Down in New Orleans, Irma Thomas recorded in 1964 the orginal version of "Time is on My Side" which began one of the first hits for the Rolling Stones.
Irma Thomas on Soul:
"It's a form of music. Any music can be Soul music. The reason they called it Soul music is because I believe is because back in the time this music really got started, the Blues was prevalent. You had your John Lee Hooker, your Lighnin' Hopkins and the people who sang the hard blues. It was a thing that came from a feeling within. Anything from within is related to your soul. I think this is where they got the term soul music because it was sung with so much feeling."
Part of the New Orleans musical familyThe Neville Brothers, Art Neville made his first records in 1954. In the late 60's he formed a funk band called The Meters.
"Soul music is the same as R & B music. Now what they call R & B today is a total change. What they call R & B now is Pop as far as I'm concerned. When I hear R & B groups doing it, if it's a Black group it's R & B, if a White group is doing it they call it Pop.
R & B singer Rufus Thomas and his daughter Carla Thomas helped establish Stax Records in Memphis as an important Soul label in the 60's and 70's.
Carla Thomas:
"Sixties music is still famous. It's still popular and always will be because are still trying to get that feeling that people had. It just came out of their heads and hearts. It wasn't contrived. It just came out of our souls and we did it. The music we came up with was...
Rufus Thomas:
"It was real. Not all this technology. You did it right there in the studio. Seldom did you lay down a track and came back and overdubbed. No, you did it right there. My first recording, I recorded with the band right there with me. Some of my music bled into the song, but that was all right. And that was the sound that came out of it. We were more creative then but now with all this technology, you don't have to create. The technology does the creating for you."
Tracks featured:
"Time Is on My Side" - Rolling Stones
"Time Is on My Side" - Irma Thomas
"Look Ka Py-Py" - Meters
"Cissy Strut" - Meters
"Harlem Hit Parade" - Little Isidore & the Inquisitors
