Jimmy Soul (born James Louis McCleese; August 24, 1942 – June 25, 1988) was an American vocalist.

Born in Weldon, North Carolina,[1] he became a preacher at the age of seven[2] and performed gospel music as a teenager.

"If You Wanna Be Happy" sold over one million records, earning gold disc status.

After unsuccessfully trying to follow up the success of those songs with one more album, Soul gave up his career as a musician and joined the United States Army.

Later in life, Soul fell into a drug habit, and on January 9, 1986, was sentenced to four-and-a-half to nine years in prison as a second felony offender, convicted of criminal sale of a controlled substance in the third degree and criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.