S.O.U.L. -

S.O.U.L. — short for Sounds of Unity and Love — was an American soul-funk band from Cleveland that recorded for Musicor. They issued the 1971/72 albums What Is It and Can You Feel It, then continued through 1975 as a standalone singles act.

Members: Lee Lovett (bass), Gus Hawkins (saxophone, flute), Paul Stubblefield (drums), Walter Winston (guitar, ?-1972), Larry Hancock (vocals, organ, 1971-?), Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor (guitar, 1972-?)

Background

S.O.U.L. formed in Cleveland in 1970 around bassist-vocalist Lee Lovett, saxophonist-flutist Gus Hawkins, drummer Paul Stubblefield, and guitarist Walter Winston. The group won first prize in a Cleveland battle-of-the-bands contest sponsored by the May Department Stores Company, WHK radio, and Musicor Records. That result brought a Musicor contract and led into the first single.

What Is It

S.O.U.L. released their first album. What Is It, in 1971 on Musicor.

What Is It runs on dry bass pressure, clipped guitar, taut drumming, and saxophone or flute lines that cut through the center with sharp turns and brisk replies. Lovett wrote “Down in the Ghetto” and shared “Soul” with Hawkins; elsewhere the group turns to recent soul, funk, and jazz material, including “Get Ready,” “Message From a Black Man,” “Memphis Underground,” and “Express Yourself,” which had already been a hit for Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.

“Down In The Ghetto” stretches that setup across a long, driving workout with repeated vocal calls, tight rhythm breaks, and rising horn pressure. “Get Ready” keeps a fast, churning pulse, while “Burning Spear” pushes harder through clipped accents, quick horn attacks, and a tenser rhythmic snap. “Express Yourself” rides a firmer mid-tempo bounce with declaimed vocals and percussive stops.

“Soul” opens the widest space on the record, building from bass-led repetition into longer instrumental passages where Hawkins threads saxophone and flute through the beat. “Message From A Black Man” hits with heavier vocal force and denser ensemble weight, then “Memphis Underground” closes on a looser rhythmic roll, with the band giving the instrumental lines more room across a simmering pulse.

A1. “Down In The Ghetto” (7:54) — Lee Lovett
A2. “Get Ready” (5:20) — William Robinson
A3. “Burning Spear” (3:55) — Richard Evans
A4. “Express Yourself” (4:59) — Charles Wright

B1. “Soul” (8:55) — Gus Hawkins, Lee Lovett
B2. “Message From A Black Man” (6:55) — Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield
B3. “Memphis Underground” (4:55) — Herbie Mann

S.O.U.L. recorded What Is It for Musicor with producers Danny Jordan and Rupert Holmes. Richard Talmadge shot the cover photograph. The album spent about two months in Billboard’s soul-album Top 40.

Musicor issued “Down In The Ghetto (Part 2)” (b/w “Down In The Ghetto (Part 1)”) in February 1971 as the first single from the album period. The label also issued “Tell It Like It Is” (b/w “Burning Spear”) in March 1972, pairing one track from the upcoming second album with one carryover cut from What Is It.

Between albums, Winston cleared for guitarist Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor while S.O.U.L. expanded to a quintet with keyboardist Larry Hancock, a prior member of Philly soulsters The Intertains.

Can You Feel It

S.O.U.L. released their second album, Can You Feel It, in 1972 on Musicor.

Vocalist-organist Larry Hancock joins the core here and shifts the writing center of the band. Hancock and Hawkins write “Tell It Like It Is,” Hancock writes “To Mend a Broken Heart,” Hawkins writes “Sleeping Beauty,” and the full group shares credit on three tracks. The album also includes one outside song, the Stevie Wonder ballad “My Cherie Amour.” Walter Winston still appears in the writing on several cuts, even as Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor replaced him in the lineup during 1972.

Can You Feel It opens with two long, forceful statements. The title track settles into a slow, heavy pulse, lets the rhythm section hold the center, and passes the spotlight through alto saxophone, wah-wah guitar, and bass before the full-group vocals drive the closing rise. “Tell It Like It Is” tightens the pace with a brisk, bouncing strut, massed vocals, dense horn punctuation, and a hard guitar break. “Do What So Never You Want to Do” presses even harder, with Stubblefield’s close-locked drum attack, a descending sax figure, and piercing guitar lines crossing the beat.

“Peace of Mind” eases into a slower, horn-packed sway, while “My Cherie Amour” brings a softer vocal surface and a gentler pace. “Love, Peace and Power” packs flute lines, Latin-leaning percussion, and busy instrumental traffic into its thick rhythmic push. “To Mend a Broken Heart” strips the set to a low, shadowed ballad mood, then “Sleeping Beauty” closes with a calm instrumental drift that opens wider space around the band’s phrasing.

A1. “Can You Feel It” (7:15) — Hawkins, Hancock, Lovett, Stubblefield, Winston
A2. “Tell It Like It Is” (4:20) — Hawkins, Hancock
A3. “Do What’s Never You Want To Do” (3:33) — Hawkins, Hancock, Lovett
A4. “Peace Of Mind” (3:49) — Hawkins, Hancock, Lovett, Stubblefield, Winston

B1. “My Cherie Amour” (4:44) — Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy, Stevie Wonder
B2. “Love, Peace And Power” (3:45) — Hawkins, Hancock, Lovett, Stubblefield, Winston
B3. “To Mend A Broken Heart” (4:07) — Hancock
B4. “Sleeping Beauty” (2:52) — Hawkins

S.O.U.L. recorded Can You Feel It as a Musicor U.S.A. production with producers Richard Talmadge and Steve Feldman.

Musicor issued “Tell It Like It Is” (b/w “Burning Spear”) in March 1972 just ahead of the album cycle. The label followed in July 1972 with “Can You Feel It” (b/w “Love, Peace And Power”), both sides drawn from the LP. A second album single, “To Mend A Broken Heart” (b/w “Peace Of Mind”), appeared later in 1972.

Postlude

S.O.U.L. stayed with Musicor after the two albums and moved into standalone singles. “This Time Around” (b/w “On Top of the World”) appeared in March 1973 and gave the group a Hot R&B chart entry inside the Top 50 that summer. A promo-only “Playhouse Square” followed in October 1973, then “The Joneses (Part I)” (b/w “The Joneses (Part II)”) arrived in October 1974. The final known single, “Rope-A-Dope” (b/w “I Need Somebody To Love”), appeared on Dynamo in 1975.

The group split in 1975. Beloyd Taylor moved to Los Angeles in 1973, later wrote songs under Melvin Ware’s publishing and production deals, and co-wrote “Get Away,” which Earth, Wind & Fire turned into the 1976 hit “Getaway.” Larry Hancock also moved to California, recorded for Decca, and later worked with The Platters. Gus Hawkins returned to school, later worked at the Cleveland Clinic, and then moved to Atlanta. Lovett and Stubblefield continued in studio and label work. The Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame inducted S.O.U.L. in 2013.

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