Sometimes I walk into a thrift shop with no expectations at all, and that is exactly when the best discoveries happen. That was the case about ten years ago when I suddenly found an unplayed Belgian picture-sleeve pressing of Sweet Charles Sherrell – “Soul Man.” I already had his fantastic LP For Sweet People in my collection, but finding this single in that condition in a thrift shop was something special.

Soul Man was written in 1967 by Isaac Hayes and David Porter and became a classic through the Stax duo Sam & Dave. The single reached number one on the US R&B charts and won a Grammy in 1968.

Charles “Sweet Charles” Sherrell (1943–2023) was best known as the bassist for James Brown and played on some of Brown’s most famous recordings from the late 1960s, including Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud, Mother Popcorn, and Give It Up or Turnit a Loose.

Sherrell first learned guitar by washing Curtis Mayfield’s car, a Jaguar, and receiving guitar lessons in return. Soon after, he began teaching himself bass after buying an instrument for 69 dollars in a local pawn shop. This led him to join Johnny Jones & The King Kasuals, the backing band for Aretha Franklin. In August 1968, Sherrell then joined James Brown’s band.

Funk meets the legacy of Memphis soul. And that is exactly what I love about digging: you expect nothing and suddenly you are holding a small piece of music history in your hands. Pure CoverLove.