About these Soul Bands

Head back to the era of soul greats such as Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, Al Green and Aretha Franklin by booking a soul band for your wedding reception or birthday party. Ideal for guests that remember the 70s, a live soul band is the perfect way to get your guests up dancing and having a great time.

For those who live and breathe soul music, a soul party band is the perfect addition to your event. Suitable for all kinds of audiences, you can guarantee that your guests will be talking of your event and how great the entertainment was for years to come!

"Incredible. We wanted a fun funky band for our wedding. And being in the theatre industry ourselves we wanted something amazing to wow our guests. The Funk Soul Collective did not disappoint and surpassed our expectations. Their showmanship is outstanding and as musicians they are simply outstanding. 3 months on from our big day and our guests are still talking about how good the band were. We just need an excuse to book them again. Thank you so much Gareth and all the band."

James's review of The Funk Collctive

Ideal for:

Soul bands are absolutely perfect for larger, more elaborate events, as their act will usually include choreographed dance moves and lots of musicians being on stage at any one time. Many soon-to-be married couples ask for a live soul band to play during their first dance and to learn a special song for their big day. Most professional bands are more than happy to do this if you give them enough notice (usually over a week, at the least).

When booking Soul Bands:

The line up to a soul band often varies and most come complete with backing vocalists and a brass or horn section. This could potentially be problematic as it’s important you have a suitable space big enough for the band (potentially 7 or 8 members) to play in. The space will also need to have a suitable number of power sources.

When booking a live band, it’s important that you’re always aware of the band’s terms and conditions and never assume that something is correct. All professional bands will operate through a contract, which will state the bands schedule for the day, how they are to be paid and all other important details regarding the event. It’s vital that you read through this contract and query anything you don’t understand. Every live band will have a technical rider, which you will need to supply and it’s customary for a live band to receive a hot meal, suitable parking and somewhere to change clothes or leave valuable belongings.

Prices for Soul Bands:

Due to their extended line up, soul bands will usually be priced at a minimum of £950, and may offer additional "bolt-on" packages of brass sections, backing singers or even dancers, for an additional charge.

About Soul music:

Beginning in the late fifties and early sixties, soul music was a blend of two seemingly incompatible things - rhythm and blues, and church gospel music. Though many people have been referred to as it's creator, it was "the genius" himself, Ray Charles, who arguably pioneered the genre towards the end of the 1950s. With hits like "I Got A Woman" and "What'd I Say", he combined many elements of gospel, blues and jazz, including latin rhythms and call and response vocals.

Equally important in the music's creation, it was James Brown who was to be given the title of "The Godfather of Soul". Eventually going on to have tremendous impact in the evolution of Funk music, James Brown's earlier hits were firmly in the soul category.

In the 1960s, Soul was to become even more popular. In 1961, the label known as "Satellite Records" would officially change it's name to Stax. Stax records would prove almost as influential to the genre as Atlantic, recording and putting out the likes of Otis Redding and Wilson picket. However, perhaps the most famous record label to be associated with the genre was Berry Gordy's Motown, based out of Detroit. Throughout the 60's, they managed to put a huge amount of records into the billboard top 100, especially as a small label. The soul genre had now begun to receive crossover appeal with new audiences.

It was towards the end of the sixties that one of the most influential female soul voices of all time was to emerge. Aretha Louise Franklin would release the future-classics "Respect", "I Never Loved A Man" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man", cementing her position as "The queen of soul".

Many Motown artists like Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder continued to enjoy success throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and the soul genre has proved influential to many forms of popular music that came afterwards. It continues to enjoy success to this day, performed by the likes of St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Aloe Blacc and Leon Bridges.

The Soul Bands featured on this page are all members of the LastMinuteMusicians.com entertainment directory. Use the refine section at the top of this page to book a live soul band close to you. Simply choose a county or enter a post code into the "available in" box to refine the listings to your local area. Click the "visit listing" button to see the full profiles of the individual local soul groups for hire. With over 3300 active listings you are sure to find the perfect entertainer, musician, band or entertainment service to make your event just perfect. Don`t forget you can use our online chat (below) to get instant help with your booking.