Curated playlist

American soul singers

Michael JacksonMichael Jackson bought a music catalog with most of the Beatles's material in 1985. He paid 47.5 million dollars.
Whitney HoustonWhitney Houston sold more than 220 million records and carried a nickname that needed no first name: "the Voice". She was born in 1963 and died in 2012. In between, she became one of the most awarded performers in history. In 2023, Rolling…
Janet JacksonJanet Jackson was seen at the 1983 American Music Awards wearing a hoop earring with a key attached to it. She has worn variations of that earring in music videos and live shows ever since. The pair she wore between 1987 and 1990 is now on…
Bruno MarsBruno Mars was five years old when he wet himself on a Honolulu stage in the middle of Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love." His parents wondered whether they were making a mistake by putting him in front of crowds. He never…
Aretha FranklinOtis Redding said Aretha Franklin took his song "Respect" away from him. Her version hit number one in 1967.
Prince (musician)Prince once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol to protest his record label.
Marvin GayeMotown boss Berry Gordy refused to release Marvin Gaye's What's Going On.
Little RichardLittle Richard walked away from rock and roll to study theology. A fireball over Sydney in 1957 shook him.
Tina TurnerTina Turner crossed a Texas freeway on foot on the 1st of July 1976 with 36 cents and a Mobil credit card in her pocket. She had slipped out of a hotel suite in Dallas after a fight, while her husband slept. Her destination was a nearby…
Sam CookeSam Cooke walked into a recording session and began singing Gershwin. His label's head, Art Rupe, was furious.
James BrownJames Brown pointed out band members' wrong notes with hand signals.
Queen LatifahQueen Latifah picked her name from a book of Arabic names at age eight. She added the title "Queen" herself.
Mariah CareyMariah Carey handed her demo tape to a record boss at a party in December 1988. He turned his car around.
Jerry Lee LewisJerry Lee Lewis feared his own hit song was blasphemous.
Cyndi LauperCyndi Lauper wore almost a pound of necklaces to the Grammy Awards ceremony in 1985. The excess suited the woman wearing it. Lauper is an American singer, songwriter and actress, born on the 22nd of June 1953. She is known for eccentric…
Ray CharlesRay Charles Robinson, known to the world as Ray Charles, carried two nicknames that pulled in different directions. Contemporaries called him "The Genius." Among friends and fellow musicians, he preferred to be called "Brother Ray." Frank…
Frank OceanFrank Ocean, born Christopher Edwin Breaux, spent the summer of 2016 keeping fans guessing. At about 3 am on the 1st of August, a live stream surfaced on a website called boysdontcry.co. Apple Music sponsored it. The picture was shot in…
SelenaSelena Quintanilla-Pérez was 23 years old when she died on the 31st of March 1995, and major television networks interrupted their regular programming to announce it. She was a singer from Texas who performed Tejano music, a…
Christina AguileraChristina Aguilera sang "A Sunday Kind of Love" on the television contest Star Search in 1990 and was eliminated in the semi-final round. That loss decided nothing. She would go on to sell more than 100 million records worldwide, and…
Todd RundgrenTodd Rundgren, born on the 22nd of June 1948, once called one of his own albums "my act of tyranny". He said it brought "a complete loss of about half of my audience". He said the episode became the model for the rest of his life. Rundgren…
Dionne WarwickDionne Warwick, born on the 12th of December 1940, placed 56 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 between 1962 and 1998. Twelve of them reached the Top Ten. Counting her solo and shared releases across the Hot 100, R&B and adult contemporary…
Kelly ClarksonKelly Clarkson's first single debuted at number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The following week it rose to number 52. Then it shot to number one, breaking a record for the biggest leap to the top that The Beatles had…
Pink (singer)Pink, the American singer and songwriter born Alecia Beth Moore, once walked out to sing the US national anthem before Super Bowl LII while fighting influenza. For her it was the fulfilment of a childhood dream. As a girl in 1991, she had…
Gloria GaynorGloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" was first placed on a B-side. Her label thought it less radio-friendly.
Mary J. BligeMary J. Blige has won nine Grammy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, and in 2024 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Admirers call her the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, and also the Queen of R&B. Her career raises a few…
Sylvia RobinsonSylvia Robinson pushed Grandmaster Flash's group to record "The Message" in 1982.
Billy PrestonBilly Preston got his name on a Beatles single. The 1969 "Get Back" was credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston."
La Toya JacksonLa Toya Jackson was born on the 29th of May 1956 at St Mary's Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana, on her sister Rebbie's sixth birthday. She was the fifth of ten children born to Joe and Katherine Jackson, and the middle daughter, sitting…
Diana RossDiana Ross got her name from a birth certificate mistake. Her mother had planned to name her Diane.
Vanessa WilliamsVanessa Williams arrived in the world with a birth announcement that read: "Here she is: Miss America." She was born on the 18th of March 1963 in Tarrytown, New York, a suburb of New York City. The line was a family joke at the time. It…