Hello my name is James Arra and I want to welcome you to arrasoul.org, my blog about soul music. So music is a style that originated in the 1950s and 60s with its roots in gospel music (http://www.prlog.org/11998277-tigerdirect-coupon-code-20-off.html) and rhythm and blues. I am a big fan of the early, old-school Motown music and I want to start this blog off by talking about some of my favorite artists of all time. Here are some of my favorites, in no particular order.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye was born on April 2, 1939 (http://www.prlog.org/11996370-green-smoke-coupon-code-latest-working-coupons.html) and he died the day before his birthday in 1984. He was a singer-songwriter with a career that lasted more than two decades. With a string of hits to his credit he was Motown’s top-selling solo artist of the decade in the 1960s. Just a few of his hits include I Heard It through the Grapevine, Let’s Get It On, and Ain’t That Peculiar.

Smokey Robinson

I am also a huge Smokey Robinson fan. Smokey Robinson was born William Robinson Junior on February 19, 1940. He is not only a singer-songwriter, he is also a record producer (http://www.prlog.org/11996524-lifelock-promo-code-20-off-coupon.html) and a former record executive. He is probably best known for being a founding member and the front man of the Miracles. In 1972 he announced his retirement from performing so that he could become Motown’s vice president. One year later he returned to the music industry as a solo artist and has had a successful career ever since.

He was inducted into the rock ‘n roll Hall of Fame in 1987. I actually had a chance to see him in concert in 2006 at the Chumash Casino Resort. I used a hotels.com discount code (http://www.prlog.org/11996518-bh-cosmetics-coupon-codes-save-30.html) to get a good deal on a room, filled up the car with gas, and headed south for an awesome weekend. The performance was unforgettable.

Ray Charles

Another one of my favorite artists is Ray Charles. He was born Ray Charles Robinson but used the stage name Ray Charles to avoid being confused with Sugar Ray Robinson, the champion boxer. Ray Charles was a soul music pioneer, blending different styles into his early recordings.

An interesting fact about Ray Charles is that in April 1979, his version (http://www.prlog.org/11996509-checks-unlimited-offer-code-50-off-coupon.html) of the song Georgia on My Mind was proclaimed the state song of Georgia and he actually performed the song on the floor of the state legislature.

Stevie Wonder

I’m too young to remember the time when he was known as Little Stevie Wonder that I grew up listening to his music. Ronnie White of the Miracles says that his brother Gerald (http://www.prlog.org/11996528-sittercity-promo-code-25-off-coupon.html) kept nagging him to come over to his friends house to hear this kid saying. The kid turned out to be Stevie Wonder and it wasn’t long before he had a record deal with Motown’s Tamla label.

Of course I’m just scratching the surface with these artists and there are many others that I listen to all the time. When I have some time I will update this blog with more detailed biographies of some of my favorite artists along with some videos of live performances.