Soul blues is a style of blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of soul music and urban contemporary music. Singers and musicians who grew up listening to the traditional electric blues of artists such as Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, Jimmy Reed and Elmore James; soul singers such as Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and Otis Redding; and gospel music wanted to bridge their favorite music together. Bobby Bland was one of the pioneers of this style. This is a subgenre of blues that is very popular with African American audiences but less known by white audiences. The style continues to be popular in the new millennium.
