Introduction

In this first lesson, students will be introduced to the song “Soul Man,” which was written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter and originally performed and made famous by Sam & Dave (Samuel Moore and Dave Prater). The upbeat music and lyrics may be familiar to many students, but they may not know that the song was inspired by a tragic moment in US history: the Detroit riots of 1967. Through the song, Hayes and Porter sought to give the term “Soul Man” a positive connotation.

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