We’re decidedly blessed with continuous access to acres of studio recordings of our favorite soul artists. There’s the hits we know, and then even there’s alternate takes. Nevermind the LPs they released, the B-sides that end up being true gems, or the unreleased material that sees light of day more than a half century later. It’s truly a weatlh of artistry that continues to feed us.

One thing we oft don’t get today is access to what kind of thrill it would have been to be at one of their live performances. Not only did many artists rule the roost in the studio at a time when there was less technology to cover up flaws, many didn’t rely on stadium filling shows with hundreds of additional uncredited performers supporting them.

Due to the passage of time and our own mortality, we can’t experience what a Uptown Saturday Night at The Apollo, The Howard, The Regal, The Twenty Grand, Bilstrubs, The Coconut Grove, The Copa or The Roostertail was like in the heyday of soul music.

Thankfully there’s quite a bit of recorded evidence of what it was like to experience people live however. With that, I’ve gathered a grab bag of live performances from stage and television of some of the brightest stars of the stage during the 1960’s. Close your eyes and transport yourself through nearly 90 minutes of live performance.

 

1) The Shirelles – Tonight’s The Night (1966)

2) The Drifters – Saturday Night At The Movies (1964)

3) Patty & The Emblems – Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl (1964)

4) The Vibrations – My Girl Sloopy (1964)

5) Doris Troy – Say Yeah (1964)

6) Kim Weston – He’s Alright (1964)

7) Martha & The Vandellas – Quicksand (1964)

8) The Ronettes – What I’d Say? (1964)
9) The Temptations – The Way You Do The Things You Do (1965)

10) Dusty Springfield – Get Ready (1967)

11) Marvin Gaye – Ain’t That Peculiar (1967)

12) The Marvelettes – Tossin’ & Turnin’ (1963)

13) Aretha Franklin – The Shoop Shoop Song  (1965)

14) Dionne Warwick – Reach Out For Me (1965)

15) Patti LaBelle & The BlueBelles – That’s How Heartaches Are Made (1966)

16) The Velvelettes – I Can’t Wait Until I See My Baby’s Face (1964)

17) Maxine Brown – Do It In The Name Of Love (1967)

18) The Miracles – A Fork In The Road (1971)

19) Nancy Wilson – How Glad I Am (1965)

20) Blinky – I Wouldn’t Change The Man He Is (1969)

21) Barbara McNair – When The Sun Comes Out (1965)

22) Mary Wells – What’s Easy For Two Is Hard For One (1964)

23) Donna Hightower -Cherokee (1963)

24) The Four Tops – I’ll Turn To Stone (1967)

25) Tammi Terrell – Come On And See Me (1966)

26) The Wild Ones – My Little Red Book (1965)

27) The Supremes – Standing At The Crossroads Of Love (1964)

28) Gladys Knight & The Pips – I’m Afraid The Masquerade Is Over/I Heard It Through The Grapevine (1969)

29) Brenda Holloway – When I’m Gone (1965)

30) Jean King – Just My Style (1966)