"California Soul" is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

tune written by

Ashford & Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, production and recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carol ...

, issued originally as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the Messengers' single "Window Shopping" in 1967 under the Motown group of labels.

Other recordings

*Nick Ashford released his own version in June 1968 on Verve 10599. *The song was then issued as a single by American pop quintet

the 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, pop soul, and psychedelic soul. They were an important crossover music act of the 1960s and 1970s, although both praised and derided for their particular music ...

in late 1968. *The song was also covered by

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

vocal duo

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

and Tammi Terrell. It was Gaye's and Terrell's last single together when released in early 1970. *A version appears on the 1970 studio album '' War & Peace'' by

Edwin Starr Charles Edwin Hatcher (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003), known by his stage name Edwin Starr, was an American singer and songwriter. He is best remembered for his Norman Whitfield-produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the num ...

(

Gordy Records Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''motor'' ...

). ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that this version "glimmers with the special touch of a motor city arrangement and the vocal fuel ignited by this splendid team." *

Marlena Shaw Marlina Burgess (September 22, 1939 – January 19, 2024), professionally known by her stage name Marlena Shaw, was an American singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and continued to perform until her death. Her music has often been ...

recorded a version in 1969, which appears on her album '' The Spice Of Life''. *Stone Throw Records recorded a version in 2021, which would later be included in the intro for the September 2021 Apple Event.

Chart performance

Both the 5th Dimension's version and the Gaye-Terrell version were modest chart hits. The 5th Dimension's performed better, reaching number 25 on the pop singles chart. Marvin and Tammi's cover was the B-side of " The Onion Song". The duo's version of "California Soul" reached number 50 pop but never charted on the US R&B chart. The duet was released after Terrell's death from a brain tumor in March 1970.

Credits

The 5th Dimension version

*All vocals by

: Billy Davis Jr.,

Marilyn McCoo Marilyn McCoo (born September 30, 1943) is an American singer, actress, and television presenter, who is best known for being the lead female vocalist in the group the 5th Dimension as well as hosting the 1980s music television show '' Solid Gol ...

, Florence LaRue,

Lamonte McLemore Lamonte McLemore (born September 17, 1939) is an American vocalist, composer, and photographer. He was a founding member of The 5th Dimension, a popular vocal group of the late 1960s and early 1970s. Personal life McLemore married Lisa Harvey ...

, and Ron Townson *Written by

*Produced by

Bones Howe Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe (born March 18, 1933) is an American record producer and recording engineer who scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, often of the sunshine pop genre, starting in 1965 with The Turtles (band), the Turtles cover o ...

Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell version

*All vocals by

and Tammi Terrell/

Valerie Simpson Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, production and recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carol ...

The Complete Motown Singles, Volume 9: 1969, Motown/Hip-O Select, 2008, p.109) *Written and produced by

*Instrumentation by

the Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

Certifications and sales

Marlena Shaw version

References

{{authority control 1967 songs 1969 singles 1970 singles The 5th Dimension songs Marvin Gaye songs Tammi Terrell songs Songs about California Songs about soul Songs written by Valerie Simpson Songs written by Nickolas Ashford Male–female vocal duets