Recordings by Black singers backed by White musicians

[soulster]

In another thread, a line of discussion has developed about the legitimacy of White musicians playing on recordings by Black singers. Now, I think it's a silly idea that Black musicians should be preferred just because the singer is Black, but, unless i'm reading it wrong, there are those who feel otherwise. but, aside from the controversial opinion, I thought it would be fun to name some Black singers who had all-White, or predominately White musicians backing them as their regular band or studio band. First, let's get a few of the obvious ones out of the way to make this more challenging:

Aretha Franklin
Wilson Pickett
Michael Jackson
Cheryl Lynn

Who else?

[roger]

I thought that ALL [[or at least well over 90%) of the musicians on all those late 1960s/early 1970s Muscle-Shoals "Soul" hits were white.

It always makes me cringe when I am told by "experts" here in Britain [[invariably "white" people by the way) that those recordings are somehow more authentically "black" than the output from outfits such as Motown or Philadelphia International.

Ho-Hum ..

Roger

[splanky]

I'm on break at work right now so I can't spend a lot of time here but I'll say Lenny Williams when he fronted
Tower of Power though technically it was THEIR band and more recently Sharon Jones backed by The Dap Kings. I
think a lot of people are having a problem with the term Black Music, what it is and the fact that you don't have to be
black to play it...Later....

[timmyfunk]

I have somewhat of a problem with the term 'Black Rock', considering Rock and Roll is basically a black invention anywyay. The term Black Rock is almost like saying 'Rock Rock'.

[Jerry Oz]

Since you said "singers backed by white musicians", I assume you're not keeping it to solo acts, so I'll add a couple of bands:
Hootie and the Blowfish - Darius Rucker
Champaign - Pauli Carman

[timmyfunk]

Maybe we should get all of the white members of P-Funk to do a record. Ron Bykowski [[who can do bass and guitar since he was supposed to fill in the bass role originally), Rick Gardner, Ruth Copeland [[who might as well be considered a member), Kim Manning, Gary Fabulous. Wild concept if you ask me.

[juicefree20]

Honestly, they're too numerous to mention.

From Stax/Volt/Atlantic, there were a lot of hits which employed studio musicians whom were indeed Caucasian. And to be honest, I was shocked when I learned that some 20=something years ago, but it was cool with me.

Now if there was anything that REALLY shocked me, it was the discovery that Rhodes-Chalmes-Rhodes who blessed all of those Al Green hits with their wonderful voices were NOT Black. There are people who believe that I'm putting them on when I tell them that.

Either way, these musicians did what they did, they did it superbly & are a part of most of my fondest memories & I appreciate them for that & I wouldn't care if they were polka-dotted. I'm just glad that they played what they played, sang what they sang & also glad to have read where each & every one of them gave props to the Black music that inspired them.

They didn't try to steal a culture, they paid homage to it & I believe that for that, we're all the better for it.

[timmyfunk]

Honestly, they're too numerous to mention.

From Stax/Volt/Atlantic, there were a lot of hits which employed studio musicians whom were indeed Caucasian. And to be honest, I was shocked when I learned that some 20=something years ago, but it was cool with me.

Now if there was anything that REALLY shocked me, it was the discovery that Rhodes-Chalmes-Rhodes who blessed all of those Al Green hits with their wonderful voices were NOT Black. There are people who believe that I'm putting them on when I tell them that.

Either way, these musicians did what they did, they did it superbly & are a part of most of my fondest memories & I appreciate them for that & I wouldn't care if they were polka-dotted. I'm just glad that they played what they played, sang what they sang & also glad to have read where each & every one of them gave props to the Black music that inspired them.

They didn't try to steal a culture, they paid homage to it & I believe that for that, we're all the better for it.

Absolutely, Juice.

[mark speck]

Interestingly, the concert I saw Thursday night featured not one but TWO bands that fit the criteria here...the headlining act was Lee Fields and the Expressions [[who just flat-out KILLED!) and the opener was a band from Akron [[south of Cleveland), Wesley Bryant and the Hi-Lites, who are releasing a record shortly. Both bands feature a black front man and a white backing band.

I should add, Wesley and his band are versed in Northern soul...both times I've seen them, they've done Eddie Parker's "Love You Baby"!!

Best,

Mark

[chidrummer]

Mark, there's a band like what you've described here in Chicago that's making a ton of noise lately. They can rock, be soulful and funky all in the same evening. They're called JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound. Check out this TV appearance from a few years back:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8HRTTUiko4


Believe it or not these guys are about to open the Gospel Fest next month. This I gotta see.

