blue-eyed soul

blue-eyed soul, music created by white recording artists who faithfully imitated the soul music of the 1960s and later, a select few of whom were popular with Black audiences as well as white listeners.

In contrast to the scores of white performers who simply covered—some would say stole—the compositions of Black artists, the practitioners of blue-eyed soul devoted themselves to and identified with contemporary Black music in a manner rare outside the jazz community. The premier blue-eyed soul performers of the 1960s were the Righteous Brothers, comprising Bill Medley (b. September 19, 1940, Los Angeles, California, U.S.) and Bobby Hatfield (b. August 10, 1940, Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, U.S.—November 5, 2003, Kalamazoo, Michigan), and the Rascals (known for a time as the Young Rascals), whose principal members were Felix Cavaliere (b. November 29, 1943, Pelham, New York, U.S.), Gene Cornish (b. May 14, 1946, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), Eddie Brigati (b. October 22, 1946, New York, New York), and Dino Danelli (b. July 23, 1945, New York). Produced by Phil Spector, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ” (1964) and “Unchained Melody” (1965) earned the Righteous Brothers considerable commercial success. The Rascals’ hits “Good Lovin’ ” (1966) and “Groovin’”  (1967) demonstrated promising originality rather than mere imitation.

Hits like the Soul Survivors’ “Expressway to Your Heart” (1967) and “I’ve Been Hurt” (1969) by Bill Deal and the Rhondels emerged from a field of white soul performers that included Bob Kuban and the In-Men, from St. Louis, Missouri; the Box Tops, from Memphis, Tennessee; and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, from Detroit, Michigan. Other performers who were regarded as blue-eyed soul singers included Laura Nyro in the 1960s, Robert Palmer and the Average White Band in the 1970s, and in the 21st century Justin Timberlake, Adele, and Sam Smith.