The seven women profiled in this book differ in terms of background and experience but share the common thread of having been soul performers during the 1960s. Denise LaSalle, who started out as a songwriter and record label owner an then moved into singing; Ruby Johnson, who recorded on the legendary Stax label in Memphis; Carla Thomas, Stax's biggest female star and one of the most distinctive voices in all of soul; Bettye LaVette, a Detroit-based singer with an ardent European following; Barbara Mason, a pioneer of Philadelphia soul and one of the few female soul artists to have written nearly all her hits; Maxine Brown, who moved into soul after a career in gospel in the 1950s; Timi Yuro, a 'blue-eyed' soul singer whose gigantic voice earned her the praise of luminaries like Dinah Washington and Frank Sinatra;