By FAYETTE (205.188.209.38) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 10:30 am:

CAN YOU NAME A SINGER OR GROUP THAT YOU THOUGHT
WAS ONE RACE AND THEY WERE ACTUALLY ANOTHER.
FOR EXAMPLE I THOUGHT FOR YEARS THE LEADER OF
AVERAGE WHITE BAND WAS BLACK.I GUESS SOUL COMES IN ALL COLORS.

By Dick Gamble (216.93.11.14) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 11:06 am:

The first group to come to mind was a white group from New York in 1956 called the "Mello Kings" with a recording of "Tonight-Tonight"

By LTLFTC (12.210.76.205) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 11:08 am:

This isn't exactly 'thinkng someone was a particular race' but when I was a little kid and heard Chuck Berry for some reason I pictured him looking kind of like Bob Dylan. This was years before I ever heard of Bob Dylan , but if I could have drawn Chuck B. , Bob D. is what the picture would have looked like.

SteveK

By Ritchie (62.254.0.10) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 11:27 am:

I remember years ago my mother confessing that when she was a little girl, a favourite record of hers was Ella Fitzgerald's "A Tisket - A Tasket", and that she was horrified when she first saw a picture of Ella. In her youthful mind's eye, she had imagined "a jolly Irish lady". (There were no Black folks in her village, and she told me she never met an "immigrant" till the 1950s.) How times change!

By stephanie (64.63.221.220) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 12:57 pm:

I thought Clint Holmes was white the guy who did
Playground in My Mind..LOL
"My name is Michael Ive got a nickel"
Stephanie

By Eli (151.197.37.92) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 01:11 pm:

Gene Mc daniels Tower of strength and A hundred pounds ...were definitely "white"
Johnny Mathis..Chances are
Magnificent Men fooled some with their song Peace of mine.even played the Uptown to standing ovations..me being one of the standing..
Daryl Hall does not sound "Black" but is very soulful for a white guy

By Gary Rosen (12.234.25.217) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 02:53 pm:

When "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" came out I was sure the Righteous Brothers were black.

By Nikki (24.46.200.124) on Sunday, March 02, 2003 - 04:51 pm:

If you listen to "I Understand" as well as "A Girl Has to Know" and "Lad" you would SWEAR the G-Clefs were a white pop group! Nah, they are/were all African American members! The recorded a bunch of "pop" sounding records on Terrace label in the early 60s.

Nikki
http://www.harmonytrain.com

By Horse (68.61.77.137) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:01 am:

Michael Jackson...I could have swore he was black..!

By John Lester (213.123.144.38) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:28 am:

When I got to hear stuff from Arthur Baker, I thought there was no way he could be white and long haired at that..his tunes and arrrangements were was too funky for a white boy. Man, was I wrong!

And a bit more closer to home......I was wrong about the Sunliners too!

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.51) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:42 am:

Nice one Horse.
mel.

By Vickie (198.81.27.10) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 01:48 am:

wow, I just learned a lot here ...

I have one confesion... When I was little I thought Toni Tennile was black until I saw Captain & Tennile at Knotts Berry Farm, I think I was 9 and I thought it was going to be a black woman when the curtian came up..Toni is from Alabama and I think she has a lot of soul even though she sung those silly pop songs..

By Jim Vitti (68.60.97.20) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 02:38 am:

The first time I ever heard the song
"Since I Don't Have You" by the Skyliners -
I just KNEW they were a black group!

Jim

By Livonia Ken (136.1.1.33) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 09:26 am:

My wife heard a Tom Waits song once and she said she pictured the singer looking like Louis Armstrong in his later years. Of course, which Tom Waits song you are hearing could affect this outcome greatly. I can't remember right now which song it was.

