Memphis/Southern Soul 3
Further, Stax vocalists such as Sam Moore of Sam and Dave, Otis Redding, and Ollie Nightingale used extensive gospel vocal techniques (particularly melismatic decorationWhen a melody is decorated/enhanced with melismatic singing-often meaning three or more pitches/per syllable. and timbral variationWhen a musical passage varies in tone color/quality.), much more than most Northern singers. Similarly, Stax pianists, such as Booker T. Jones and Marvell Thomas, regularly employed gospel voicings while playing block chords on a triplet grid such as one would commonly hear in church.
Listen to a 1967 live performance of Sam and Dave singing "Hold On I'm Coming" accompanied by Booker T. and the MG's. From the very beginning, Sam and Dave sing with a full-throated and guttural sound, a typical characteristic for singers of gospel music. Also, much like the gospel singer's presentation in a religious setting, at 03:13, Sam begins to speak in an improvised manner. And at 04:06, he speaks directly to the audience, asking them to do him a favor, then asks the audience to stand up.
Sam and Dave - Hold On, I'm Coming [ 03:14-00:00 ]
Finally, at 05:40, Sam begins to do the "Holy Dance"-a scene taken right out of the Pentecostal church where someone is so spiritually ecstatic that they see themselves as filled with the Holy Spirit.
Sam and Dave - Hold On, I'm Coming
It is interesting that Stax recordings, like much of Southern soul music, nearly always ended with an extended ad-lib concluding section. These endings would fade while reaching emotional catharsis, emulating a typical gospel recording where performers reserve a significant portion of the performance to passionate improvisation over a repeated riff and chord progression. You can see and hear many of these traits in this 1967 live performance of Otis Redding singing "Try a Little Tenderness".
Otis Redding "Try A Little Tenderness" Live 1967 (Reelin' In The Years Archives)
As we've seen, the sound of Stax and the Black church were inextricably tied, and the Black church was inextricably linked to the civil rights movement. The connection between Stax, the Black church, and the civil rights movement is so strong that one cannot understand the sounds and practices of Southern soul music except as being influenced by, while at the same time, affecting the civil rights era.
A Change is Gonna Come
I was born by the river
In a little tent
Oh, and just like the river, I've been runnin'
Ever since
It's been a long
A long time comin', but I know
A change gon' come
Oh, yes it will
Long Walk to D.C.
It's a long walk to DC but I've got my walking shoes on
I can't take a plane, passer train, because my money ain't that long
America we believe, oh that you love us still
So people I'm gonna be under to wipe away my tears