The Soul Children -

The Soul Children were an American vocal group that released seven albums between 1969 and 1978, with five Stax titles and two Epic albums.

Isaac Hayes and David Porter wrote and produced the 1969 debut, which includes the R&B entries “Give ’Em Love,” “I’ll Understand,” “Tighten Up My Thang,” and “The Sweeter He Is.” Porter remained central on Best of Two Worlds, while Genesis produced “Hearsay,” a No. 5 R&B single.

Their 1972–73 run added “Don’t Take My Kindness for Weakness” and “It Ain’t Always What You Do (It’s Who You Let See You Do It).” Carl Hampton and Homer Banks directed Friction, which gave the group its highest-charting single, “I’ll Be the Other Woman.”

The trio configuration continued on Epic with Finders Keepers and Where Is Your Woman Tonight before the group returned to Stax for Open Door Policy and the No. 19 R&B single “Can’t Give Up a Good Thing.”

Members: J. Blackfoot (vocals), Norman West (vocals), Anita Louis (vocals, 1968-79), Shelbra Bennett [Shelbra Deane] (vocals, 1968-75)

Background

Songwriter-producers David Porter and Isaac Hayes formed the Soul Children at Stax Records in Memphis in 1968 with vocalists John Colbert, Norman West, Anita Louis, and Shelbra Bennett. Sam & Dave returned to Atlantic after the Stax-Atlantic distribution agreement ended, and Porter and Hayes needed a new act for their songs.

Colbert, a Greenville, Mississippi-born singer known as J. Blackfoot, grew up in Memphis and recorded solo sides before he joined the group. He traveled with the rebuilt Bar-Kays for about six months during the reformation period after the December 1967 plane crash. West came from Monroe, Louisiana, where he sang and played organ in the church led by his father. He studied voice in college for two years, moved to Memphis, replaced William Bell in the Del-Rios, and recorded solo sides for Christy, Hi, M.O.C., and Smash.

Louis began with the WDIA Teen Town Singers in Memphis. WDIA announcer and contest coordinator A.C. Williams introduced her to Porter and Hayes, and she sang background parts for Stax artists before the Soul Children. She also worked as the original solo singer with the Bar-Kays. Bennett entered the group after a walk-in audition at Stax headquarters.

Porter and Hayes placed the four singers in sessions at Stax and reassigned “Give ’Em Love” and “I’ll Understand” from Colbert solo material to the new quartet. Both singles reached the R&B chart in fall 1968 in advance of the first Soul Children album.

Soul Children

The Soul Children released their self-titled debut album in May 1969 on Stax.

Hayes and Porter wrote and produced the album, which features backing by Booker T. & the M.G.’s: bassist Donald “Duck” Dunn, drummer Al Jackson Jr., guitarist Steve Cropper, and keyboardist Booker T. Jones. They also employ trumpeter Mickey Gregory and saxophonists Joe Arnold and Tommy Lee Williams, plus two Bar-Kays: bassist James Alexander and trumpeter Ben Cauley.

“I’ll Understand” saunters through elongated leads and string-laden responses. “Move Over” glides on clipped keyboard accents and Blackfoot–West tradeoffs. “When Tomorrow Comes” grounds Shelbra Bennett and Anita Louis between held refrains from Blackfoot. “Tighten Up My Thang” sets Blackfoot against clipped horn accents and hard offbeat emphasis. “Doin’ Our Thang” careens through layered brass and collective harmonies. “Take Up the Slack” rides a heavy backbeat into wider chorus responses.

A1. “I’ll Understand” (2:42)
A2. “Move Over” (2:57)
A3. “When Tomorrow Comes” (3:08)
A4. “The Sweeter He Is (Pt. 1 & 2)” (6:19)

B1. “Tighten Up My Thang” (3:03)
B2. “Give ’Em Love” (2:48)
B3. “Doin’ Our Thang” (2:35)
B4. “Take Up the Slack” (2:25)
B5. “Super Soul” (2:55)
B6. “My Baby Specializes” (3:16)

“Give ’Em Love” first appeared in September 1968 (b/w “Move Over”) and reached No. 40 on the Billboard R&B chart. “I’ll Understand” followed in December (b/w “Doin’ Our Thang”) and reached No. 29 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Stax issued “Tighten Up My Thang” as a March 1969 single (b/w “Take Up the Slack”), which reached No. 49 on the Billboard R&B chart. In July, “The Sweeter He Is” appeared as a split two-part single and reached No. 7 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Soul Children reached No. 9 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and No. 154 on the Billboard pop albums chart.

