White British Male Soul Singer. Who Was Or Is The Best ?

There have been very few white male soul singers from The U.K. It got me thinking, from the few there have been, who was the better? The main contenders in my opinion would be: Steve Marriott, Tom Jones, Joe Cocker, Long John Baldry, Eric Burden, Chris Farlowe, and maybe Mick Hucknall.

However my personal choice would be Steve Winwood. I have linked a video of a performance by Steve with The Spencer Davis Group when he was aged 19.

What would be your personal choice ? If you had one of course.

Paul Rodgers, David Coverdale. Ian Gillan...when he had a voice.

More blues than soul, but they had it.

...Glenn Hughes...

Interesting question. Winwood's good. Cool story too. He had to play keyboard from the kitchen before he was of age to play in bars. Kinds hard to debate Cocker though. Dude was made of soul.

Tom Jones.

There, said it.

Without doubt, the greatest of all the white soul singers.

a reply to: alldaylong

Adam Faith, Cliff Richard, Wayne Fontana, Bryan Ferry, David Bowie

a reply to: alldaylong

Mick Hucknell(?) Simply Red!

My fav. singer of all time is a Brit(kinda). Soul? Sometimes actually. He was that damn good.

Margaret Thatcher gets my vote.

John Mayall, more blues than soul I suppose, but he is just brilliant.

Those other people you named are really good an' all, but for this title there is only one real contender:

a reply to: Astyanax

Joe Cocker is the real item but a bit melodramatic for my taste. Mick Hucknall 'not too shabby' as Ron Wood says, and Ronnie played behind Rod so his opinion really counts. Winwood is just a great all-round singer, he can do blue-eyed soul, but what he does best is Stevie Winwood. Same goes for Bowie, in spades.

Rod was always a soul singer, never really wanted to be anything else. And what was he before? A gravedigger. For me that pretty much punches the ticket.

Bit late to the party here but I would like to offer Michael McDonald wonderful and our own although not so well known Peter Cox better perhaps known as the lead singer of Go West. Listen to him and you will see what I mean.

Robert Plant is the best 'white British Male Soul singer' I can think of. His voice had soul even if he didn't sing many soul songs. If he'd wandered away from the blues and rock music, he could have ripped a ballad like Otis Redding did.

Right now, Paulo Nutini is someone whose music and singing puts him up there as a modern soul voice.

For me it's Eric Burdon and I cant think of a better blues song which shows off his voice then The Animals version of House Of the Rising Sun.