You Got Your White People In My Black Music! [Funk Radio E105]

Today we focus on the relatively few White artists who made names for themselves among the primarily Black soul and funk genres. Generally these performers are lumped under the pseudo-genre “blue-eyed soul” which comprises a few big names that might surprise you.

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We whiteys have a tendency to ruin the party, both metaphorically and literally. So you’d think that if we tried to break into musical genres like Soul and Funk (which clearly have roots in African American culture), it would quickly turn into a flat-out embarrassment. But as it turns out, there are a fair number of White musical artists who integrated into these genres successfully – so many, in fact, that they’ve been categorized as “Blue-Eyed Soul.” This term has a relatively loose definition, but it definitely contains a lot of artists that we know and love. Among the ones listed below, you can also consider singers like Adele, David Bowie, George Michael, Robin Thicke and Justin Timberlake as part of this category. Who knew?

Support the artists we mentioned in this episode!

“Massachusetts” by the Bee Gees

“Pick Up the Pieces” by Average White Band

“Maneater” by Hall & Oates

“Stay With Me” by Sam Smith

“Black Water” by the Doobie Brothers

“I’m a Sucker for Your Love” by Teena Marie

“Spooky” by Dusty Springfield

“I Feel the Earth Move” by Carole King

“Beautiful Morning” by the Rascals

“I Feel Sanctified” by Wild Cherry