Between albums, the Soul Children covered “Hold On, I’m Coming,” the Sam & Dave classic later covered by Rita Jean Bodine and Bette Bright. The single appeared in February 1970 with “Make It Good,” another Hayes/Porter number.

Best of Two Worlds

The Soul Children released their second album, Best of Two Worlds, in 1971 on Stax.

Ronnie Williams joined Porter as writer-producer on nine of the album’s ten songs. Two Worlds credits Muscle Shoals Sound players, including bassist David Hood, drummer Roger Hawkins, and guitarists Jimmy Johnson and Wayne Perkins.

“Bring It Here” barrels through freight-train pace, group vocal blocks, and hard rhythm-section weight. “Put Your World in My World” charges at a similar clip, then clears a solo lane for the rasp in Blackfoot’s lead. “Thanks For A Precious Nothing” drifts through orchestral haze before the pre-chorus raises Anita Louis and Shelbra Bennett.

“Got to Get Away From It All” frames Shelbra Bennett in spoken testimony over heavier lyric weight. “Let’s Make a Sweet Thing Sweeter” lingers in a long ballad shape, then turns the chorus toward a bluesy vamp. “Finish Me Off” contrasts an operatic refrain with country-soul verse contours. “Don’t Break Away” closes in a delicate slow setting around Norman West.

A1. “Bring It Here” (2:48) – Williams, Porter
A2. “Thanks for a Precious Nothing” (3:24) – Roni LeBeau, Williams, Porter
A3. “Put Your World in My World” (4:05) – Williams, Porter
A4. “Give Me One Good Reason Why” (4:20) – Williams, Porter
A5. “Got to Get Away from It All” (3:20) – William Lloyd Reese

B1. “The Hang Ups of Holding On” (8:26) – Williams, Porter
B2. “Wrap It Up Tonight” (2:57) – Williams, Porter
B3. “Let’s Make a Sweet Thing Sweeter” (4:40) – Williams, Porter
B4. “Finish Me Off” (3:35) – Williams, Porter, LeBeau
B5. “Don’t Break Away” (4:22) – Williams, Porter

“Put Your World in My World” first appeared in late 1970 with “Finish Me Off,” which also backed their January 1971 single “Let’s Make a Sweet Thing Sweeter.” In August, Stax lifted “Gonna Get Away From It All” with “Ridin’ on Love Merry-Go-Round,” a then-exclusive Porter/Williams number.

Best of Two Worlds reached No. 20 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart.

Genesis

The Soul Children released their third album, Genesis, in 1972 on Stax.

Genesis features Duck Dunn and Al Jackson Jr. along with guitarists Bobby Manuel and Raymond Jackson and keyboardists John Keister and Marvell Thomas. “I Want to Be Loved” pairs James Alexander and Bar-Kays guitarist Michael Toles with organist Allen Jones and Hi Records drummer Howard Grimes. “Get Up About Yourself” credits Alexander, Toles, both Jacksons, and pianist Carl Hampton.

“I Want to Be Loved” stretches into an eight-minute call-and-response between Shelbra Bennett and J. Blackfoot, then settles on a repeated “rainbow” chant from John Colbert and Anita Louis. “Don’t Take My Sunshine” grinds through a slow church rhythm with heavy vocal pressure. “Hearsay” snaps into a hard handclap pace and puts Blackfoot at the front of the group exchange.

“All That Shines Ain’t Gold” lowers the intensity around Blackfoot’s rougher spoken-sung testimony. “It Hurts Me to My Heart” darkens the register with minor-key movement, string shimmer, and a dragging beat. “I’m Loving You More Everyday” places Shelbra Bennett over church-keyboard emphasis and ballad pacing. “All Day Preachin’” claps through its title pattern, while “Get Up About Yourself” closes with heavier rhythm weight and message-line repetition.

