Final answer:
Early soul music was a combination of R&B and gospel music, which created an emotionally powerful and spiritually charged genre. Rock and roll played a significant role in blurring racial lines by integrating the music of black and white artists, influencing social interactions among teens, and impacting racial segregation in the 1950s.
Step-by-step explanation:
Early soul music was said to be a combination of R&B with gospel music. This fusion created a genre that retained the rhythmic and bluesy feel of R&B, but incorporated the emotional intensity and spiritual elements of gospel. Unlike early rock and roll, which combined electric instruments with the sounds of gospel, blues, country, and jazz, R&B was more about the raw emotive power often found in gospel traditions. The result was a passionate style of music that resonated with a wide audience and helped set the stage for future music movements.
Rock and Roll's Influence on Racial Integration
Rock and roll significantly blurred racial lines by combining the music of black and white artists and bringing them together on the same airwaves, concert halls, and eventually, television shows like the Ed Sullivan Show and American Bandstand. Cultural integration through music was furthered by the genre's popularity across racial groups, influencing social interactions among teenagers and even impacting the segregation prevalent in 1950s America. Record companies, initially hesitant to sign black musicians, had to yield to economic pressures as rock and roll's profitability became undeniable.