The country side of southern soul _______________________

In the American South, black and white musicians have been influencing each other’s music for generations, from the hymns of the 18th century to the soul music of the 60s. Rock and roll was born in the South, spawned from the legendary blues artists who grew up there - but who were the people behind this remarkable cultural interplay, and how did they make their music in a time when oppressive racist laws and segregation were ubiquitous?

Fascinated by the collision of country and soul music in the Southern States, renowned music journalist Barney Hoskyns and photographer Muir MacKean set out on a journey through the American South to explore the phenomenon of primarily black singers and primarily white musicians joining forces in the 1960s to create musical magic in an era of racial tension.

Travelling from Memphis to Muscle Shoals to Nashville, Hoskyns and MacKean went in search of the artists behind the iconic music of the South, sitting down with dozens of the architects of what’s come to be known as Country Soul.

Uncovering never-before-heard details and wild stories of the music scenes that helped shape music as we know it today, they capture a story that is as inspiring as it is historically important.