Regards,
Ken

By TonyRussi (68.18.49.69) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:39 pm:

When the Ronettes first hit all my 7th grade friends said they were Spanish.Their pix was in all the Teen Mags and they were on "Saturday Hop" a local bandstand show.When I met the Crystals and asked about the Ronettes,Barbara, Mary and Dee Dee started laughing sayin'"Honey, they are as Black as we are"....it thrilled me that all those red-neck boys were walking around with pix of 3 Black girls in their walletts!!!

By Chancellor of Soul (66.207.40.18) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:45 pm:

The Magnificent Men !! I swore they were Black !
But what a great sound they produced in the
music !!!

Peace,
Mike Boone
(Chancellor of Soul)

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:53 pm:

I thought Average White Band was black
because when "Pick Up The Pieces" came out on the 45 it was credited to "AWB".

Others who I thought were black:
- the Reflections (never knew they were white until I saw them on PBS last year!)
- Rick Astley
- Dennis Coffey (didn't know the creator of "Scorpio" was white until I saw him on Soul Train)
- the late Terry Kath of Chicago (lead guitarist and lead singer on their hits "Make Me Smile" and "Colour My World")

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:55 pm:

I think my biggest shock in this department was Phoebe Snow. A lot of people still don't realize that she is a Jewish girl from New Jersey. On her first album the record company tried to hide the fact that she was white. I did not know that she was not black until she did an interview on television and said she wasn't. She has incredible piples even to this day. It shows that talent had no color.

Another group was the Fifth Dimension, who I thought were white until they made their first appearance on Ed Sullivan. I can still remember sitting in the living room with my family with our jaws dropped open as the Fifth Dimention appeared on that show.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 12:56 pm:

Eli:
I agree with your comments regarding the Magnificent Men - David Bupp was a great singer and "Peace of Mind" is one of those records that everyone identified with regardless of race.

Do you have any tales of Daryl Hall's work with the Temptones. Daryl claimed that for a time he worked for Gamble & Huff as a session singer. Is that true? Please give us a clue!

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By TONY B (206.135.204.2) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 01:39 pm:

FOR A LONG TIME I THOUGHT THAT THE GROUP THE SANG "SARA SMILE" WAS WHITE ONLY LATER TO FIND OUT THAT IT WAS HALL AND OATES. DARRYL SOUNDS BLACK ON THAT ONE. SHE'S GONE COULD HAVE FOOLED ME TOO. WHEN I FIRST HEARD "THIS IS IT " BY KENNY LOGGINS I WOULD HAVE BET THAT HE WAS BLACK. SAME THING WITH "LOVE WILL FOLLOW". I DO AGREE THAT "SINCE I DON'T HAVE YOU" AND "TONIGHT TONIGHT" ARE AS SOULFUL AS IT COMES...WE'RE NOT AS DIFFERENT AS WE THINK.

TONY B

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 02:11 pm:

Tony B:
FYI - Kenny Loggins' "This Is It" features on background vocals another singer who has fooled others - the Doobie Brothers' Michael McDonald.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By cleoharvey (160.79.83.208) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 02:47 pm:

KevGo:

I am a big fan of Michael McDonald. One of the greatest vocals on record is his "I Can Let Go Now" that was covered by Dionne Warwick on her Luther Vandross produced album. He does what Michael Bolton cannot do with all his bombast. Even though I have to admit I like Michael Bolton and Patti Labelle's version of "We're Not Making Love Anymore." She makes him sing.

By john c (12.2.233.107) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 03:18 pm:

Although the lead singer(s) was black, I was surprised that most of the Foundations were white and then I was really surprised to find out they were from the UK.

