When people reflect on 60s soul they often think of the great vocal groups of Motown, male and female, but Motown represented only a partial, though definitely successful, contribution to the genre, as there were key vocal groups before, after the 60s, and from outside of Detroit, like The Dells, The Impressions, The Chi-Lites and The Blue Notes.

This week for Soulful Saturday, here is part one of a selection of great vocal groups of the 60s and 70s, smooth in their sharp-tailored matching suits, clicking their fingers, stepping and harmonizing, including a shout to The Pips who backed Gladys Knight so expertly for almost four decades.

So, let’s do the Soul City Walk…