Soul music was the result of the urbanization and
commercialization of rhythm and blues in the '60s. Soul
came to describe a number of R&B-based music styles.
From the bouncy, catchy acts at Motown to the horn-driven,
gritty soul of Stax/Volt, there was an immense amount of
diversity within soul. During the first part of the '60s,
soul music remained close to its R&B roots. However,
musicians pushed the music in different directions;
usually, different regions of America produced different
kinds of soul. In urban centers like New York,
Philadelphia, and Chicago, the music concentrated on vocal
interplay and smooth productions. In Detroit, Motown
concentrated on creating a pop-oriented sound that was
informed equally by gospel, R&B, and rock & roll. In the
South, the music became harder and tougher, relying on
syncopated rhythms, raw vocals, and blaring horns. All of
these styles formed soul, which ruled the black music
charts throughout the '60s and also frequently crossed
over into the pop charts. At the end of the '60s, soul
began to splinter apart, as artists like James Brown and
Sly Stone developed funk, and other artists developed
slicker forms of soul. Although soul music evolved, it
never went away — not only did the music inform all of
the R&B of the '70s, '80s, and '90s, there were always
pockets of musicians around the world that kept performing
traditional soul.