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.[1] Singers and musicians who grew up listening to the traditional electric blues of artists such as Muddy Waters, 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.[1]