The 60’s gave birth to some of the greatest music of all time. The depth of the emotions, mixed with the societal elements of the decade, made some of the most powerful and most effective tunes in music history. From the Motown pop sound of The Supremes to the soulful blues and gospel influenced music of Percy Sledge, the 60’s was the perfect welcome mat for what would become the framework of which generations after would pull inspiration.

In honor of Black History Month, and with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, Centric presents our list of the Top 10 R&B/Soul Songs That Defined The 60s.

1. “I Say Little Prayer” – Dionne Warwick
Written By Hal David and Burt Bacharach in 1967, the song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and sold over one million copies in the U.S alone, becoming one of Warwick’s biggest hits. The song was later successfully covered by fellow singer, Aretha Franklin.

2. “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)” – The Four Tops
Without question, Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian Holland and Edward Holland, Jr. helped elevate the “Motown sound” with their slick songwriting and knack for perfect melodies, and this 1965 is evidence of that. The song reached number one on both the Billboard 100 and R&B charts, becoming their biggest hit to date.

3. “My Girl” – The Temptations
By the time The Temps released this Smokey Robinson penned and produced tune, their success on the charts wasn’t that great. Featuring the group’s then new member, David Ruffin, on lead vocals, the group landed their first number one hit on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B charts.

4. “When A Man Loves A Woman” – Percy Sledge
Very few artists of color have seen their debut single chart at #1 on both the Hot 100 and R&B charts, but Percy Sledge can. The soul singer’s 1966 tune was a major hit, and would later be deemed the biggest hit of his career.

5. “At Last” – Etta James
Although James wasn’t the first to record this song—it was originally released in 1941 by the Glenn Miller Orchestra—she made it a huge hit nearly twenty years later in 1961. The song became her second song to reach number two on the Billboard R&B chart. While it was a moderate success on the pop chart, it is considered an musical standard.

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1. Beyoncé Makes First Public Appearance Since Birth of Blue Ivy
For a good cause, new parents Jay-Z and Beyoncé spent their first night out on the town together since the birth of their daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The power couple spent Monday night raising money for the United Way of New York City and the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation—well at least Jay was.

The hip hop mogul kicked off his two night charity concert series at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall, with his lovely wife there to support him in the hallowed halls. Decked out in a curves hugging red dress Beyoncé was amongst the audience that watched Hov lay down his raps accompanied by a 36-piece orchestra and his 10-piece band. [MORE]

2. Whitney Houston and Ray J Spotted Dining Together
Have Whitney Houston and Ray J been struck (once again) by cupid’s arrow? The former lovers, who dated from 2007 to 2009 and then briefly fell back into old habits in 2010, were spotted dining together at cozy West Hollywood eatery Le Petit Four on Sunday. [MORE]

3. Mary J. Blige Talks Sobriety, Marriage on Wendy Williams
Mary J. Blige stopped by the Wendy Williams show [last Thursday], and the Queen of Hip Hop-Soul opened up about weighty topics including drug addiction, marriage and motherhood. [MORE]

For more music news and information, visit BET.com/news/music

1. Drake Won’t Respond to Common Diss
Drake is tired of being a pawn in Common’s promotional scheme, or at least that’s what it sounds like he’s saying. In an interview with Nah Right Drizzy shared that he wasn’t going to respond to Common with a diss track, noting that Common was likely engaging him in the rap battle to promote his latest album The Dreamer/The Believer. [MORE]

2. Adele’s 21 Closing in on Billboard Charts Record
The British soul singer’s sophomore album becomes biggest No. 1 album since Bodyguard soundtrack. [MORE]

“Sometimes, you get a feeling, and the feeling comes over you, and you know that you’re being used by God, your God-given talents are inspiring others with your love for creating music, ” said legendary singer/songwriter Valerie Simpson, one half of songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, as she presented the Record of the Year award at this year’s Soul Train Awards.  In the world of R&B and soul, strong lyrics are everything, and finding the right balance of creativity and technique is definitely the work of some higher power. In honor of the craft of songwriting, Centric has compiled our list of the greatest R&B and soul songwriters of all time (in no particular order).

1. Ashford and Simpson
Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson will forever be known as one of music’s greatest songwriting duos. Their knack for creating classic soul music helped catapult the husband and wife creative team into success in the late 60’s with a slew of hits written for artists on Motown Records— “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “Your Precious Love”, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing”, and “You’re All I Need to Get By,” among them. Their success would continue throughout the 70’s and 80’s, as they wrote Chaka Khan’s 1978 hit “I’m Every Woman,” and released 16 albums as a duo, including four gold records—Send It, Is It Still Good To Ya, Stay Free, and Solid. Sadly, Ashford succumbed to throat cancer this year.

2. Smokey Robinson
When you think of the Motown sound, the name Smokey Robinson should instantly come to mind. The singer/songwriter and music executive helped shape what would become a musical revolution. In 1959, Robinson got his start as the lead singer and founding member of The Miracles. The group released several hits including, “Shop Around” (1960), “You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me” (1962), and “Ooh Baby Baby” (1965). During this time, Robinson also penned hits for other acts on the label, most notably 1964’s “My Girl” by The Temptations and ”My Guy” by Mary Wells. Robinson went solo in 1972 and continued producing a slew of R&B hits and releasing 24 albums, the last being 2009’s Time Flies When You’re Having Fun. Read the rest of this entry »

Ashanti flexed her vocal ability by covering Whitney Houston’s 1993 hit “I Have Nothing”. The song, written by David Foster, was performed by the singer at a recent concert.

