'Soul music speaks to the spirit': Lee Fields on returning to music after tragedy

Soul singer Lee Fields cut his first record 50 years ago. Since then, a lot has changed about music, but there's something about Fields' unique sound that has remained timeless.

There was a period of time when Fields stopped touring and making music, and now he's ready to share why. Back in the '80s, his sister was murdered by her husband who then took his own life. During this painful time, Fields and his wife made the decision to raise their nephew and deal with their grief privately.

Fields eventually found his way back to music and now he has a new album out with his band, The Expressions, called It Rains Love. In a career-spanning interview, he joined q's Tom Power to share his story.

The Expressions will be touring across North America this summer. You can catch Fields and the band at the Ottawa Jazz Festival, which kicks off this week, and the Montreal International Jazz Festival the week after that.

Click 'listen' near the top of this page to hear the full conversation with Lee Fields.

— Produced by ​Chris Trowbridge