Hear the Soul

Visit the place known as “Soulsville USA” to see the legacy of soul music preserved in Memphis, Tennessee. The story starts in the early 1960s when siblings Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton – hence the Stax Records name – cultivated stars, including Carla Thomas, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes and Wilson Pickett. Stax Museum exhibits include Hayes’ gold-plated 1972 Cadillac Eldorado, a dance floor, album art, videos and a listening station. While in Memphis don't miss the Memphis Rock n’ Soul Museum, Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate and Beale Street.

One of the greatest soul record companies formed in Detroit, Michigan, giving birth to the distinctive 1960s Motown Sound. Tour Berry Gordy’s former home, emblazoned with a “Hitsville, U.S.A” sign, where super groups like The Supremes, The Jackson 5 and The Temptations recorded hit after hit in Studio A. Let a knowledgeable guide take you through the museum, listen to catchy tunes and see costumes, gold records and other memorabilia. The Model T Ford also was invented in the Motor City, where visitors will find an energetic pulse in cultural venues, entertainment districts and the downtown RiverWalk.

Travel any time at all in northwest Alabama and you’ll quickly discover how the Muscle Shoals Sound, at its peak in the 1960s and ’70s, continues to lure musicians from around the world to record hits here. Visit both FAME Studios and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio to learn how competing businesses hosted the biggest names in the industry: soul singers like Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Otis Redding, and later, Rod Stewart, The Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Go to neighboring Tuscumbia and learn more by touring the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.

It’s an honor for performers to earn their way to The Apollo Theater stage in New York City. Some of the biggest names in the business – Billie Holiday, Sammy Davis Jr., James Brown, Gladys Knight, Luther Vandross and Lauryn Hill among them – got their start here. Amateur Night contests on Wednesdays, established in 1934, are especially popular. The audience isn’t shy about voicing its opinion in this “be good or be gone” venue. On other days, laugh at a comedian’s jokes, and dine on fabulous meals throughout the entertainment mecca of New York City.

Chuck Berry, the “Father of Rock ’n’ Roll,” performed more than 200 concerts in the Duck Room at Blueberry Hill, open since 1972 on the Delmar Loop in St. Louis, Missouri. In recent years, Ed Sheeran, Grandmaster Flash and a host of others continue to make music here. Eat the famous burgers, order drinks from the bar and soak up the nostalgia. While you’re in the neighborhood, snap a selfie next to the Chuck Berry statue, read sidewalk plaques on the St. Louis Walk of Fame and catch more music at The Pageant and Delmar Hall concert venues.

It’s never too late to learn about the legacy left by singer and bandleader James Brown, “The Godfather of Soul.” Board a 25-passenger bus and let the James Brown Family Foundation take you on a tour of his hometown, Augusta, Georgia, including where he went to school and lived. Stop at his statue in Augusta Common, and see Brown memorabilia at the Augusta Museum of History. Linger in town a little longer to enjoy southern hospitality. Stroll the Riverwalk or get tickets to see the Masters tournament in April at the Augusta National Golf Club.

Visit this trendy, energetic restaurant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to hear great music. Order a stiff drink at the whiskey bar – try a flight if you can’t settle on one – and eat inspired entrees like shepherd’s pie and short ribs or bar bites like deviled eggs and burgers. There’s live neo soul and jazz music every day downstairs, and DJs spin tunes Friday and Saturday in the upstairs Parisian-style club. While you’re in the “Birthplace of America,” board a sightseeing bus tour of historic sites, including Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, then visit the vendors at Reading Terminal Market.

Urban gospel was born in Chicago, Illinois. Feel the power behind the lyrics sung by soloists, bands and choral ensembles during this June festival in Millennium Park and the nearby Chicago Cultural Center. Over two days hear historic anthem-like songs and contemporary selections, and be mesmerized by the soulful arrangements and onstage energy. There’s no shortage of things to see and do near the concert sites. Go shopping along the Magnificent Mile, wander through world-class museums, stroll along the Lake Michigan shoreline and eat signature foods like deep-dish pizza and Chicago-style hot dogs.