Soul Music

Wayne Jackson and his saxophone-playing friend, Andrew Love, formed the Memphis Horns, a group that played on countless recordings and on stage for over 40 years! Wayne, on trumpet, began playing professionally in the late 1950s and teamed with Andrew a few years later. Together they created a soulful sound that has been copied but never duplicated. They recorded with Otis Redding on many of the soul singer’s hits including his last “The Dock of the Bay”, and on “Soul Man” with Sam & Dave, as well as most of Al Green’s albums in the 1970s. They can be heard on Doobie Brother r

Chris Jasper was the funk and soul keyboardist, singer and composer who played a key role in the Isley Brothers sound.  He later helped form Isley-Jasper-Isley, which, like the Isley Brothers era, resulted in several classic hit recordings. Chris also enjoyed a long solo career resulting in nearly a dozen albums.  Chris was an early pioneer of recording with synthesizers such as the Moog and the ARP 2600.  He studied law to better understand his own rights as a songwriter, and to help better establish clear and fair rules for copyrights within the United States.

Ray Johnson can be heard playing the rhythmic piano parts on such classics as "Traveling Man" by Ricky Nelson and "Rambling Rose" by Nat "King" Cole. After several sessions with his brother, sax man Plas Johnson, Ray recorded several sides with soul singer Sam Cooke. Ray provided great insight on his own career, placing his main inspiration on his mother. He also talked about Cooke's last recording session before his tragic death in 1964.

Ralph Johnson joined Earth, Wind and Fire in 1972. That was an important year for the band as founder Maurice White changed the line-up to include singers Jessica Cleaves and Philip Bailey, keyboardist Larry Dunn, guitarist Roland Bautista and Ronnie Laws on flute and saxophone.  The newly reformed band, which also included Verdine White, became one of the most successful bands in pop history.  Ralph has remained with the band ever since!

Booker T. Jones grew up in Memphis and began recording as a session player while still in high school at the age of 17.  While waiting for a session to begin, Booker and the other musicians in the studio began playing a song Booker wrote, which was later given a name when the engineer encouraged the group to record it.  The song was called “Green Onions” and soon Booker T.

Stephen “Doc” Kupka met Emilio Castillo in July, 1968, and discovered they both had a dream to form a rock and roll band with a strong horn element. By the end of the year the band began touring and was discovered by Bill Graham two years later when the Tower of Power recorded their first album, East Bay Grease. Doc and Emilio wrote most of the band’s songs including most of their long list of hit records including “What Is Hip?,” “So Very Hard to Go,” and “Only So Much Oil” among others. Tower of Power continues to tour with one of the tightest horn sections around!  

Ralph MacDonald grew up in Harlem, where he was exposed to many musical traditions. As a drummer, he focused on his African roots and as a songwriter he relied on his soulful understanding of the blues. Ralph wrote "Where Is the Love", the Grammy winning song made popular by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. Ralph also wrote "Just the Two of Us" for Bill Withers and "Jam on the Groove". Ralph was just 67 when he passed away in 2011 of lung cancer.

Steve Madaio played trumpet on most of Stevie Wonders recordings during the innovative and creative period between 1971 and 1976.  Stevie was experimenting with electric keyboards and synthesizers, which Steve witnessed and took part in, including working on the classic album Songs in the Key of Life.  Steve worked with a long list of performers during his extensive career including The Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and Paul Butterfield's Blues Band.  

Bobby Martin was one of the architects who developed the Philly Sound that provided a unique twist of soul and funk records of the 1960s and 70s. As a producer he worked with many top artists of the day and as an arranger he gave us the blend of blues and funk on “For the Love of Money” with the O’Jays as well as smooth love songs such as the Bluenote’s big hit “If You Don’t Know Me By Now,” which featured a young Teddy Pendergrass. Bobby’s passion for music as a vibraphonist began when he first heard Lionel Hampton in concert and his career in music soon followed.

Les McCann began his musical career playing the Sousaphone in school. He later played drums before discovering the piano, which became the vehicle that launched him into the jazz world. He recorded with the Fender-Rhodes electrical piano and even tried his hand at a variety of electronic keyboards and synthesizers over the years, but his biggest hit and bestselling jazz albums were made using the piano. This includes the renowned 1969 live recordings of “Compared to What” with saxophonist Eddie Harris.

Sam Moore and his singing partner Dave Prater helped put Stax Records on the map with their string of top hits in the 1960s. Their powerful performances inspired their nicknames of Double Dynamite and The Sultans of Sweat.

