Soul music open in acknowledging the influence of Pilgrim Travelers vocalist Jesse Whitaker on his singing style. Little Richard, who inspired Otis Redding, and James Brown both were equally influential. Brown was nicknamed the "Godfather of Soul Music", and Richard proclaimed himself as the "King of Rockin' and Rollin', Rhythm and Blues Soulin'", because his music embodied elements of all three, and since he inspired artists in all three genres. Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson also are often acknowledged as soul forefathers. Cooke became popular as the lead singer of the gospel group The Soul Stirrers, before controversially moving into secular music.
Key to My Soul Key to My Soul Key to My Soul is the third studio album by German recording artist Sarah Connor. It was released by X-Cell and Epic Records on 17 November 2003 in German-speaking Europe. As with her previous albums, "Green Eyed Soul" (2001) and "Unbelievable" (2002), Connor renuited with songwriting and production duo Rob Tyger and Kay Denar to work on the majority of the album, with Diane Warren, TQ, Wayne Wilkins, and Connor's then-husband Marc Terenzi receiving songwriting credits and Brock Landers and Stephen Shape producing "Daddy's Eyes". The album received generally mixed reviews from critics, with laut.de declaring