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The soul patch (also known as a mouche or a jazz dot) is a small patch of facial hair just below the lower lip and above the chin. It came to prominence in the 1950s and 1960s, when it was a style of facial hair common among African-American men, most notably jazzmen. It became popular with beatniks, artists, and those who frequented the jazz scene and moved in literary and artistic circles. Jazz trumpeters in particular preferred the goatee for the comfort it provided when using a trumpet mouthpiece. Jazz flute players who disliked the feel of the flute mouthpiece on a freshly-shaven lower lip also sported the look. Fly Barlow of Green Lyte Sunday was one such player.
Comparison
A longer version is known as an imperial, after Napoleon III of France (an heir and lesser light of the better known emperor), especially when worn with a handlebar mustache.
Frank Zappa claimed his was called an Imperial in honor of Little Anthony.
Stevie Ray Vaughan sported a version called a "soul tip", which was small and triangular.