Blue-eyed soul

Encyclopedia : B : BL : BLU : Blue-eyed soul

---

---

 

Blue-eyed soul is a term used to describe soul music performed by white people. It is (strictly speaking) a misnomer: the musician does not have to have blue eyes. Here, "blue-eyed" is synonymous with Caucasian. It is also a misnomer in that it's not a discrete style of music; the meaning of "Blue-eyed soul" has changed over the past forty years, and involves two distinct groups of artists:

• White singers of mainstream Rhythm and Blues, such as Teena Marie, Jonathan Buck, Michael McDonald, Hall & Oates, and Joss Stone
• In the 1980s, it was also applied by the British music press to a generation of British artists - among them Alison Moyet, Simply Red, Human League, Rick Astley, Spandau Ballet and Culture Club, who co-opted elements of classic Motown and Stax/Volt styles.

White Soul, however, as the term was used in the 1960s and early 1970s, was applied to white singers whose style was heavily borrowed from the rhythm and blues of the day. It was applied to the likes of Eric Burdon, Dusty Springfield, Van Morrison and Tom Jones at first, and evolved through artist like The Box Tops and Joe Cocker. In some cases (most notably The Flaming Ember and The Young Rascals among them) the artists initially "passed" as black on the radio - deliberately, in many cases, to avoid alienating receptive black radio audiences.

To a lesser extent, the label can be applied to other genres of music that derive from true soul (such as dirty pop, urban music, and hip-hop soul) as well as artists who were inspired by soul and drift in and out the genre itself: Artists include Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, JoJo and Eminem.

History

Blue-eyed soul began when Southern white musicians remade black music to play for mass audiences, due to segregation laws that prevented blacks from performing for whites. Often the music was diluted for its new audience, a move that angered many African-Americans. Elvis Presley would sing songs written by a black artist to mainstream acclaim when the black artist's performances were not allowed on the radio. He then split the profits with that artist. Eventually, other white musicians starting playing the music, both in America and abroad. Welsh singer Tom Jones became a major catalyst for emerging soul musicians in Europe. Much of this music would eventually become rock and roll in the mid and late sixties.

The regional "beach music" or "shag music" phenomenon in North and South Carolina and surrounding states of the late 1950s and 1960s is, at least partly, a manifestation of blue-eyed soul. It dove-tailed with the beginnings of other such groups in the early 1960s, when local white bands backed up nationally-popular black R&B artists at their road gigs, and also performed on their own at fraternity parties and other college social events in the region. The widespread popularity of the Carolina shag enabled many of these groups to keep their careers going up to the present day. According to "beach band" historian Greg Haynes, national artists such as Bonnie Bramlett and The Allman Brothers (as The Escorts) began their careers on this same college "kegger circuit". Bill Deal and The Rhondells and The Swinging Medallions are "beach bands" which have charted nationally.

Blaxploitation Era

In the 1970s, as integration overcame segregation, black culture sprang up in earnest. Soul music flourished, and musicians such as Richard Rudolph helped to pave the way for what we know today in America as blue-eyed soul. Artists including Hall & Oates, Gino Vannelli, The Young Rascals, Elton John, David Bowie, Van Morrison, Bobby Caldwell, Boz Scaggs, and especially Michael McDonald were examples of the "white person with the black voice". Tower of Power were the first white act to appear on the soul music show Soul Train on February 1, 1975. Vannelli was the first solo act to appear two weeks later on February 15, 1975. Elton John would appear on the May 17th episode.

Two notable albums were Vannelli's Brother to Brother (1978) and Hall & Oates' Silver Album or its real name Hall & Oates (1975). Brother to Brother has "Appaloosa", "River Must Flow", the I Just Want To Stop and the title track Brother to Brother as soul and funk gems. The "Silver Album" has the classic ballad Sara Smile long considered the blue-eyed soul standard, but also songs like "Camellia", "Alone Too Long", "Out Of Me Out of You" and a funk love song "Nothing At All".

Modern-day blue-eyed soul

In the eighties, artists such as Hall & Oates, Michael McDonald and Rick Astley scored for the blue-eyed soul movement, as did Steve Winwood, an artist heavily influenced by 60s soul. Boy George, although not having the "black voice", is considered a blue-eyed soul artist because so much of the music of Culture Club fits in the genre of R&B. And audiences were shocked by the soulfulness of Teena Marie.

