American Decades
The Pulse of Black Music
Unity.
Black music had flourished during the late 1960s and was still peaking as the 1970s began. Its popularity with black and white audiences alike had caused a unity among the pop and rock audience that was unprecedented. Rock fans reponded to Aretha ("Lady Soul") Franklin and Otis Redding, while soul followers connected to Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone. As audiences began to splinter in the early 1970s, black music continued to set new trends, to be the strongest and purest force in pop music during that era. Lady Soul Franklin released the classics "Rock Steady" and "Spanish Harlem." Al Green typified the sexy soul sound, mixing an urban rhythm and blues influence with touches of gospel on a string of emotionally naked hits such as "Let's Stay Together" and "I'm Still in Love With You." Barry White pushed sexy soul to another level with his steamy innuendo on "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" and "Can't...
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1970's The Arts
