Short answers, pulled from the story.
Soul music originated in African-American communities across the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, combining elements of African-American gospel music, rhythm and blues, and jazz. The phrase "soul music," referring to gospel-style music with secular lyrics, was first recorded in 1961.
Ray Charles is most often cited as the artist who popularized soul music, beginning with his 1954 recording "I Got a Woman." Singer Bobby Womack described Charles as "the genius" who "turned the world onto soul music." Sam Cooke, James Brown, and Little Richard are also recognized as key forefathers of the genre.
Motown Records, Atlantic Records, and Stax Records were the most influential labels in soul music's development. Motown, founded by Berry Gordy, was notable for being African American owned and pioneered the pop-soul crossover sound. Atlantic Records, co-founded by Ahmet Ertegun in 1947, was central to the careers of Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, and Aretha Franklin. Stax Records was the second most successful soul label, releasing hits by Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett.
Soul music developed numerous regional subgenres, including the Motown sound from Detroit, Southern soul and Memphis soul from Tennessee and Alabama, New Orleans soul, Chicago soul, and Philadelphia soul. Later subgenres include psychedelic soul, progressive soul, quiet storm, and neo soul, which developed in the early to mid-1990s.
Neo soul is a blend of 1970s soul vocals and instrumentation with contemporary R&B sounds, hip-hop beats, and poetic interludes. The term was coined in the early 1990s by producer and record label executive Kedar Massenburg. Notable neo soul artists include Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Jill Scott.
American soul music profoundly influenced British popular music from the 1960s onward, including the Beatles and other British Invasion bands. A distinct British soul genre emerged in the 1980s with artists like George Michael, Sade, and Soul II Soul. The success of Amy Winehouse, Adele, and Estelle in the United States in the 2000s and 2010s led to talk of a "Third British Invasion" or "British Soul Invasion."