'. Fourth studio album Confessions, which spawned hit singles 'Burn' and 'Yeah!' ensured Usher stayed relevant throughout the early 00s, selling a whopping 1.1 million units in its first week alone. Usher has released a further three successful albums, and is preparing for the release of his eighth. He's one of the biggest-selling artists in US music history, selling over 23 million units.
![2000s - Frank Ocean: Originally associated with controversy-baiting hip hop collective Odd Future (fronted by Tyler, the Creator), Frank Ocean eclipsed them all with his stunning debut Channel Orange, which received widespread critical acclaim. Ocean's smooth falsetto vocals, smart lyricism and knack for a great hook have ensured his sophomore LP, supposedly due in summer 2014, is the most highly anticipated release of the year.]()
2000s - Frank Ocean: Originally associated with controversy-baiting hip hop collective Odd Future (fronted by Tyler, the Creator), Frank Ocean eclipsed them all with his stunning debut Channel Orange, which received widespread critical acclaim. Ocean's smooth falsetto vocals, smart lyricism and knack for a great hook have ensured his sophomore LP, supposedly due in summer 2014, is the most highly anticipated release of the year.
![2000s - The Weeknd: After his trilogy of internet mixtapes gained a cult following, anonymous musician The Weeknd, was signed to Republic Records after being championed by Drake. Slightly less anonymous now, the Canadian musician released his major label debut, Kiss Land, in 2013. The Weeknd's musical style is characterised by his falsetto vocals, drugs-and-sex-referencing lyrics, and moody, electronic-tinged R&B instrumentals. He's one of the most prominent figures in the]()
2000s - The Weeknd: After his trilogy of internet mixtapes gained a cult following, anonymous musician The Weeknd, was signed to Republic Records after being championed by Drake. Slightly less anonymous now, the Canadian musician released his major label debut, Kiss Land, in 2013. The Weeknd's musical style is characterised by his falsetto vocals, drugs-and-sex-referencing lyrics, and moody, electronic-tinged R&B instrumentals. He's one of the most prominent figures in the "alternative" R&B movement.
![2000s - Sampha: Initially known for his collaborative work with producer SBTRKT as vocalist on tracks such as 'Hold On' and 'Never Never', South London singer-songwriter Sampha's star has grown considerably since 2013. His stunning, mournful vocals caught the attention of Drake, who drafted him in for his album Nothing Was The Same. Sampha has released 2 EPs - Sundanza and Dual - and is expected to release his major label debut at some point in 2014.]()
2000s - Sampha: Initially known for his collaborative work with producer SBTRKT as vocalist on tracks such as 'Hold On' and 'Never Never', South London singer-songwriter Sampha's star has grown considerably since 2013. His stunning, mournful vocals caught the attention of Drake, who drafted him in for his album Nothing Was The Same. Sampha has released 2 EPs - Sundanza and Dual - and is expected to release his major label debut at some point in 2014.
![2000s - Chet Faker: Australian singer-songwriter Chet Faker is introducing R&B and soul to a new generation, rising to prominence after his downtempo cover of Blackstreet's 90s hit 'No Diggity went viral. 2014 has seen him release his debut, Built on Glass, which merges electronica, blues and even jazz. Faker cites Bob Dylan and Motown amongst his influences.]()
2000s - Chet Faker: Australian singer-songwriter Chet Faker is introducing R&B and soul to a new generation, rising to prominence after his downtempo cover of Blackstreet's 90s hit 'No Diggity went viral. 2014 has seen him release his debut, Built on Glass, which merges electronica, blues and even jazz. Faker cites Bob Dylan and Motown amongst his influences.