Floyd Newman is among the most noted studio musicians from the early days of Stax Records in Memphis. As a saxophonist, Floyd became an integral part of the studio band at Stax Records known as the Mar-Keys.  He was also a member of the famed Memphis Horns group, which was formed by Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love.  Floyd’s professional career began as a member of BB King’s band in the late 1940s and included tour and recording dates with the likes of Jackie Brenston and Sam Cooke.  On record, Floyd can be heard playing behind Booker T. & the MGs, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Is

Spooner Oldham was a studio musician down in Muscle Shoals, Alabama before becoming a noted songwriter. Spooner's keyboard skills can be heard on such classic records as "You'd Better Move On" and several songs with Aretha Franklin including the Wurlitzer introduction on "Never Loved a Man the Way that I Love You." Spooner teamed with fellow songwriter Dan Penn to write "I'm Your Puppet", "Cry Like a Baby", and "Lets Do It Over". 

Rocco Prestia grew up in Northern California where he began playing guitar as a teenager before joining the group Tower of Power just after the famous band was formed. It was during these early days when Rocco switched from guitar to bass, which provided a special groove as he mastered what many called the “fingerstyle funk” technique. Over his long career Rocco played the Fender Precision Bass and was an endorsee for Conklin and ESP Guitars which he signed with during the 2013 NAMM Show in Anaheim.

Sylvester Rivers has applied his musical talents to thousands of hit recordings over the years as well as music for television and motion pictures. His list of credits includes several categories as pianist, arranger, and musical director. The list of iconic performers he has worked with is just as impressive and yet at the very center of these accomplishments is a gentle and giving soul who loves making music. His friendly personality and talents as a musician may explain why so many people want to work with him. He is dedicated to his craft and works hard to provide programs tha

Smokey Robinson!  The man changed popular music!  He brought a common, streetwise approach to his lyrics, which were embraced by millions of people the world over who related to his messages of longing, love and second chances.  Smokey conveyed in words and music what many of us felt and wanted to say in his same compelling and heartfelt ways.  Like many beloved artists, Smokey let all of us in on his own emotions and by doing so gave us the chance to love, cry and cheer in a new and powerful way.  And his humble and sincere manner in which he receives the praise of so many proves

Wolf Stephenson met Tommy Couch (the founder of Malaco Records) while the two studied pharmacy in college. They began booking musical acts for their college parties and soon expanded to events and night clubs in and around Oxford, Mississippi. In 1963, Wolf met Rick Hall (the founder of Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama) and many of his studio musicians. Those musicians such as David Hood and Jimmy Johnson had their own bands, which Wolf happily booked for parties and clubs.

Frank Waddy has been playing drums since he was a small child. During his long and creative musical career, he has played with artists such as James Brown and George Clinton. Frank has established himself as a solid and consistent player with an eye on innovative beats and styles. As a songwriter and arranger, Frank has added his musical direction to such groups as Parliament and Funkadelic. Frank’s NAMM Oral History interview was completed on May 24, 2006. 

Verdine White has become a close friend to the NAMM family thanks to his dedication to music education and music advocacy programs around the world.  He has supported the efforts to keep music in public schools and has performed countless events to raise money for such causes.  As the bassist for Earth, Wind & Fire, Verdine brought music to the world that has been an inspiration for music makers young and old.  His contributions to music have been recognized as he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Kenny “Blanket” Williams is a drummer and songwriter whose lifelong connection to music began in Mississippi, where he often says, “I didn’t choose music — music chose me.” Raised in a musical environment, Kenny was inspired early on while helping his grandfather, who worked on the railroad, saving his earnings to purchase his first Rogers drum kit. Kenny’s passion for performance soon expanded into songwriting. Hearing melodies in his head and capturing them on paper, he recalls, “Before I knew it, I was a songwriter.” His career has included performances with blues singer McKinl

Allee Willis wrote a number of successful songs that have become part of the fabric of pop music. Allee either wrote or co-wrote songs such as “September” by Earth Wind & Fire, the theme for the sitcom Friends entitled “I’ll Be there for You,” the Broadway musical The Color Purple, and "Neutron Dance" among many others. She has also been heavily involved with technology and in fact was creating interactive social media experiences on the Internet as early as 1991. As an artist and set designer, Allee has worked with many other performers over the years to create art in many fo

Stevie Wonder has earned the title of the "Mayor of the NAMM Show" for his countless visits to the show floor over the years.  He has become an important part of the music products industry not only in promoting new technologies, but in working with companies to design and improve instruments.  Among the products he helped create was a synthesizer for musicians with blindness, that was engineered by Ray Kurzweil.  Stevie has also participated in the Breakfast of Champions sessions and NAMM's music education initiatives.

Charles Wright had a desire to form a solid soul band that would take the drive of R&B and push it to the limits. With an amazing cast of musicians, Charles formed the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, which recorded a string of hit songs including the classic “Express Yourself.” Charles took pride in writing the song and the classic bass riff, played by his longtime friend Melvin Dunlap. Over his long and incredible career, Charles covered early Doo Wop era all the way into the funk and soul sound of the 1970s. What always remained with him was his passion for the music!