By Eli (151.197.39.147) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 04:22 pm:

Kev,
Daryl Hall and myself were signed to Double Diamond Music from '68-'70.
during this time Leon Huff was technically signed to D.D.as well even he produced with Gamble.
Daryl did not do any sessions with G&H, only on a few sides which were leased to Neptune via D.D. which was Madara and White. If you place the M over the W you will see why it was called Double Diamond.
Daryl and I worked on some good songs together as writers as well. We all knew that he was destined for greatness.
Len Barry was with D.D. since 1964.
Daryl did play the piano on an unreleased Stylistics album which was scrapped, and deservedly so.
John Oates was a guy who used to come over to DD with his guitar strapped to his back and he was somewhat folkie at the time.
He and Daryl started to write and dsome local coffee house kind of gigs and after while they started hanging in NYC and eventually they moved to the Village and the rest is history.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 04:45 pm:

Bobby:
Thanks for the info...Do you have any demos you did with Daryl Hall? I would love to hear them.

So Madara & White were the Double Diamond guys! They had a big catalog for a while including the hit "1-2-3" (which for reasons you explained has been six different ways!). Are they still around?

I was listening to this CD the gang at Jamie/Guyden released called "The Norhtern Side of Philly Soul" which features some cool tunes including Daryl & the Temptones' "Girl I Love You" (mixed to stereo by Tom Moulton for the first time) and a song called "Try My Love" by Moses Smith that was unreleased (sounds like Cliff Nobles' "The Horse"). Check it out on www.jamguy.com.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 04:48 pm:

Cleo/Michael:
I have a rare album Arista issued of some singles Michael McDonald recorded for Bell Records in the early 1970s. Very folk/pop/rock but the songs were well written. I love his work with the Doobies and "Sweet Freedom" was one of my favorite songs while I was in college.
Kevin Goins - KevGo

By JoeR (170.148.92.30) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 05:03 pm:

For me they are current artists:

BOBBY CALDWELL and LISA STANSFIELD, I thought they were black.

Earl Lewis actually thought The Capris were a black group singing 'There's A Moon Out Tonite'.

JoeR - http://mypages.netopia.com/channels

By TD (68.69.127.104) on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 09:22 pm:

Occasions- I'm A Girl Watcher
Len Barry- I,2,3
Box Tops- Cry Like A Baby
Shades Of Blue- Oh How Happy

He's So Fine- Chiffons

TD

By dvdmike (65.208.234.61) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 07:07 am:

I remember hearing "Wildflower" by Skylark back in '73 and thinking the lead singer, Donny Gerrard was a white guy.

Back in '68 when I was still in grade school, I heard "Born To Be Wild" by Steppenwolf and thinking the lead singer John Kay was Black.

And a couple of years earlier, I though The Spencer Davis Group featuring Stevie Winwood was Black after hearing "Gimme Some Lovin'".

I also first thought The Valadiers and Phoebe Snow were Black.

By fayette (64.12.97.7) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 08:16 am:

phoebe snow even had a fro.

By R&B (138.238.41.128) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 08:22 am:

THERE WAS A LITTLE TUNE THAT CAME OUT IN 62 CALLED {SHERRY}BY A LITTLE GROUP CALLED {FRANKIE VALLI AND THE FOUR SEASONS]WELL YOU COULDN'T TELL ME THAT GROUP WASN'T BLACK UNTIL I SAW THEM ON BANDSTAND,OF COURSE I LOVE THE SONG AND THE GROUP TILL THIS DAY.IT'S ALLLLLWAYS ABOUT THE MUSIC!

By David Meikle (213.122.171.64) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 08:46 am:

A visit to a pub in London in 1971 led me to hear the O'Kaysions "Girl Watcher" and the Temptations "Just my imagination" for the first time.

Great music providing great memories.

By fayette (152.163.188.68) on Tuesday, March 04, 2003 - 09:49 am:

you know r&b i always thought frankie's
voice
and face didn't match.not because he white
but,because i thought he may might would have a dean
martin sound.

By DF (208.27.111.121) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 03:14 pm:

As far as singers, Teena Marie comes to mind. Everyone thought she was Black.

As far as writers, Rod Temperton and the late Linda Creed are two of my alltime favorite songwriters. I thought both were Black, given that most of their songs have heavy soul music rotation. Creed and Temperton taught me one hard lesson: When you got soul, you got soul. Peace.

