Music of The United Kingdom (1980s) - Soul

Soul

Britain had produced some significant Blue-eyed soul singers in the 1960s, including Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield and interest had been maintained by figures such as David Bowie, but it was not until the 1980s that a clear genre of British soul music developed with flourishing soul scenes in major cities like London and Manchester, often with many black artists, supported by local and pirate radio stations. This interest was reflected in a series of covers or songs inspired by soul for a number of major acts, including Phil Collins's "You Can't Hurry Love" (1982), Culture Club's "Church of the Poison Mind" (1983), The Style Council's "Speak Like a Child", (1983) Eurythmics' "Missionary Man" (1986), and Steve Winwood "Roll With It" (1998). For the first time since the 1960s there were also significant acts who specialised in soul. These included George Michael, who reinvented himself a white soul singer with the multi-Platinum Faith album (1987). Also significant were Sade, Simply Red and toward the end of the decade Lisa Stansfield and Soul II Soul. Soul II Soul's breakthrough R&B hits "Keep on Movin'" and "Back to Life" in 1989 have been seen as opening the door to the mainstream for black British soul and R&B performers.