SWEET SOUL MUSIC profiles the legendary artists--among them Sam Cook, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, and Al Green--who merged gospel and rhythm and blues. "The best history of '60s soul music. . . . Sooner or later, it is going to be recognized as a classic; the time to read it is now".--Robert Palmer, NEW YORK TIMES. 175 photos.  

This masterpiece sincerely explores the true meaning of soul music. Published in 1986, Peter began writing it in the 1980s, the decade that soul music was on its last legs. Peter, a young, white man with a love for music, pursued soul music from a musical perspective, but he discovered a surprising truth from the people he interviewed.

"Soul" was inextricably linked to the turbulent American society of the 1960s, and was merely a desperate means of recovery for losers desperately trying to survive during that era. The book details how this ultimately culminated in the wonderful "soul" music. This over-400-page book, written with extensive documentation and time, is packed with valuable photographs and is a truly enjoyable read.