Biography
Formed in Cleveland, Ohio, the group S.O.U.L. embodied the phrase “Sounds of Unity and Love.” Its original lineup consisted of Lee Lovett on bass, Gus Hawkins on sax and flute, Paul Stubblefield on drums, and Walter Winston on guitar. In 1971 Larry Hancock joined on vocals and organ, while Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor took over guitar duties from Winston the following year. Prior to the band’s creation, each musician had already gained experience in local music circles. During 1970 the quartet entered a battle-of-the-bands competition backed by the May Company department store, WHK radio, and Musicor Records; their victory brought a $1,000 prize plus a recording deal with the label. Traveling to New York City in 1971, they cut the single “Down in the Ghetto Parts I & II,” which performed strongly enough in regional markets to surpass Musicor’s initial projections. After completing a second 45, the musicians returned to the studio to assemble the album What It Is, a seven-track collection that showcased their range through covers of jazz and funk material alongside the two singles. The LP reached the Top 40 on Billboard’s soul album chart and remained there for two months. In the early 1990s the BGP label issued the album in the United Kingdom and other European territories, where S.O.U.L. later developed a cult following.
Bassist Lee Lovett, born in Detroit, relocated to Cleveland in the late 1950s and fronted the popular outfit Lee Lovett and the Dynamic Sounds throughout the 1960s, performing live dates and supporting area artists in recording sessions. Sax and flute player Gus Hawkins was born in Oakwood, an upper-middle-class village roughly thirteen miles from Cleveland where, during the 1950s and 1960s, minorities were as scarce as Dixie Peach hair dressing; he studied tenor saxophone in the local school band before leaving in the 1960s to settle in Cleveland and join the Futuretones.
Around the time S.O.U.L. began its third album project, Winston departed and Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor—whose birthplace remains undocumented but who grew up in Cleveland—stepped in. With Taylor aboard, the band scored its biggest single, “This Time Around,” which climbed into the Top 50 on the R&B chart. The follow-up, “The Jones,” written by Lee Lovett, reached the Top 100 and stayed on the listings for ten weeks. After several additional releases the members disbanded. Gus Hawkins returned to education, trained as a phlebotomist, worked at the Cleveland Clinic, and eventually moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to continue his career and raise his family. Paul Stubblefield played with the ten-piece ensemble the Rasts, recording and touring, then joined the lounge act the Murphys; he also worked with various editions of the Ink Spots and the Platters before settling in Phoenix, Arizona. Taylor headed to Los Angeles, where he composed “Get Away” for Earth, Wind & Fire in 1976, cut solo sides for 20th Century Records, and later toured with the same group. Lee Lovett remained in Cleveland and contributed tracks to other ensembles.
Hancock stayed musically active after the split, recording with two lineups of Truth. The first featured Hancock alongside Al Boyd, Leo Green, and Russell Watts; Boyd later co-wrote “Shakey Ground” for the Temptations, a song Phoebe Snow also recorded. When those Truth releases failed to chart and two members exited, Hancock and Green continued as a duo. They released the album Coming Home on Devaki Records, which attracted little attention upon issue, though Dennis Edwards—recently dismissed from the Temptations and then based in Cleveland—played a significant role in its creation. Hancock next traveled to California, recording for Decca Records, including a duet with Alfie Silas, before returning to Cleveland. He also performed with one of the Platters groups whose lead singer, Sonny Turner of “With This Ring” fame, was a fellow Clevelander and longtime acquaintance.
Bassist Lee Lovett, born in Detroit, relocated to Cleveland in the late 1950s and fronted the popular outfit Lee Lovett and the Dynamic Sounds throughout the 1960s, performing live dates and supporting area artists in recording sessions. Sax and flute player Gus Hawkins was born in Oakwood, an upper-middle-class village roughly thirteen miles from Cleveland where, during the 1950s and 1960s, minorities were as scarce as Dixie Peach hair dressing; he studied tenor saxophone in the local school band before leaving in the 1960s to settle in Cleveland and join the Futuretones.
Around the time S.O.U.L. began its third album project, Winston departed and Bernard “Beloyd” Taylor—whose birthplace remains undocumented but who grew up in Cleveland—stepped in. With Taylor aboard, the band scored its biggest single, “This Time Around,” which climbed into the Top 50 on the R&B chart. The follow-up, “The Jones,” written by Lee Lovett, reached the Top 100 and stayed on the listings for ten weeks. After several additional releases the members disbanded. Gus Hawkins returned to education, trained as a phlebotomist, worked at the Cleveland Clinic, and eventually moved to Atlanta, Georgia, to continue his career and raise his family. Paul Stubblefield played with the ten-piece ensemble the Rasts, recording and touring, then joined the lounge act the Murphys; he also worked with various editions of the Ink Spots and the Platters before settling in Phoenix, Arizona. Taylor headed to Los Angeles, where he composed “Get Away” for Earth, Wind & Fire in 1976, cut solo sides for 20th Century Records, and later toured with the same group. Lee Lovett remained in Cleveland and contributed tracks to other ensembles.
Hancock stayed musically active after the split, recording with two lineups of Truth. The first featured Hancock alongside Al Boyd, Leo Green, and Russell Watts; Boyd later co-wrote “Shakey Ground” for the Temptations, a song Phoebe Snow also recorded. When those Truth releases failed to chart and two members exited, Hancock and Green continued as a duo. They released the album Coming Home on Devaki Records, which attracted little attention upon issue, though Dennis Edwards—recently dismissed from the Temptations and then based in Cleveland—played a significant role in its creation. Hancock next traveled to California, recording for Decca Records, including a duet with Alfie Silas, before returning to Cleveland. He also performed with one of the Platters groups whose lead singer, Sonny Turner of “With This Ring” fame, was a fellow Clevelander and longtime acquaintance.
Albums
Singles