The Charleston Southern Soul Festival will bring a showcase of classic R&B and contemporary Southern soul on Feb. 28 to the North Charleston Performing Arts Center.
The evening will feature powerhouse vocals, deep grooves and old-school R&B with a distinctly Southern flair. The event highlights the enduring influence of Southern soul while giving Lowcountry audiences another chance to experience the genre’s emotional pull in a live setting.
The festival features King George, whose modern Southern soul hits blend smooth R&B melodies with bluesy storytelling; Stefunie Luckett & Friends, showcasing powerful, gospel-rooted soul vocals; Tucka, a fan favorite known for his upbeat, groove-heavy style; and West Love, whose heartfelt vocals lean into classic soul traditions.
Also on the bill are Tonio Armani, delivering contemporary soul with a polished R&B edge; Mike Clark Jr., whose music mixes old-school influences with modern production; EJ Jones, bringing dance-ready rhythms and crowd-pleasing hooks; and Henry Welch, rounding out the lineup with a traditional Southern soul sound built on storytelling and deep grooves.
In short, the Feb. 28 show promises an evening of classic and modern soul that goes light on hip-hop and heavy on passionate singing and musicianship.
“It truly means everything to me to be part of this festival because this stage represents growth,” performer Stefunie Luckett said in a recent interview with Charleston City Paper. “I actually started as a background singer for artists like Lenny Williams and Ronnie Bell, and to now be on that stage as a featured artist — that’s a full-circle moment for me.”
The Charleston Southern Soul Festival was created by Heritage Entertainment Group to celebrate and promote Southern soul music while giving exposure to both major and emerging performers. It’s a Charleston-specific offshoot of the traveling “The Blues Is Alright” show, which has been on the road with different performers for 30 years.
Pat Butler, chief commercial officer of Heritage Entertainment Group, told the City Paper that the team knew the audience for a festival like this existed.
“We knew that there was a need and desire for the older generation to dress up, go out and enjoy live entertainment by some of the greatest entertainers,” Butler said.
For Butler, Southern soul is less a genre than a feeling.
“Southern soul is music that makes you move,” she said. “You’ll want to cut a rug. It relates to real-life situations with a mixture of blues, R&B and gospel. It will either make you dance or make you cry, because it’s music that people feel in their soul.”
Butler said Heritage searches nationwide for musicians who fit the festival’s vibe, concentrating on “hole-in-the-wall clubs, birthday parties and backyard games of dominoes and cards — places where everyone is singing the songs, from small children to seasoned adults.”
Those are fitting places to look at, because Southern soul is a rough-edged, gospel-infused, rhythm-driven sound that grew out of studios such as Stax in Memphis, Tenn., and Muscle Shoals in Alabama in the 1960s and ’70s. Iconic artists including Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam and& Dave, Al Green and Carla Thomas became early titans of the genre, bypassing the smoother pop sound of Motown in favor of deeper Southern grit.
“Southern soul, to me, is storytelling with seasoning,” Luckett said. “It’s real life — love, heartbreak, joy, grown folks’ fun — all wrapped in rhythm and blues with that Southern flavor.
It’s the sound of front-porch conversations and family cookouts. And my music carries that influence because I sing about real experiences. I don’t sugarcoat emotions.”
“Whether it’s loving hard, standing strong or putting a little ‘stank’ on it, I want people to feel seen and understood,” she added. “Southern soul is honest, relatable and unapologetically grown — and that’s exactly what I bring.”
IF YOU WANT TO GO: Doors open at 6 p.m., Feb. 28, North Charleston Performing Arts Center, 5001 Coliseum Drive, Charleston. Tickets range from $82-$269: northcharlestoncoliseumpac.com
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