Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music

Soul music has swept the globe over the past half-century, evolving from the raw, electric rhythms of the Black underclass into a multibillion-dollar phenomenon, with R&B and hip hop now dominating charts worldwide. It has soundtracked some of the era’s most dramatic social, political and cultural shifts. Alongside the civil rights movement, it challenged white hegemony, helped topple segregation and propelled the fight for racial equality. This six-part series from the BBC—crafted by the team behind the acclaimed Lost Highway, Walk On By and Dancing In The Street—traces the evolution of soul music, weaving rare archive footage with more than 100 contemporary interviews. The movers and shakers from the soul world—James Brown, Mary J. Blige, Beyoncé and Martha Reeves—alongside overlooked talent, trace the music that shaped our lives.