Aristotle Jones Launches Campaign to Establish July as "Appalachian Soul Month" With Release of New Album and Book

Appalachian Soul Power and Companion Novel Mountain Alchemy Arrive September 22, 2026

Campaign Launch Celebrates the Artists, Music and Cultural Traditions That Have Helped Shape Appalachia's Place in Music History

OSAGE, W.Va., Sept. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning West Virginia singer, songwriter, storyteller, and author Aristotle Jones, known as "The Appalachian Soul Man," will mark the September 22 release of his new album, Appalachian Soul Power, and companion book, Mountain Alchemy, by launching a campaign to establish July as Appalachian Soul Month, celebrating the artists, music, and cultural traditions that have helped give Appalachia its soul.

The Appalachian Soul Month campaign seeks to establish an annual celebration spotlighting the many sounds of Appalachia and their place in the larger story of American music. The initiative will honor the artists who came before, celebrate those carrying those traditions forward, and encourage new audiences to discover and share Appalachian music and culture.

"For me, Appalachian Soul has never been about creating another genre or putting a new label on the music," Jones said. "It is about recognizing what has always been here. Soul, Gospel, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, and Rock & Roll have crossed paths in Appalachia for generations. Artists from these mountains, towns, churches, clubs, front porches, and communities have helped shape American music, even when Appalachia hasn't always been included in that story."

As part of the campaign launch, Jones is asking people to share an Appalachian artist who has moved them, inspired them, or deserves to be discovered. Participants can honor an artist from the past, introduce someone making music today, or share a favorite song, performance, photograph, memory, or story using #AppalachianSoulMonth.

The campaign coincides with the release of Appalachian Soul Power, a 10-track album drawing from the region's vast musical traditions. Percussive guitar, piano, horns, layered vocals, and a tightly connected rhythm section move throughout the record, shifting between intimate moments and high-energy arrangements.

The album serves as a musical companion to Mountain Alchemy, a fictional work Jones drew from family and community stories that peppered his childhood. Together, the projects explore Black Appalachian culture, resilience, community, and cultural memory, with the songs providing a musical landscape for themes at the heart of the book.

"I can't think of a better way to release this record than by using the moment to celebrate something much bigger than me," Jones said. "I want us to remember the artists who came before us, celebrate the people making music here today, and introduce each other to voices we may not know yet."

Jones was named a 2026 United States Artists Fellow, selected for the 2026–2027 Central Appalachia Living Traditions Emerging Artists Cohort, funded by Mid Atlantic Arts, and featured on the Summer 2026 cover of Morgantown Magazine. In July, Jones and his band won the International Blues Competition Affiliate Challenge and will represent West Virginia at the 43rd International Blues Challenge, January 19–23, 2027, in Memphis.

Appalachian Soul Power and Mountain Alchemy are available beginning September 22, 2026, via Jonesin' Records.

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Aristotle Jones:
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SOURCE Aristotle Jones