The Story behind "Soul Man:" Intertwining Music and Identity

At a time when the American media often linked the Black urban working class to crime and violence, Hayes and Porter celebrated a proud, hard working "Soul Man." The upbeat music and lyrics may be familiar to many students, but they may not know that a tragic moment in United States history inspired the song: the Detroit riots of 1967. 

In July 1967, a Detroit police tactical squad entered a club known as a “blind pig,” an unlicensed establishment that served alcohol after hours. That night, the club held a reception for Black Vietnam War veterans, and when officers tried to make arrests, they were met with resistance. The confrontation escalated, and residents of neighboring streets began to riot, setting fire to stores known for their discriminatory practices and to white-owned businesses in general. According to the PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize: "Estimates for the number of injured was as high as 600 people, 4,000 residents had been arrested, 5,000 people were homeless, and 682 buildings were damaged. Property loss from fires ran over $45 million."

In Eyes on the Prize, Ron Scott, a citizen of Detroit, explained what he believed led to the violence:

"Inside of most Black people, there was a time bomb. There was a pot that was about to overflow, and there was rage that was about to come out. And the rebellion just provided an opportunity for that. I mean, why else would people get upset about the cops raiding the blind pig? They'd done that numerous times before. But people just got tired. People just got tired of it. And it just exploded."

After the riots, President Lyndon Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to investigate the root causes of the violence. In their report, the authors explained, "Our nation is moving toward two societies, one Black, one white—separate and unequal. What white Americans have never fully understood—but what the Negro can never forget—is that...white institutions created [the ghetto], white institutions maintain it, and white society condones it." The commission recommended that federal funds be allocated to economic empowerment, but the rising cost of the Vietnam War rendered that proposal a political impossibility.

Washington had offered a diagnosis, but would struggle to administer a cure. A pair of songwriters took a different approach. Hayes described the inspiration for "Soul Man":

"I remember in Detroit, I saw the news flash where they were burning [the neighborhoods]. Where the buildings weren't burnt, people would write ‘soul’ on the buildings. The big thing was 'soul brother.' So I said, 'Why not do something called "Soul Man" and kind of tell a story about one's struggle to rise above his present conditions.' It's almost a tune [where it's] kind of like boasting I'm a soul man—a pride thing. 'Soul Man' came out of that whole Black identification."

Hayes and Porter made a deliberate decision to counter the negative images of Black men by focusing on an ordinary person trying to create a better life for himself. The song was a breakthrough hit. "Soul Man" went on to become one of the most popular Stax Records songs of all time, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in the fall of 1967 and number one on the Billboard R&B chart for seven weeks in a row in October and November of 1967. It won the GRAMMY® Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental. In his book about the history of Stax Records, Soulsville, U.S.A., author Rob Bowman writes: "'Soul Man' was an important record, keying in to the then-newly emergent black consciousness that was perhaps best summed up by the phrase 'black is beautiful.' In 1967 the song became an anthem for black America."

I invite students to watch a video of Stax Music Academy performing "Soul Man."

Then answer the following questions:

• How do we shape our own identities?
• How do stereotypes influence the way we see ourselves and others?
• What can individuals and groups do to counter negative imagery, ideas, and stereotypes?
• What kinds of responses can an individual have to injustice? Can making or listening to music be one of these responses? How so?
• Why was it important for Hayes and Porter to redefine a "soul man" or a "soul brother" in a positive way?

Go deeper:

Watch musicians and songwriters Isaac Hayes, Booker T, David Porter, and Sam Moore reflect on the origin and meaning of "Soul Man" from an excerpt of the documentary Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story.

Read through the interactive unit about the history of Stax Records created by Facing History and The Stax Museum of American Soul Music on Stax Records’ history and its impact on the Civil Rights Movement. 

This post is a part of a four-part blog series exploring the connections between music, history, and social change. Be sure to check out the other parts: Soul Music and the Civil Rights Era: Breaking the Racial Barriers, Soul Music and the Civil Rights Era: Respecting Self and the Other, and How Can Music Inspire Social Change?