As the lysergic haze of psychedelia spread over the skies of 1960s rock, certain soul artists fell under the spell of panned sonic textures, outrageous guitar effects, lay-back-and-groove rhythms, marathon song lengths, and foggy lyrical imagery. Some, such as the Temptations and the Chambers Brothers, were soul mainstays heading in a new direction, while fresh acts like Sly & the Family Stone and Edwin Starr fearlessly stretched the boundaries of soul in the late '60s and early '70s. Meanwhile, with 1968's magnum opus Electric Ladyland in his hip pocket, rock guitar wizard Jimi Hendrix eloquently implemented soul textures amidst his swirling soundscapes. Stone and Hendrix were clearly acting as mutual influences at this stage, the effects of which would steadily trickle into both Curtis Mayfield's solo material and the work of the Temptations beginning with 1969's Cloud Nine. As the '70s tripped forward, psychedelic soul's aftereffects persevered as George Clinton's zany Parliament / Funkadelic funk conglomerate adapted the elasticity expressed in the work of Stone and the Temptations.

Notable Artists: Sly & the Family Stone; Jimi Hendrix, the Temptations; Rotary Connection