A study of the links between Black consciousness and Black American popular music from the advent of R&B in the 1950s to the militant hip-hop groups of the 1990s.
'a very fine book on rhythm and blues and the sum of factual material amassed by its author is simply phenomenal and deserves recognition.'- American Studies Network Jury
'Ultimately, Just My Soul Responding suceeds at many levels. Its subtle grasp of the lyrical concerns of the music is bolstered by Ward's impressive grasp pf tje symbolism of musical performance ... and rounded out by a torough display of contextualisation and historical exposition.' - Immigrants and Minorities
Part 1 Deliver me from the days of old: I hear you knocking... - from R&B to Rock and Roll; Down in the alley - sex, success and sociology among black male vocal groups and shouters; Too much monkey business - race, rock and resistance. Part 2 People get ready: Can I get a witness? - civil rights, soul and secularization; Everybody needs somebody to love - southern soul, southern dreams, national stereotypes; All for one, and one for all - black enterprise, racial politics and the business of soul; On the outside looking in - rhythm and blues, celebrity politics and the civil rights movement. Part 3 One nation divisible under a groove: Tell it like it is - soul, funk and sexual politics in the black power era; Get up, get into it, get involved - black music and the black power movement; Take that to the bank - black capitalism, corporate soul and disco fever. Epilogue: How I keep from going under - black music in the post-revolutionary era.