soul music: Meaning and Definition of

soul' mu"sic

Pronunciation: [key]
  1. a fervent type of popular music developed in the late 1950s by black Americans as a secularized form of gospel music, with rhythm-and-blues influences, and distinctive for its earthy expressiveness, variously plaintive or raucous vocals, and often passionate romanticism or sensuality. Also called
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.