The Soul Children: Stax Records’ Most Underrated Vocal Experiment

J. Blackfoot was in his 20s sounding like he was 80.

If you’ve ever listened to The Soul Children, then you know exactly what I mean.

The first time I heard “Hearsay” on the WattStax soundtrack, I couldn’t figure out who that voice belonged to. Everyone else in the group had a youthful vibe, but J. Blackfoot sounded like he had lived a hundred lives already. That one song sent me down a rabbit hole that eventually led me to discover one of my favorite albums of all time, Genesis. That joint made me think about what soulfulness REALLY is.

To me, soulfulness is unapologetically Black, raw, and real. It has attitude and conviction. It’s naturally funky and creative. Its vocals are honest, yet perfect without even trying. It’s also ancestral and something that can’t be taught.

Who Were The Soul Children?

The group was formed at Stax Records in 1968 by the legendary songwriting and production duo Isaac Hayes and David Porter. After Sam & Dave returned to Atlantic Records, Hayes and Porter saw an opportunity to create something new. Instead of putting together another traditional vocal group with one standout lead singer, they assembled four distinct voices: Norman West, Anita Louis, Shelbra Bennett, and J. Blackfoot.

Rather than relying on one front person, the group traded lead vocals from song to song, and sometimes within the same song and even the same verse. That gave their music a richness that felt almost like a conversation, with each voice bringing in its own style and expertise while still sounding completely unified.

They were truly ahead of their time as the first major R&B group to feature four lead singers in a co-ed line-up.

The Voice Behind The Soul Children

The more I listened to Genesis, the more one question kept popping into my head: 

Why does that one voice I keep hearing feel so familiar?

It wasn’t until I dove deep into their catalog that I realized I’d actually been listening to one of the members my whole life.

Growing up, my grandmother loved Southern Soul Blues, so J. Blackfoot’s solo records were always somewhere in the background of my childhood. It’s amazing that the same voice I grew up hearing as a kid was the very same voice pulling me into Genesis years later. I had no idea that he was once a part of one of the greatest soul groups to ever come out of Memphis.

Then I learned he was heavily influenced by gospel greats like Joe Ligon & the Mighty Clouds of Joy and The Dixie Nightingales. That’s when everything started to click for me. That deep, weathered sound I loved so much came from a lifetime of soaking up quartet gospel’s emotion, conviction, and storytelling. No wonder his voice sounded timeless.

The Soul Children’s Biggest Hits

The song that sent me down the Soul Children rabbit hole was “Hearsay.” The first time I heard it on the WattStax soundtrack, I couldn’t stop replaying it. That one song made me stop everything and ask, “Who ARE these people?” It was funny, soulful, old school but futuristic at the same time.

Some of The Soul Children’s biggest hits you may have heard before include “The Sweeter He Is,” “I’ll Be the Other Woman,” “Don’t Take My Sunshine,” and “Midnight Sunshine.”

“The Sweeter He Is” is probably the best introduction to the group. It’s one of their signature songs, and you immediately hear the warmth and chemistry between all four voices.

“I’ll Be the Other Woman” became one of their biggest hits, and for good reason. It’s Southern Soul storytelling at its finest.

The Genesis Album

My personal favorite is “Get Up About Yourself”. Whenever I’m feeling unmotivated or stuck, that record always reminds me to get back up and keep going. (Or, as they say, “get up and try to get a hold of something!” 😂)

The whole Genesis album, from the music to the album cover, resonates with me so deeply.

Something about seeing the group sitting on the porch of that old country house immediately drew me in. It reminded me of visiting my grandparents’ hometown in Mississippi. We’d drive down little country roads and pass houses that looked JUST like that.

Most people probably look at that cover and don’t think twice. I see history, resilience, and generations of Black families who built lives with what they had after emancipation, creating homes, communities, and traditions that still shape us today. To me, that porch represents where so much of this music came from. And somehow, the music feels exactly like the picture looks: warm, proud, rooted, and eff0rtlessly powerful.

What Happened to The Soul Children After Stax?

Like many great groups from that era, The Soul Children’s story didn’t end when their biggest hits stopped climbing the charts.

After Stax Records closed in the mid-70s, the group moved to Epic Records and continued recording, but they never quite recaptured the commercial success of their Stax years. By 1979, the members decided to go their separate ways as each pursued new opportunities. In interviews years later, Norman West explained that everyone was simply trying to find stability and make a living, which was a reality for many talented musicians whose contributions to soul music weren’t always matched by financial success. 

J. Blackfoot went on to build the most successful solo career of the four, dropping his first solo album City Slicker in 1983. Ironically, that’s the version of him I actually grew up hearing. Songs like “Taxi” and “Just One Lifetime” became Southern Soul Blues classics, introducing his unmistakable voice to a whole new generation of listeners. His delivery became a little smoother than it had been during The Soul Children days, but he never lost that deep gospel conviction that made him so unforgettable. 

The other members also continued making their own contributions. Norman West remained active as both a musician and gospel singer. Shelbra Bennett released solo recordings under the name Shelbra Deane, while Anita Louis eventually stepped away from the music industry and built a successful career outside of performing, though she continued singing in church.

But their story didn’t end there.

Nearly thirty years after going their separate ways, The Soul Children reunited in 2007. J. Blackfoot and Norman West brought the group back with two new members, Ann Hines and Cassandra Graham, proving there was still an audience for the music they helped create decades earlier. They even recorded a new album fittingly titled Still Standing. 

The Soul Children may not always get mentioned alongside the biggest names in soul music, but they absolutely deserve to be part of that conversation. If this article inspires even one person to discover them for the first time, then I’d say they’re still doing exactly what they set out to do over fifty years ago: touching people’s souls.

Shop the Music: Soul Children Essentials

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