Well You Don’t Say: 10 White Singers We Once Thought Were Black

November 28th, 2011 - By MN Editor

"Michael McDonald"

Just a heads up, if you were thinking this was going to be one of those posts that idolizes “blue-eyed soul singers” or says folks are out here trying to “sound black” (as if there’s one way to sound black), you’re mistaken. This is a list about a few individuals with voices that we accidentally assumed at one point and time belonged to black people. It wasn’t until videos popped up for some of our favorite jams that we didn’t see a black man or woman, but a white man or woman–and it surprised the hell out of us. A lot of these singers are probably your personal favorites by now, some you may have never heard of, but don’t lie, you know you were telling your friends at one point or another, “Oh snap, I just assumed he/she was black…”

You’re not the only one.

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  • Jgolds06

    And I completely forgot about Simply Red….big mistake indeed!

  • Jgolds06

    I miss Teena Marie!

  • AnitaVolpato

    Alison Moyet I thought she was black.  Most people don’t know who she is but she was the backup singer for Culture Club. I also thought that Taylor Dane was black when I first heard her sing but she is Jewish (she might still have the one drop) LMAO.  Bruno Mars is not white and Mariah Carey is not Latina. I read every comment on here and the people that said this are totally confused….  GinoVanelli is a hell of a singer but I never thought he was black but since he is Italian he might have that one drop….  ;)   I get a kick out of the one drop rule, its true…   My husband is from Brazil and he is more than one drop but to the local black and white dude here in the US.  They call him white and it pisses him off…. Hilarious!

    • Tracy Emert

      Hey “anitavolpato” :)   I just wanted to correct one thing you mentioned about Alison Moyet.  She was the lead singer for Yazoo (Yaz in the USA) and had many solo hits, including “Invisible” and “All Cried Out”.  You, I believe, are confusing her with the “urban sounding” Helen Terry; who, as you mention, was indeed the backup singer for Culture Club, before starting her own short-lived solo career.  Both Alison & Helen Terry look like they could be sisters though and I too have confused them in the past :)   I love Gino Vanelli but never thought he sounded black either.  I didn’t know Taylor Dayne was Jewish, but she was always a favorite of mine in the late 80s/early 90s :)   peace

  • Jefslat

    Tom Waits. Sounds “blacker” (using your criteria) than anyone on the entire list. Of course, we’re talking Blind Melon Jefferson black, not Jackson 5 black.

  • http://dougal.gunters.org Dougal Campbell

    I can’t believe you left out my favorite in this category: Rick Astley. The first time we saw the video for “Never Gonna Give You Up” — this was in the 80′s, when MTV still played music videos — we were shocked, SHOCKED I tell you, to learn that he was not black. And that Rick was, in fact, a 12 year old white boy. With red hair.

    To this day, my friends and I still refer to him as “the white Luther Vandross.”

  • Kmariag

    Getting BACK to the article (Lol). I’m claiming Teena! Always have–always will! If someone tells me she’s white, I just look at them funny and say NOT!! Lighten up y’all!!!

  • SammyP

    Pitiful lame story…not the story itself, but how it was put together. Sheesh.

  • captainbuck

     Hhhahahahaha, you forgot the biggest one of all.
    Freddie Mercury for Queen’s “Another One Bites The Dust!”.

  • Lee

    What about Phobe Snow?

  • Hodgepodge14

    Josh Garrels should be added to this list. If you don’t know who that is… do yourself a favor. Look him up. i think he has an album on noisetrade

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/3ZAG4FQD7Q2JG7KG7IIOEFXDBY Mary Nave

    Joe Cocker would be my pick!  Love Joe Cocker

  • paterson dave

    there should be an appendix for them who think they are black when they aren’t, like johnny otis. 
    i never heard of most of these kids. wayne cochran and the rascals got their music played on soul stations because it was good music, not because they were pretending. 

  • humana

    please.  Josh stone sounds “black”?  She always and still does sound like a white girl trying to sound “black”.

  • Nashvillienne

    Dont forget to include THE BLACK KEYS. They do the theme sone for HBO’s HUNG. “I’ll Be Your Man” I loved the song and thought it had to be an old black Bluesman. Ordered the CD and was amazed to see two young white guys with a decidedly “punky” appearance. Say What?  Maybe  the song is an old one? Didn’t see anywriter’s credits.. The more I play the song, the better I like it. Nothing else on the CD to captivate, but not bad either. .

  • Saphron

    I agree with Rick Astley and Taylor Dane and Anastacia, and add (sorry, I couldn’t read 814 comments so these might have already been mentioned) Katy Perry when she first came out, and back in the day, when Robyn had ‘Show Me Love’ on the radio (but more because of the genre – back then white girls just didn’t do pop/R&B for teens!).

  • throttler

    I forgot his name, but the guy in the seventies who sang POKE SALAD ANNIE (‘gators got your granny)I thought he was black for sure.

  • Suerosenorn

    Dont forget Taylor Swift.

  • TheWurx
  • guest

    Robin Thicke has never sounded Black. Black like Elvis sounded Black…not.  Jon B. and Taylor Dayne should be on the list instead of Robin and that Japanese chick.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_HGBDQQ6VMWO75DWBNKZ7OQVHUY Chicago Kid

    I’m white and I have to agree with you about Bobby Caldwell, maybe Robin Thicke, Little Dragon, and Tina Marie.
    For me, the one who I always thought was black was Taylor Dayne.

    • throttler

      She is a great singer.  I heard 3 renditions of LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK. One by Taylor Dayne, one by Mariah Carey and one by Patti La Belle.  Taylor Dayne’s was by far the best one.

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