What say you about her performance? HIT or MISS?

Singers covering the songs of other singers is certainly nothing new. BUT, executing said cover, and making it a hit, is the challenge. Let’s face it, there have been a slew of covers that induce a “hell yes”, and there are those that have deserved—and gotten—a “what the hell were you thinking”. But of course what IS and ISN’T a great cover is subject for debate. Enter: Versus on Soulsessions.

Written by songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, Chaka Khan’s 1978 song, “I’m Every Woman”was a bonafide hit for the soon-to-be former front woman of soul/funk band Rufus. The song, on which a young Whitney Houston sang background, topped the Billboard soul charts and charted at #11 in the UK.  

15 years later in 1993, Houston released a cover of the that was a major hit in over ten countries, peaking in the top five. Featured on the soundtrack for her 1992 film, The Bodyguard, the song received a Grammy Award nomination for  Best Female R&B Vocal Performance—thus becoming bigger than the original.

But which one is better? Does Chaka’s original trump Whitney’s cover?

Debarge, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Monica, Brandy, Toni Braxton—just a few of the long list of R&B artists for whom Diane Warren has penned hit songs. For nearly three decades, Warren has crafted a career on pumping out heart-wrenching love songs of romance, heartbreak and personal strength. 

Today, September 7, 2011, marks her 55th birthday, and we are celebrating her day with a playlist of our favorite soul-drenched tunes from the California native.

It’s officially time to get romantic…or maybe cry over love lost.

Diane Warren fan?

Oh and did we forget to mention that she wrote Debarge’s 1985 hit, “Rhythm of The Night”?

“The Hot 10″ airs every Saturday at 10a/9c.

Government Name: Tracie Monique Spencer
Birthplace: Waterloo, Iowa
Period of Relevance: 1988-1993, 1997, 1999-2000
Claim to Fame: In 1987, at the age of 11, Spencer won famed television talent show Star Search after singing Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”. Her win, led to a contract with Capitol Records, making her the youngest female to sign a deal with a major label at the the time. Her self-titled debut album yielded a string of moderate hits—her first single, “Hide & Seek” didn’t crack the Billboard 100, but it managed to peak at #32 on the R&B charts, but her follow-up single, “Symptoms of True Love” fared better, reaching #38 on the Hot 100, #11 on the R&B charts and even became a top 20 dance tune (#14). The final single off the album, a cover version of John Lennon’s 1971 classic “Imagine”, charted at #85 on the pop charts and was a top 40 R&B hit (#31).

While her debut album alluded she had a soulful spirit, her sophomore release would solidify her place in R&B. Released in 1990, Make the Difference followed the success of the album’s first single, “Save Your Love” which reached #7 on the R&B charts. The album would give Spencer some of the biggest hits of her career: “This Time Make it Funky”, “This House”—peaked at #3, making this her biggest Billboard Hot 100 hit—and her classic ballad, “Tender Kisses” which was a #1 R&B hit.

Hiatus: After releasing “Love Me”, the #2 R&B charting follow-up to “Tender Kisses”, Spencer appeared in an episode of the popular ABC sitcom Family Matters in 1993, but disappeared from the spotlight soon after. She resurfaced in 1997, to record “I’ll Be There for You” for the 1997 film, Good Burger and “The Rain” for A Smile Like Yours, starring Lauren Holly, that same year.
Comeback: In 1999, Spencer resurfaced with the sassy, Soulshock & Karlin produced, “It’s All About You”. The song reached #6 and #18 on the Billboard R&B and Hot 100 respectively. This single was her first in over seven years. Her third album, Tracie, became her highest charting album, peaking at #19 on the R&B album charts. The album’s second single, “Still In My Heart”, was a top 40 hit on both the R&B and dance charts, and marked her last single.
Last Seen: Spencer, sang background vocals on Kanye West’s The College Dropout (“Never Let Me Down”), Eve’s Evo-Loution in 2002, and 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ in 2003. From 2004 to 2006, she focused on acting starring a few short films and regional plays in Los Angeles. Reportedly, she now lives in the UK.

It’s been over decade since Tracie Spencer released any hit music, making her officially: MISSING IN MUSIC.

If you, or anyone you know, is aware of her whereabouts, please let us know.

Thirty years ago today, Lionel Richie and Diana Ross‘ “Endless Love” hit #1 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Written by Richie, the song also topped the Hot 100, and was a top ten hit in Australia, Sweden, Norway and the United Kingdom.

The song recorded for Motown Records, was used as the theme song to the 1981 film, Endless Love, starring Brooke Shields—garnering an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

The song was certified platinum with sales of over one million copies, and has been covered by the likes of Luther Vandross, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston and country singer, Kenny Rogers.

48 years ago today, Whitney Elizabeth Houston, was born in Newark, New Jersey; to army serviceman, John Houston, and gospel singer, Cissy Drinkard Houston. Today, Houston has sold over 170 million albums worldwide—making her one of the highest selling vocalist of all time—released seven studio albums, 53 singles, and has been nominated for 23 Grammy Awards—winning five of them. We celebrate her today with this special video playlist courtesy of “The Hot 10″ and Vevo. Read the rest of this entry »