While also celebrated as mainstream pop and rock stars, Hall & Oates' chart success was at its highest when their singles got heavy airplay on urban-contemporary (black) radio, as was the case with "I Can't Go for That" (No Can Do), "One on One," "Say It Isn't So," "Adult Education," "Out of Touch," "Method of Modern Love" and "Everything Your Heart Desires." Most of those singles charted high or at number one on the R&B and dance charts.

However, a backlash ensued in the late eighties as some African-Americans felt whites were cashing in on the new popularity of their music. This backlash was so strong that in 1990 Ebony Magazine ran an article deriding whites singing black music. At the top of their list was a young Mariah Carey, who, though she looked Caucasian, was in fact multiracial, and Céline Dion. Dion, while having a powerful voice, has built a career in the pop and adult contemporary genres and is not usually considered a blue-eyed soul artist.

Because today much popular music contains elements from traditionally black music genres (called urban music), the list of artists considered to belong to the blue-eyed soul genre is not very large. The artists Jon B., Remy, Joss Stone, Christina Aguilera (whose song 'I Turn to You' was so soulful, people first thought the song was sung by Monica), Justin Timberlake, Tarkan and (in hip-hop) Eminem, have enjoyed a career in the black-music genres. Because the lines separating musical genres continue to blur, the list of blue-eyed soul artists is contentious as well as small. Other blue eyed soul artists include American Idol winner Taylor Hicks (who modeled many of his performances after Michael McDonald and Joe Cocker), Idol finalists Ace Young (whom has worked with Brian McKnight and New Edition) and Elliott Yamin; Robin Thicke, Marc Broussard, and Remy Shand.

Characteristics

Coming up with a single description of "Blue Eyed Soul" is a bit like trying to describe "Music" itself; there are so many types that any attempt at a single explanation is doomed.

However, there have been some basic characteristics over time:

• It has paralleled contemporary Rhythm and Blues styles. In the 1960's, artists like Van Morrison performed music that was similar to the raw, expressive music of the Motown and Stax/Volt labels; forty years later, the genre echoes the slick, ornamented style of 21st century R and B.
• "Sounding Black" - the greatest compliment that can be paid a "Blue Eyed Soul" singer is that everyone guessed they were African-American (or Afro-British). In the early 1960s, Tom Jones was thought to be black because of his voice.
• Having a full voice with a throaty, resonate timbre.

Because soul music requires a strong, almost gospellish voice, the success of many a potential blue-eyed soul performer has also rested on their ability to hold a live audience.

Blue-eyed soul artists

If one accepts that there are multiple subgenres of "Blue-eyed soul", then it's easier to break down the very large list of stars that fit the description.

See for a fuller listing of performers under this sub-genre of music.

Notable \"White Soul\" artists of 1960s–1970s

• The Righteous Brothers
• Eric Burdon and The Animals. Burdon was one of the first white artists to be widely mistaken (by sound, anyway) for black. He went on to found funk group War.
• David Bowie
• Bee Gees
• Joe Cocker
• The Flaming Ember - white protegees of the Holland, Dozier and Holland songwriting and production machine after their secession from Motown Records.
• The Box Tops, seminal Memphis, Tennessee band from the sixties and seventies
• Van Morrison, Irish soul singer of the past forty years.
• The Young Rascals, a New Jersey-based band, initially often mistaken (on the radio) for black artists.
• Dusty Springfield
• Timi Yuro

This subgenre's descendants include artists like Bob Seger, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, and Bruce Springsteen, whose earlier work reflects this genre's styles.

White Rhythm and Blues Artists

Teena Marie

First signed to Motown Records in the mid-seventies as a backup singer, she hooked up with the legendary Rick James, who was creating music that was a swift departure from the "Motown sound"; the music was funk, soul, and fresh. Rumors of a rift with Diana Ross aside, Rick James teamed up with his protegé on his records, resulting in a hit Fire and Desire. Teena Marie later came out with her album. So soulful was her coloratura soprano, Motown refused to put her picture on the cover of her debut 'Wild and Peaceful', and audiences were shell-shocked when a white woman appeared on TV at an awards show to sing; people really thought she was black. To this day, no other individual artist (especially female) has been a symbol for blue-eyed soul like Teena Marie, although some would argue Joss Stone and Christina Aguilera are trying.

