Last week on Deeper Roots, we went searching for the ancestry of soul music, following its trail through gospel quartets, blues shouters, rhythm & blues and the vocal traditions that supplied its language and emotional fire. This week, we continue, crossing into the late 1950s and early ’60s when those ingredients began coming together as a music increasingly recognized as soul. These are the performers who grew from that fertile ground—and the records where you can hear the transformation taking place. We’ll dig beneath many of the obvious hits for early sides from Sam Cooke, Bobby Bland, James Brown, Solomon Burke, Jerry Butler, and others while, at the same time, exploring the emerging sounds of Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and beyond. Gospel’s testimony is still there, as are the blues and rhythm & blues, but something new is taking shape. By the time we reach the early ’60s, we’re no longer listening for the roots of soul. We’ll be hearing from the soul itself.