A1. “I Want to Be Loved” (8:38) – Sam D. Bell
A2. “Don’t Take My Sunshine” (3:59) – Bobby Newsome
A3. “Hearsay” (3:35) – John Colbert, Norman West
A4. “All That Shines Ain’t Gold” (4:05) – John Gary Williams, Tommy Tate
A5. “It Hurts Me to My Heart” (3:00) – Bettye Crutcher

B1. “I’m Loving You More Everyday” (4:52) – James Mitchell
B2. “Just the One (I’ve Been Looking For)” (3:23) – Alvertis Isbell, Eddie Floyd, Steve Cropper
B3. “Never Get Enough of Your Love” (4:30) – Floyd
B4. “All Day Preachin’” (3:55) – Crutcher, Bobby Manuel
B5. “Get Up About Yourself” (4:12) – Carl Hampton, Homer Banks, Raymond Jackson

Stax co-founder Jim Stewart co-produced Genesis with Al Jackson Jr. Detroit arranger Dale Warren prepared the string charts, extending a Stax run that included horn and string work for William Bell, Margie Joseph, and the Staple Singers. Hampton and Banks co-produced “Get Up About Yourself” with Raymond Jackson.

Stax lifted “Hearsay” as a 1972 single (b/w “Don’t Take My Sunshine”), which reached No. 5 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Genesis reached No. 36 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and No. 159 on the Billboard pop albums chart.

1972–73 Activity

Stax issued three standalone Soul Children singles between Genesis and their subsequent album. “Don’t Take My Kindness for Weakness” appeared in June 1972 (b/w “Just the One (I’ve Been Looking For)”) and reached No. 14 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 102 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

On August 20, 1972, the Soul Children appeared at the Wattstax concert, a Stax-organized benefit that marked the seventh anniversary of the 1965 Watts Riots. The concert also featured sets by Ernie Hines, Frederick Knight, Kim Weston, Rance Allen, The Temprees, William Bell, and Carla and Rufus Thomas. Filmmaker David L. Wolper (Roots, The Thorn Birds, North and South) documented the event for the 1973 concert film Wattstax. The Slow Children appeared at 6:45pm with two numbers, “I Don’t Know What This World Is Coming to” and “Hearsay,” both omitted from the film.

“It Ain’t Always What You Do (It’s Who You Let See You Do It)” followed in January 1973 (b/w “All That Shines Ain’t Gold”) and reached No. 11 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 105 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In June 1973, Soul Children released “Love Is a Hurtin’ Thing,” a Lou Rawls cover backed with “Poem On The School House Door.”

Friction

The Soul Children released their fourth album, Friction, in 1974 on Stax.

Carl Hampton and Homer Banks co-wrote and produced Friction, which credits bassist James Alexander, pianist Lester Snell, and guitarists Charles Pitts and Michael Toles, underpinned by Bar-Kays drummer Willie Hall. “I’ll Be the Other Woman” and “Just One Moment” add Duck Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., Bobby Manuel, the Memphis Horns, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.

“I’ll Be the Other Woman” smolders at mid-tempo under Shelbra Bennett, whose lead carries the mistress text in a narrow, shadowed register. “What’s Happening Baby” opens with a low Blackfoot monologue, then sinks into a long slow-burn lament. “Can’t Let You Go” prowls through darker funk weight, horn-and-flute shadowing, and Blackfoot’s lead pressure.

“It’s Out of My Hands” sets mid-tempo heartbreak against mournful orchestration, electric-guitar cuts, and broad horn swells. “Just One Moment” lightens the album surface with a smoother Blackfoot lead and a less burdened tempo. “We’re Gettin’ Too Close” quickens the pace while Blackfoot holds the lyric inside the album’s infidelity thread. “Love Makes It Right” closes in a brooding slow frame with the group’s love-trouble text pulled into a final justification line.

