This debate came up on MATMH. I said that there has never been a good (good as in original/quality) white blues, reggae or soul band. My examples were Eric Clapton, UB40 and Level 42.

A few people came back with Steve Van Zandt/Gary Moore but whilst they may be technically good at COPYING blues artists they are not original or inspiring. White Stripes use blues but are a rock band.

So my argument stands. White people cannot be good at blues, reggae or soul. They are however, very good at pop and rock.

Im tempted to say joss stone for white soul, I have a very good feeling about the new stuff.

Stevie Ray Vaughan - Blues

This debate seems pointless because it shouldn't matter what race the musician is. It only takes one exception to your argument to disprove it.

House and Techno were also black/hispanic and primarily Gay music genres, but that hasn't stopped other deejays/producers from other backgrounds proving their worth.

Alexis Korner - "The father of White Blues"

pardon? spouted:
So my argument stands. White people cannot be good at blues, reggae or soul. They are however, very good at pop and rock.

Whilst I can see your intended point, I can't agree with it. Although there aren't (m)any examples of good white blues, reggae or soul bands, it doesn't mean there can't be any. The music you play isn't dependant on the colour of your skin or the background you grew up in. It all depends on what music you grow up listening to and what you are influenced by.

Led Zeppellin were the greatest blues rock band of all time. They combined the feel and style of early blues with 70's heavy metal and wrote some of the best blues riffs ever.

Robert Plant was influenced primarily by early blues singers like Robert Johnson.

But as so many white blues, reggae, rap and blues acts have been so bad you can only conclude that white people just can't do this music. It doesn't matter what colour you are but there must be something about these types of music that mean you ahve to be black to cut it.

In other words, stick to what comes naturally and Ali Campbell trying to sing in an Jamaican accent; Vanilla Ice trying to rap; Eric Clapton trying to be Robert Johnson and Mark King trying to be soulful just doesn't work.

Whatever.

I know what you are trying to say, but I believe it has more to do with culture rather than race. Hip-Hop isn't just a black thing as Puerto Ricans have been involved since the beginning. The MC'ing part of Hip Hop has remained primarily black with the odd exception - Cypress Hill, House of Pain etc. The deejaying aspect is truely crossed racial divides - of the world DMC champions there have been a lot of non black US faces such as DJ Skully, Scratch Perverts, Tigerstyles etc. After all what is rap music without a deejay?

Reggae came from Jamaicas ghettos and follows that the artists were black, rather than lighter skinned bi-racial Jamaicans. This hasn't stopped David Rodigan from being a successful deejay either.

pardon? spouted:
White people cannot be good at blues, reggae or soul. They are however, very good at pop and rock.

But that´s why we call it white soul isn´t it? Bowies´ "golden years" is a classic example.

Blues - Peter Green

Don't try and tell me he's not original or inspiring.

He is, when he used blues to inspire his pop (Man of the World, Albatross etc.) but when he tries staright blues he's just another middle-aged white man trying to be Muddy Waters.

That's the point - when people use black music for inspiration (eg Led Zeppelin, Elvis) it often works; when they try to be like the orginal form it fails.

I see what you mean.

It must have something to do with the oppression of black people, slavery, colonialisation etc., that gives the music an "authenticity", if you like.
Something that caucasians simply don't have in their blood.

Point conceeded.:)

but white people can be opressed in other ways than race. With peter green it was recovering from drug addiction for example. I crtainly see no reason to say Stevie Ray vaughan or Eric Clapton can't do blues in the right way, they do very good blues music. Admittedly, most of the best blues artists, Waters, King et al are black and predominantly, the typical black american vioce matches the songs better than the typical caucasian voices but there are exceptions to the rule.