Blue-eyed soul

Blue-eyed soul is a term that describes a series of related combinations of R&B with contemporary Pop, particularly with strong elements of Soul or Gospel, performed primarily by white American and British artists. In its earliest form in the 1960s, the genre combined Rhythm & Blues with the lavish orchestrations of Brill Building, exemplified by artists like The Righteous Brothers, The Walker Brothers, and Dusty Springfield who found crossover success on R&B radio stations with their soulful vocal performances. The late 1960s would see The Beach Boys take blue-eyed soul in a more Pop Rock direction, combining the Doo-Wop-inflected vocal harmonies of their Vocal Surf roots with contemporary Pop Soul that would heavily influence the eclectic Progressive Pop of Todd Rundgren and Supertramp in the following decade. With the 1970s, blue-eyed soul would be championed by Daryl Hall & John Oates in the US who adapted their hometown Philly Soul into a pop rock/Soft Rock format. The genre would also see a surge of interest in the UK alongside the appearance of Funk, with Average White Band combining the styles and the prominent release of David Bowie's 1975 album Young Americans (which Bowie dubbed "plastic soul").