By fayette (64.12.97.7) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 04:24 pm:

i didn't know what color linda creed was til
last year,i had never seen a picture.

By Greg C. (209.71.79.205) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 10:22 pm:

Chris Clark. When I first heard "Do Right Baby-Do Right" I thought, "What a sultry/bluesy sister."
Saw her on television about a month later and out walks this Caucasian Amazon with this huge blonde beehive and ruby red lips and she cuts loose into song. I was totally aghast!

I love Chris Clark!

By Vandelron (205.188.209.38) on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 10:56 pm:

Timi Yuro-black but is white;Ronnie Spector/Ronettes has written she is racially mixed.

By Eli (151.197.37.171) on Thursday, March 06, 2003 - 01:53 am:

Linda Creed was a very down to earth and beautiful person both inside and out.
She looked a little like a young Natalie Wood.
She had a soulful singing voice and once sang with The Soul Brothers LTD who used to work the Black cabaret circuit and did strictly r&b and was a "sista" at heart!!
I fact, as I write this post, my friend Rusty Jackmon who plays bass with the Trammps and was once the bassist with Soul Brothers LTD at that time is standing right here beside me !!!!

By sdl (208.59.124.106) on Saturday, March 08, 2003 - 02:18 pm:

Len Barry of "1-2-3" fame - until I saw him on Hullabaloo. The man had a whole lotta "blue-eyed soul"

By Nish (216.148.246.70) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 12:36 pm:

I thought the Jaggerz of "The Rapper" and "Gotta Find My Way Back Home" fame were black, but they are white.

By LG Nilsson (213.89.28.83) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 01:26 pm:

Steve Winwood in Spencer Davies Group was a black guy for me until I saw a picture. Was I surprised!

Joe Cocker was a black guy to me when he sang "With A Little Help From My Friends".

David Clayton Thomas in B,S&T was also a surprise.

Charlie Pride was a shock when I saw a picture!

Lars

By FAYETTE (205.188.209.38) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 03:18 pm:

WHAT ABOUT THE GROUP "WILD CHERRY"(COME AND
GET YOUR LOVE) THOUGHT THEY WERE BLACK,
THEY'RE INDIANS.

By FAYETTE (205.188.209.38) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 03:23 pm:

OOPS I MAD A MISTAKE.REDBONE WAS THE
INDIAN GROUP THAT DID COME AND GET YOUR
LOVE.WILD CHERRY DID PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC.
THEY BOTH SOUNDED BLACK.

By Eli (205.188.209.38) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 03:29 pm:

Wayne Cochran and The Nightriders.
He was quite a chracter with a rather high platinum pompadour and shoulder legnth hair to boot.
He did a Southern soul kinda show and wore an Elvis style jumpsuit!!
I've been on several tours where he was on the bill.

By tricky (195.92.168.168) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 04:40 pm:

the intentions don,t forget that i love you on philips is in my humble opinion one of the best harthon productions ever.which is in itself a hard choice considering the quality of the stuff put out,but then to be told they are white (cor blimey ).also a super soulful white guy is chuck corby of soul communicators fame.

By Steve LItos (209.100.86.4) on Monday, March 10, 2003 - 06:58 pm:

Not that I ever thought that Jackie Wilson was white, but he could really pull off the Mario Lanza type stuff such as "Night". Then again the man could sing anything.

On the MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET cd (featuring Elvis, Carl Perkins, & Jerry Lee Lewis busking songs at SUN studios & talking about music c.1956), Elvis talks about a guy(JACKIE WILSON) he saw with Billy Ward in Las Vegas who covered his song "Don't Be Cruel" and quote,"Sang it like a YANKEE."

"Since I Fell For You" - Lenny Welch - I always thought he was a white crooner until I saw his picture somewhere. That guy really had/hSteve as some pipes!