I’ve got a few songs on this list. Not black people singing soul. What is soul? I have no definition besides I know it when I hear it. Links to the song are appreciated. Here are a few already on my list to give examples.
Lisa Stansfield Been Around The World
Bobby Caldwell What You Won’t Do For Love
Sara Smile by Hall and Oates of course
This breaks rule number one but, damn, those are some soulful blue eyes.
Bruce Willis Soul Shake
David Bowie, Young Americans. Also coined “Plastic Soul.”
Singers like Teena Marie, yes. Blues shouters like Janis and Joan Osborne, not so much.
Okay, the winner: Dusty Springfield, Son of a Preacher Man.
Always thought Adele was Dusty’s daughter from another mother.
Eyes… yes… I was looking at the eyes…
Getting back on track, there’s “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’” by the Righteous Brothers.
Bobby Womack is black and Todd does not have soulful blue eyes. And even with the inclusion of Bobby and the gospelly back up singers, this doesn’t sound so much like soul music to me.
The Commitments – Take Me to the River (the entire movie soundtrack is blue-eyed soul, as it’s about a young soul band from Dublin)
Fitz and the Tantrums – Moneygrabber (though note that the band’s female backup singer is black)
Van Morrison
Into The Mystic
Cyprus Avenue
Sweet Thing
Cleaning Windows
TB Sheets
Yeah, this this is Blues, but it’s Soul Blues…
The only thing I’ve heard Bruce Willis sing was Do Wah Ditty Ditty. Soul Shaker is on my play list. Righteous Brothers? On the list! Doobies? Listed!
Killer voice for a young scottish kid singing American soul. But even you don’t like the song, the video is hilarious.
This so calls for a Rick Roll.
Nobody mentioned Janis Joplin? Listen here to “Cry”.
Early Robert Palmer comes to mind, as does Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels
Well then, how about CCR? “Proud Mary,” etc.
Lonnie Mack is a pioneer of rock guitar who had a hit with an instrumental version of Chuck Berry’s Memphis in the early 60s. Another instrumental, Wham (an original tune by Mack) was also a hit. He was a major influence on Duane Allman, Jeff Beck and Stevie Ray Vaughan among others. So why am I mentioning a guitar player in a thread about blue-eyed soul? Because the man could sing.
From The Wham of that Memphis Man, Lonnie’s first album released in 1963:
Where There’s a Will (There’s a Way)
Why
I’ll Keep You Happy
From his 1985 release Strike Like Lightning:
From Attack of the Killer V, a live recording from 1990:
Michael Mcdonald - “I Keep Forgetting”
Rats! I should’ve linked to the video of Todd doing the song with Darryl Hall instead! But maybe it wouldn’t have made any difference. 