Title: Sam & Dave – Soul Man / May I Baby
Year/Genre: 1967, Soul
Condition: G

Cultural Facts:

1. “Soul Man” was written by Isaac Hayes & David Porter after TV coverage of the 1967 riots—“SOUL” markings became a coded sign of identity and survival.

2. It came out on Stax’s Volt imprint, part of a Memphis ecosystem where integrated studios and touring bills quietly challenged segregation-era norms.

3. The song’s later afterlife (covers, commercials, movie cues) often detached it from that moment—turning a specific crisis-era slogan into pop shorthand