This will show begin to show you why:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5f0_xO6wbtc&feature=related

[Nothing But Soul]

Even James Brown made a record backed by white musicians, "I Can't Stand Myself [[When You Touch Me)". The Dapps were a white Cincinnati club band that James signed to his production company. As far as I know, "I Can't Stand Myself" was the only time he used them on record, although he did make their bass player, Tim Drummond, a part his regular band for a short while. On "I Can't Stand Myself" you can hear James call out to Drummond: "Tim. Help me out, Tim. Let me hear you walk a little bit, Tim."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m69UEgSc-Gg

[arrr&bee]

Haaaaaaaaa,well let's put this baby to bed because i know some white cats who can jam with any body[black or white]if you can play you can play nuff said...now i thought this was about black singers with a white chorus,which is a whole other thing i have some[jackie wilson,clyde mcphatter]and no offense but where were the[adantes]???

[caliluv]

Surprised no one has mentioned Ray Charles. Also, I would like to add Roy Hamilton

[marv2]

How the British group, the Foundations?

[soulster]

Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzie, although Phil was of mixed-race.

[roger]

How the British group, the Foundations?

I thought they were a "mixed race" band where the lead singer was "black"? Something that this performance of theirs singing "Baby Now that I've Found you" seems to confirm .....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuHhLiRkxNM

In which case we could also add THE EQUALS and SLY & THE FAMILY STONE .. :)

Anyway .. how about JAY & THE TECHNIQUES ... here singing "Strawberry Shortcake" ..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiAe9qdJjfA&feature=related

Roger

[splanky]

The thing with Ray Charles is that it is true if you look at select recordings such as Georgia On My Mind but it's not as if
Ray regularly traveled and/or recorded with a predominately white band which he didn't. People only familiar with Ray's
pop charting sucesses often don't realise he was working jazz and blues pianist, check his discography...Anyway, thanks for posting the Jay and the Techniques link, roger, they are always fun to view. Still , I can't help but think the bigger
question here is what motivates obviously talented white [[or other non African American) musicians to work in a black
music idiom... I think it's the sources, the roots your so called experts are referring to, roger, being black blues and gospel music so strongly featured. Though there was that in both Motown and Philly too, popular success and crossover
aspirations at the top often steered away from that...

[gary_james]

The band members in Jay & The Techniques did not play on the records, it was New York session musicians... the same people who played on records by The Cowsills, The Four Seasons, etc. The personnel included Vincent Bell on Guitar and Buddy Saltzman on Drums, both white.

[Motown4Ever518]

I thought that ALL [[or at least well over 90%) of the musicians on all those late 1960s/early 1970s Muscle-Shoals "Soul" hits were white.

It always makes me cringe when I am told by "experts" here in Britain [[invariably "white" people by the way) that those recordings are somehow more authentically "black" than the output from outfits such as Motown or Philadelphia International.

Ho-Hum ..

Roger

As musician, the whole color thing does not mean anything to me, but one of my pet peeves is the credit that the Muscle Shoals/Stax musicians get as being the real thing. I read a book recently on the drama surrounding Aretha first Atlantic LP I Never Loved A Man, to where they were only able to record 2-3 songs on location at Muscle Shoals, and though with the same musicians, had to finish the project in New York. My take is that those Muscle Shoals folks were part of the pallet, not the last word.

[Jerry Oz]

As musician, the whole color thing does not mean anything to me, but one of my pet peeves is the credit that the Muscle Shoals/Stax musicians get as being the real thing. I read a book recently on the drama surrounding Aretha first Atlantic LP I Never Loved A Man, to where they were only able to record 2-3 songs on location at Muscle Shoals, and though with the same musicians, had to finish the project in New York. My take is that those Muscle Shoals folks were part of the pallet, not the last word.
So are you referring to the production or the players as being overrated? If it was with the same musicians, how did they get too much credit for where it was produced?

[MotownSteve]

The Sensational Soul Cruisers are four Black singers backed by seven white musicians. http://www.soulcruisers.com/

[soulster]

I just found this. Cool!
http://youtu.be/XVKNdZxVDhg

[antceleb12]

The Supremes in major concert appearances from the mid-late sixties.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAjlrD1XaUw

[destruction]

Chi,

I thought i was gonna fire off some Highway 61 lyrics your way.......but after the third listen, I got it....and all is good.

JC and guys give me a bit of Bus Boys vibe.....and they're fresh.

Soulster,

We play both versions of that song all the time...Joe Tex's and the Persuasions [[unanimous fave).... My youngest has been sending that clip to her 8th grade homies.....telling them to check out the "Love You" choreography.

[Kamasu_Jr]

Most of the musicians who worked at American Studios in Memphis, backing people like Bobby Womack and James Carr were white. And how could we forget Lorraine Ellison's Stay With Me was recorded with an orchestra that thought it would be backing Frank Sinatra.