# "S/He sounds like a Black guy!" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 28, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442 "2006-09-28T00:32:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/1 "2006-09-28T00:32:37Z")
I’m more interested in singers than speakers. **bubstatis** mentioned Mick Hucknall in a thread in the Pit, and I often heard people say, “He sounds like a Black guy.” I never found this to be the case. Here is my list of people who are not Black, but sound like a Black guy/gal: 1. Paul Young 2. Christina Aguilera When talking: 1. Ralphie Something-or-other (big boned guy, was on Celebrity Fit Club Now, for the people who do the worst job imaginable of sounding like a Black guy/gal: 1. That chick Buckwild from Flavor of Love 2. Robin Williams Others??? ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/2 "2006-09-28T00:33:47Z")
Sorry, _ **bubastis** _! ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/3 "2006-09-28T01:24:48Z")
When I was a kid, I assumed that Randy Newman was black. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/4 "2006-09-28T01:32:43Z")
For me, the biggest surprise along these lines was The Big Bopper. To this day, when I hear his “Chantilly Lace,” I picture a large, cool black dude as the singer. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/5 "2006-09-28T01:38:34Z")
Once upon a time, I thought G Love and Sophie B Hawkins were black (the latter based on hearing “damn I wish I was your lover” before her other stuff.) And Ben Harper white. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/6 "2006-09-28T01:48:39Z")
When I first heard Britney Spears doing “Hit Me Baby One More Time” I thought she was a black woman. And I thought Nora Jones was white. That’s gotta mean something, but I don’t know what. ---
**Author:** ![beergeek279](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@beergeek279](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beergeek279)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/7 "2006-09-28T01:49:33Z")
I always thought the Righteous Brothers sounded black, with that deep bass sound and all. ---
**Author:** ![Stuffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f17d59/32.png) [@Stuffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stuffy)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/8 "2006-09-28T02:32:24Z")
Michael McDonald and that guy from Wild Cherry. Oh and Fergie on London Bridges; sounds way different than she does in say “My Humps” On the flp side I thought the black dude from Hootie and the Blowfish was white. ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/9 "2006-09-28T03:18:19Z")
I grew up thinking Dusty Springfield was black. Then I found out she was a white, blonde, English soul singer! ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/10 "2006-09-28T03:53:00Z")
Rick Astely. I was shocked the first time I saw the _Never Gonna Give You Up_ video. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/11 "2006-09-28T03:59:05Z")
I thought [Joss Stone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joss_stone) was a black, middle-aged woman, and probably American to boot. My husband was home one day while I was at work, and I got this in an E-mail from him, nearly verbatim, after he saw some phone/long distance commercial, “I didn’t know that [Michael McDonald](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_McDonald_%28singer%29) was white!!” The funniest part was that he’d been a big Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers fan years ago - he’d just never seen the guy until that commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/12 "2006-09-28T04:01:53Z")
Leonard Cohen, singing “Everybody Knows”. Until I saw a picture of him, I thought he was an old black guy. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/13 "2006-09-28T05:23:15Z")
Embarrasing as it is, the first time I heard “The Real Slim Shady,” I thought Eminem was a black rapper trying to sound nerdy. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/14 "2006-09-28T08:17:43Z")
[QUOTE=beergeek279] I always thought the Righteous Brothers sounded black, with that deep bass sound and all. [/QUOTE] In all seriousness, TRB were put together by my now-dead pastor. (See John Wimber). Wikipedia: Medley sang the low parts with his deep, soulful baritone, with Hatfield taking the higher register vocals with his soaring tenor. They gained their name when an African-American Marine shouted out “That was righteous, brothers” at the end of a show. John Wimber, one of the founding leaders of the Vineyard Movement, played the keyboard in the band. IIRC, according to John’s widow’s memoir book, John put the group together from Orange County, CA musicians so they could have a steady working act. He was able to play numerous instuments, 19 according to one of his books, but primarily keys and saxaphone. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/15 "2006-09-28T12:05:41Z")
This thread is borderline, but since it’s about singers, I suppose it should be moved. Moved from IMHO to CS. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/16 "2006-09-28T12:27:52Z")
The guy from \*\*Average White Band \*\* who sings _Pick Up The Pieces_. **Teena Marie**. **Van Morrison** , sometimes. \*\*Mick Jagger \*\* sounds like he’s trying awfully hard to sound like a black person. Does that count? ---
**Author:** ![phall0106](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phall0106/32/5934_2.png) [@phall0106](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phall0106)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/17 "2006-09-28T12:29:03Z")
A few years ago, my mom found a Bee-Gees cassette tape in the back of her closet and pulled it out for Hallkids and I to listen to. While listening to the tape, Hallgirl 1 picks up the case of the cassette, which features the brothers Gibb on the front and exclaims, “They’re _white_ guys?!?!?” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/18 "2006-09-28T12:38:11Z")
My band has a girl singer (it’s just a phrase we use - she’s a mid-life crisis mom, just like the rest of us in the band are mid-life crisis dad’s…) who a lot of folks think sounds like an African-American woman. One ever-politically-correct guy at work heard an mp3 of the band and said “who’s the black chick?” She’s Irish Catholic and whitish blonde - blonde as blonde can be… Pretty funny how we use certain “signals” that we associate with certain races or stereotypes. Whenever I hear former baseball batting legend Tony Gwynn talk - who is black - I think “wow, he sounds like a white guy…” ---
**Author:** ![Phantom\_Dennis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@Phantom\_Dennis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phantom_Dennis)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/19 "2006-09-28T12:44:22Z")
If you had told me that Joe Cocker was a British white guy a few years back, I would’ve called you crazy. ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2006, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442/20 "2006-09-28T12:46:16Z")
[QUOTE=pinkfreud] For me, the biggest surprise along these lines was The Big Bopper. To this day, when I hear his “Chantilly Lace,” I picture a large, cool black dude as the singer. [/QUOTE] I’ll second that. I had to do a google search just to see a pic of him for myself. [The Big Bopper](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://musicmoz.org/img/editors/sounddude/bopper04.jpg&imgrefurl=http://musicmoz.org/Bands_and_Artists/B/Big_Bopper,_The/&h=193&w=180&sz=15&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=7tq1xdeybN_jcM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bbig%2Bbopper%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D) Maybe it’s the name. I don’t think I’d mistake a name like Jiles Richardson. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/s-he-sounds-like-a-black-guy/374442.md?page=2)