A1. “I’ll Be the Other Woman” (3:34) – Banks, Hampton
A2. “What’s Happening Baby” (6:42) – Banks, Hampton
A3. “Can’t Let You Go” (4:47) – Banks, Hampton

B1. “It’s Out of My Hands” (2:45) – Banks, Raymond Jackson, Hampton
B2. “Just One Moment” (4:37) – Banks, Hampton
B3. “We’re Getting Too Close” (3:57) – Banks, Hampton
B4. “Love Makes It Right” (5:50) – Banks, Hampton

Hampton and Banks co-arranged the album with Detroit veteran John Allen.

Al Jackson Jr. co-produced “I’ll Be the Other Woman,” which appeared in November 1973 as an advance single with “Comeback Kind of Love,” a non-album side co-written by Norman West and John Colbert. “I’ll Be the Other Woman” reached No. 3 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In June 1974, Stax lifted “Love Makes It Right” as a split two-part single that reached No. 47 on the Billboard R&B chart. “What’s Happening Baby” followed in November as another split two-part single.

Friction reached No. 38 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart. After this album, Soul Children continued as a trio without Shelbra Bennett, who issued two 1976/77 solo singles on Casino Records as Shelbra Deane.

Finders Keepers

The Soul Children released their fifth album, Finders Keepers, in 1976 on Epic.

Finders Keepers presents a trio configuration of J. Blackfoot, Norman West, and Anita Louis. They recorded the album with Don Davis, a prior arranger–soundman for Esther Marrow, Johnnie Taylor, Leslie Uggams, Mavis Staples, Tyrone Davis, The Dells, The Dramatics, and The Emotions.

“Highway” plows through rough uptempo drive and full trio vocal force. “Good-Bye Is Not the Only Way” carries a mid-tempo duet on orchestral lift and added pressure from J. Blackfoot. “We Got to Get Our Thing Together” lopes through shared leads, with Anita Louis entering the exchange. “If You Move I’ll Fall” drifts in a soft-focus ballad setting around Blackfoot.

“Midnight Sunshine” settles into a mid-tempo ballad surface with a lighter vocal grain. “Finders Keepers” rides a gutbucket rhythm with blaring horn riffs and a direct lead line. “I’m Just a Shoulder to Cry On” slows into a subdued Norman West feature. “One Broken Home for Sale” closes the album as a brooding lament.

A1. “Highway” (3:09) – John Colbert, Norman West
A2. “Good-Bye Is Not the Only Way” (3:36) – Harvey Scales
A3. “We Got to Get Our Thing Together” (4:08) – Calvin Arline, Jackie Avery, James Dean
A4. “If You Move I’ll Fall” (5:59) – Dean, William L. Wooten III
A5. “A Little Understanding” (3:17) – Don Davis, Steve Mancha

B1. “Midnight Sunshine” (3:28) – Gene Beene, Melvin Griffin
B2. “Finders Keepers” (2:50) – Colbert, West
B3. “I’m Just a Shoulder to Cry On” (4:20) – Albert James Vance, Davis, Scales
B4. “One Broken Home for Sale” (5:20) – Rich Cason

“Finders Keepers” preceded the album in December 1975 (b/w “Midnight Sunshine”) and reached No. 49 on the Billboard R&B chart. “If You Move I’ll Fall” followed in June 1976 (b/w “A Little Understanding”) and reached No. 99 R&B.

Finders Keepers reached No. 54 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart.

Where Is Your Woman Tonight?

The Soul Children released their sixth album, Where Is Your Woman Tonight?, in 1977 on Epic.

David Porter returned as producer for the album, which credits drummer James Stroud, keyboardist Marvell Thomas, bassists Errol Thomas and Ray Griffin, baritone saxophonist James Mitchell, and Memphis Horns tenor saxist Andrew Love. On “You Don’t Need a Ring,” Porter co-arranged the horns with Lester Snell and Marvell Thomas.

“Head On Collision” sallies forth with gutbucket rhythm, wailing horn figures, and thick low-end force. “If You Want a Woman This Time” settles into ballad tempo with a softened vocal surface. “You Got Me Over” burns slowly through church-rooted lead pressure and backing responses. “Take Me Make Me” moves on a straighter dance pulse. “You’re a Diamond in the Rough” hits harder, with blunt accents and a denser rhythmic charge.

