"(The) Soul of a Man" is a

gospel blues Gospel blues (or holy blues) is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music. It combines evangelistic lyrics with blues instrumentation, often blues guitar accompaniment. According to musician an ...

song recorded by

Blind Willie Johnson Willie Johnson (January 25, 1897 – September 18, 1945), commonly known as Blind Willie Johnson, was an American gospel blues singer and guitarist. His landmark recordings completed between 1927 and 1930, thirty songs in all, display a combinat ...

in 1930. As with most of Johnson's songs, it deals with a spiritual theme within a blues musical framework. Accompanying Johnson (vocal and guitar) is Willie B. Harris, sometimes identified as his first wife, who sang harmony on the refrain: The song was released during

the Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

"when the mood of the country had darkened" and in 1930, Johnson's records, with their religious themes, were "selling almost twice as many copies as

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1892 – September 26, 1937) was an African-American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Empress of the Blues" and formerly Queen of the Blues, she was t ...

, and three and four times as many as most of the country blues artists". "The Soul of a Man" was the second to the last of Blind Willie Johnson's singles. The song is included on several Johnson compilation albums, such as '' The Complete Blind Willie Johnson'' (1993) and '' The Soul of a Man'' (2003). "Soul of a Man" has been recorded by various artists, usually with variations in the musical accompaniment.

References

1930 songs Blind Willie Johnson songs Gospel songs Blues songs Eric Burdon songs {{Blues-song-stub