THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

377-Arthur Conley-Sweet Soul Music.

1967-Number 7 single.

Best Bit-At 0.06. The song name checks The Miracles, Lou Rawls, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, and James Brown. If all of these artists don’t appear in this countdown at some point, then I need to have a serious word with myself.

Arthur Lee Conley was born on January 4th, 1946, in McIntosh County, Georgia, United States, he died from intestinal cancer on November 17th, 2003, at the age of 57. Conley recorded his first song ‘Poor Girl’ in 1963, as ‘Arthur & the Corvets. In 1964 he came to the attention of Otis Redding who signed him to his recently set up record label ‘Jotis Records.’ In total Conley achieved three American Billboard Hot 100 singles, while in the UK this was his only charting song.

Arthur Conley was gay, and many music critics have said that his homosexuality was a barrier to him achieving greater success in the United States. In 1975 he relocated to England, before moving to Belgium, and then Holland. In 1980 he legally changed his name to Lee Roberts, using his middle name, and his mothers maiden name, and he would perform as ‘Lee Roberts and the Sweaters.’ In 2014 the Rock and Roll historian Ed Ward (1948-2021) wrote,’Nobody knew Lee Roberts, and at last Conley was able to live in peace with a secret he had hidden, or thought he had, for his entire career he was gay, but nobody in The Netherlands cared.’

‘Sweet Soul Music’ was co-written by Arthur Conley and Otis Redding, (1941-1967) (see also best songs 712) it was heavily based on the Sam Cooke (1931-1964) (see also best songs 156) song ‘Yeah Man’ from his posthumous Album ‘Shake.’ Cooke’s business partner James Woodie Alexander (1916-1996) successfully sued Conley and Redding, to which a settlement was reached where Cooke had his name added to the songwriting credits, and Redding agreed to record some songs in the future for ‘Kags Music,’ which was a Cooke and Alexander enterprise.’Sweet Soul Music’ has sold over one million copies, and pays homage to some of the great Soul singers, and songs of the day, including Wilson Pickett’s ‘Mustang Sally,’ and Redding’s own ‘Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa.’ Also mentioned is James Brown who is describes as ‘The king of them all.’

‘Do you like good music, that sweet soul music. Just as long as it’s swingin’ oh yeah, oh yeah. We are here on the floor now, we’re going to a go go, dancin’ to the music, oh yeah ,oh yeah.’