White solo acts hitting the top of the soul chart

[woolebull]

On another thread talking about white artist on the soul/r and b/black charts, I came to a realization that doesn't seem right. I hope someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

From the inception of AT40 on 7/4/70 until the change in Billboard's format on 10/30/91 I can only count three solo white artists that hit the top of the R and B chart: Teena Marie, George Michael, and Lisa Stansfield (who did it twice).

Please tell me I'm missing some acts here. I know the duets that hit, and KC was obviously a major part of KC and the Sunshine Band. Hall and Oates did it as well, but not as a solo act.

Are these the only three in twenty one years? And one of them is George Michael? (NOTE: Love George Michael, but if I was picking three blue eyed soul singers that hit the top of the soul charts between 1970 and 1991, I might have guessed Lisa Stansfield and Teena Marie...but Mr. Michael would have never crossed my mind)

[mkarns]

Mariah Carey? (She may not count because she has some black ancestry, her father being African and Venezuelan and her mother Irish.)

[woolebull]

Oct 14, 2013 18:23:25 GMT -5 mkarns said:

Mariah Carey? (She may not count because she has some black ancestry, her father being African and Venezuelan and her mother Irish.)

I was going to put her in the "Johnny Mathis" category but I just found out that Johnny Mathis's parents were both African-American. Mathis, I perceive, has a mixed ancestry.

[woolebull]

By the way, not counting Mariah Carey or Santana the next solo white artist to his number one after Lisa Stansfield was Robin Thicke in 2007...I believe.

[dukelightning]

woolebull, you got it. I just went through the whole period since I have the Billboard #1s book and there are no other pure solo white artists who hit #1 on the soul/black chart. Herb Alpert was billed as a solo artist on "Diamonds" but we all know that is really a featuring situation. BTW, how pathetic is it that Lady T only reached 85 on the Hot 100 with her only #1 soul single? Talking about "Ooo La La La" BTW.

[woolebull]

That's exactly what it is: pathetic. I guess because Teena never hit the Top 40 after "Lovergirl" there would be no reason for Casey to have mentioned the uniqueness of "Ooo La La La" hitting number one on the then black charts. I don't remember Casey making too much of a big deal about it with "One More Try", but he might have.

It seems like it was more of a big deal when Lisa Stansfield did it. Or maybe I was just more astute to the significance in 1990. I also remember Jane Child making a pretty good run at the top of the black chart with "Don't Wanna Fall In Love" but I think it stalled at 6.

BTW, Stansfield did it three times: Twice in 1990 with "All Around The World" and "You Can't Deny It" and 1992 with "All Woman".

[Mike]

I just remember being shocked when "All Around the World" turned up one day years ago on an Urban/Urban AC station, not knowing that it had gone to #1 R&B.

"One More Try" is, no doubt, a rare example of a pop record that crossed over to R&B rather than vice-versa. I don't think it can be put any more simply than that.

P.S. Santana is, obviously, not "white". No, he's not African-American, but that distinction doesn't automatically put him in the "white" category.

[countdownmike]

Going a little further back, and maybe slightly off-track, but I've never understood why the Guess Who's "These Eyes" never crossed over to the R&B chart. Jr. Walker & the All-Stars brought the tune to R&B ears, but what a soulful performance by those Canadians!

[woolebull]

Oct 18, 2013 13:44:42 GMT -5 Mike said:

I just remember being shocked when "All Around the World" turned up one day years ago on an Urban/Urban AC station, not knowing that it had gone to #1 R&B.

"One More Try" is, no doubt, a rare example of a pop record that crossed over to R&B rather than vice-versa. I don't think it can be put any more simply than that.

P.S. Santana is, obviously, not "white". No, he's not African-American, but that distinction doesn't automatically put him in the "white" category.

That why I didn't count Santana. I knew someone might come back with, "What about Santana", and I didn't want to explain exactly what you just said

Oh Stansfield was crazy hot on the urban station that I listened to in Greensboro, NC at the time. And I knew "You Can't Deny It" was going to be as big on the Black chart as "All Around The World" because I only heard it on urban radio or AT/CT 40. Which I find odd now, looking back that it went as high as it did on CT 40. I thought it was one of those Top 15 hits like "Tic Tac Toe" that got a big boost when Billboard changed their format on 5/12/90. It must have been played on quite a few CHR stations, but I don't remember it. Interestingly her third song, "This Is The Right Time", I remember hearing quite a bit on the CHR stations in Virginia/North Carolina.

When you talk about rare, what "One More Try", and George Michael did was amazing. I mean, in the history of the R and B charts, at least in the last 43 years, three solo white males have gone to number one: Robin Thicke, Herb Alpert and George Michael. And Herb should really not count.(though "Rise" made it up to number four so even on his own, Alpert had some big R and B hits). I mean, Michael McDonald couldn't hit the Top 5 with "I Keep Forgettin".

Not going to lie, if you had asked me a few days ago, "Which number one single entitled, 'One More Try' fared better on the R and B chart between Timmy T and George Michael" and I would have to give you a hundred dollars if I was wrong, I'd be broke right now . (For The Record: Timmy T's, "Try" didn't even make the soul chart).