Joss Stone

When it seemed Christina Aguilera had only Britney Spears for competition, America quickly embraced her as the next Teena Marie. So when a 16 year old flaxen-haired stunner named Joss Stone came out with an album of cover songs primarily from '70s soul, the comparisons were swift. Although well-received, a few critics derided Stone as a studio creation of Betty Wright and other established African-American soul musicians. When she returned with her sophomore effort, Mind, Body and Soul, with all the songs penned or co-penned by herself, Stone threatened to snatch the rug from under Aguilera. While Aguilera has built herself into a mainstream act, Joss Stone has proven herself to be the next to ascend to the throne created by Teena Marie.

Michael Bolton

Michael Bolton, a strong belter, started his career in rock music in the seventies. In the late eighties, Michael Bolton crossed into the blue-eyed soul market, singing 'How Am I Supposed To Live Without You'. However Bolton, despite having a strong chesty voice, easily able to sing F5 in his chest register (some singers have difficulty with the note in head voice), and despite covering some soul classics well, has received little respect in the genre, especially among African-Americans. This is partially due to The Isley Brothers' suit against him for copyright infringement in 1993. Nonetheless he remains a popular artist.

Bobby Caldwell

Bobby Caldwell was another white soul singer whose identity was hidden when his soul songs were first released. To play up to the African-American-dominated format, Caldwell sang behind curtains and under silhouette for as long as possible to avoid revealing that he was in fact white. To this day, his "What You Won't Do For Love" is one of the classics of the genre. However, he would eventually become much more popular in Japan than his homeland of the United States.

Christina Aguilera

Despite the success of her debut single Reflections, and the follow-up eponymous debut album, Christina Aguilera was first recognized on a national scale with the pop track, 'Genie In a Bottle'. Looking past the traditional cute and blonde look for pop singers, critics took quick note of her exceptional singing abilities. Later singles, What A Girl Wants and especially the Diane Warren-penned I Turn To You made many believe she was a true vocalist. At the first BET awards, Aguilera performed Whitney Houston's Run To You so well, Houston remarked that she sang the best version of the song (besides herself of course).

Jon B.

Jon B. scores well because, like many current blue-eyed soul artists, he is not very well known outside the soul music genre. Jon B.'s music is mostly popular with African-Americans.

American \"Blue Eyed Soul\" Artists of the '60s

• Janis Joplin

British \"Blue Eyed Soul\" Artists of the '60s

• Tom Jones

American \"Blue Eyed Soul\" Artists of the '80s and '90s

• Hall & Oates
• Boz Scaggs
• Bonnie Bramlett
• Michael McDonald
• Dan Hartman
• Shaun Murphy
• Bonnie Raitt
• Justin Timberlake

British \"Blue Eyed Soul\" Artists of the '80s and '90s

During the decade beginning in 1982, the British musical press proclaimed a new generation of "Blue Eyed Soul" artists in Britain, artists who nodded at least nominally to the styles of Motown and Stax/Volt.

• Level 42
• Go West
• Duran Duran
• Culture Club
• Rick Astley
• Fine Young Cannibals
• George Michael
• Alison Moyet
• Robert Palmer
• Simply Red
• Lisa Stansfield
• Paul Weller (with The Style Council and solo material)
• Steve Winwood
• Paul Young
• Human League (Usually lumped in with the "synth-pop" of the early eighties, but embodied many Motown and R&B influences, and went on to record with impresarios Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis)

In addition, the influence of rhythm and blues upon British/Irish singers like Bono of U2, Sting, and Stuart Adamson was fairly obvious.

Soul music

Blue-eyed soul - Girl group - Motown Sound (Detroit soul) - Northern soul - Psychedelic soul - Philly soul - Memphis soul - Neo soul (Nu soul) - Funk - Hip hop soul - Disco

Other topics

Soul Musicians

External links

• [VIP Radio]

 

---

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

---

Search Titles

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

?