A common beginning in the stories and lives of the soul music artists are the times spent singing gospel and blues music. Of all the musical styles on which soul music is built, these are the two most prominent. Both styles were born during the times of Jim Crow and both styles express emotions of love, longing, and rejoicing. The fusion was natural for early soul pioneers such as Johnnie Taylor, Sam Cooke, Ike & Tina Turner, and Ray Charles, all of whom are spotlighted in this exhibit with photographs, albums, instruments, clothing, films, and items of memorabilia that help explain the progression of blues and early soul music as it transformed into the music that Stax Records and other major soul music labels would come to produce, spreading sweet soul music throughout the world.