“Where Is Your Woman Tonight” spreads its mid-tempo group exchange across the two-part title track. “What You Did to Me Last Night” coils around a repeated guitar figure and swampy rhythmic drag. “You Don’t Need a Ring” gives Blackfoot a loose, full-throated lead. “There Always” claps through gospel backing parts, country-keyboard figures, and sharp horn accents. “Merry-Go-Round” closes with finger-snap rhythm and a compact uptempo finish.

A1. “Head on Collision” (2:57) – David Porter, Bettye Crutcher
A2. “If You Want a Woman This Time” (3:29) – Crutcher
A3. “Take Me-Make Me” (3:29) – Marvell Thomas, Porter
A4. “You Got Me Over” (3:57) – Crutcher
A5. “(You’re A) Diamond in the Rough” (4:04) – Thomas, Porter

B1. “Where Is Your Woman Tonight? (Part I & II)” (6:24) – Porter, Crutcher
B2. “What You Did to Me Last Night” (2:45) – Crutcher
B3. “You Don’t Need a Ring” (3:45) – Thomas, Porter
B4. “There Always” (2:53) – Thomas, Porter
B5. “Merry-Go-Round” (2:51)

Epic lifted “Where Is Your Woman Tonight?” as a March 1977 single (b/w “Merry-Go-Round”), which reached No. 96 on the Billboard R&B chart. In June, “You Don’t Need a Ring” became the second single (b/w “There Always”).

Open Door Policy

The Soul Children released their seventh album, Open Door Policy, in 1978 on Stax.

The album credits five mid-seventies Isaac Hayes players: guitarist Michael Toles, keyboardist-arranger Lester Snell, saxophonist Bill Easley, trombonist Bill Flores, and trumpeter Ben Cauley, plus returning Memphis Horns player Andrew Love.

“Stir Up the Boogie” opens with firm dance pressure and group-vocal replies. “Can’t Give Up a Good Thing” gallops under Blackfoot with a bright, forward rhythm. “Strangers” works from a Porter–Snell ballad frame, with the trio placed in a polished late-Stax setting. “Butt La Rose” stretches past the five-minute mark with heavier dance-room emphasis. “Hard Living With a Man” shifts the album back toward domestic-text drama and slower vocal weight. “Believing” closes the set inside a compact mid-tempo shape.

A1. “Stir Up the Boogie” (3:47) – Thigpen, Homer Banks, Weatherspoon
A2. “Who You Used to Be” (3:31) – R. Porter, David Porter, Lester Snell
A3. “Strangers” (3:47) – Porter, Snell
A4. “Summer in the Shade” (4:54) – Porter, Snell

B1. “Can’t Give Up a Good Thing” (3:45) – Joe Shamwell
B2. “Butt La Rose” (5:04) – O.B. McClinton
B3. “Hard Living with a Man” (4:32) – D. O’Conner, Porter
B4. “Believing” (3:48) – R. Porter, D. O’Conner

David Porter co-produced Open Door Policy with Lester Snell, who arranged the orchestral backing by the Memphis Symphony Strings.

Stax lifted “Can’t Give Up a Good Thing” as an April 1978 single (b/w “Signed, Sealed, Delivered”), which reached No. 19 on the Billboard R&B chart.

“Summer in the Shade” appeared in August as a second single (b/w “Hard Living with a Man”). In November, “Who You Used to Be” became their final single (b/w “Believing”).

Postlude

Blackfoot stayed in Memphis after the 1979 breakup of Soul Children. In April 1983, Prime Cut issued his first solo single, “I Don’t Remember Loving You” backed with “If I Don’t Love You,” both co-produced by Homer Banks and Chuck Brooks. He appeared next on Sound Town with the November 1983 single “Taxi” backed with “Where Is Love,” another Banks-Brooks production. “Taxi” reached No. 4 on the Billboard R&B chart, No. 90 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 48 in the UK.

West continued club and gospel work, while Louis left music and later worked for FedEx, Time-Warner, and business-training clients. In 2007, West and Blackfoot revived the Soul Children with Ann Hines and Cassandra Graham; the lineup issued Still Standing on JEA Music in 2008. Blackfoot died of pancreatic cancer on November 30, 2011, in Germantown, Tennessee. Bennett died on May 31, 2013, in Memphis.

Discography: