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How I discovered the Choir and why I joined.

The Victoria Soul Gospel Choir was the name of the choir when I joined, with my daughter, 20 years ago. I read an article about it in the newspaper.
We ventured out to a rehearsal…and got hooked. Gospel Music, especially the upbeat style we learned and performed, is the basis for all the soul singers whom I admired, from Sam Cooke to Al Green, Little Richard to Aretha Franklin.
The name was changed eventually to the Sweet Soul Choir, moving from a sacred reference to one of Rhythm & Blues, especially Motown.
But it all started in a church somewhere where African American choirs raised spirits and rooftops. The sound went down the dusty road to Juke Joints, then tiny recording studios, on to dance floors and into transistor radios, and out into the world. It became a soundtrack of Life from Detroit and Memphis to Liverpool and Berlin.
We haven’t abandoned the infectious feel and ‘Call and Response’ style in our music. How could we? It’s in the bones of our choir leader Checo. Like Ray Charles, he was raised singing in church choirs. So was Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston, Smokey Robinson.
The Sweet Soul Choir keeps the music alive out of respect for those who had so little – who gave us so much. We are honoured to sing for them, and for our audiences who jump up to clap their hands.