Who are the alltime greatest white soul singers?

Not yet mentioned:
David Lasley

 

Jackie Moon.

 

David Coverdale

 

David Clayton Thomas

 

Some curious suggestions here, I’ll go with George Michael.

 

John Lennon
“Yer Blues”

 

I don't know about any "greatest" but someone who hasn't been mentioned yet who is very, very, very good is...

Dan Penn

More well known as a songwriter but he could sing the hell out those songs.

 

Paul McCartney
“Oh Darling”
“Don’t Let Me Down”

 

Jeff Buckley

 

Janis Joplin, Dusty Springfield

 

Steve Marriott

 

My male and female choices would be Joan Osborne and Bill Champlin.

 

And not a mention yet of Tony Joe White and Eddie Hinton..two of the best.

 

Some of the great ones I've heard are rather obscure...I remember getting this record in 1985 and not being able to tell if the singer was black or white. Years later in the internet era I found out that the vocalist white and from the U.K. So here's "Don't Leave (Baby Don't Go)" from 1967:

 

Yeah, Steve Marriott was great!

 

+1 for Dusty Springfield and Janis
I'd have to add Joe Cocker and Willy DeVille.

 

Delbert McClinton

Lowell George

 

Paul Carrack

 

My favourite would be Kevin Rowland but the obvious ones are Van and Marriott, and David Bowie in 1975. I’ll throw in Frank Black, circa Honeycomb as a wildcard.

 

Sorry but it's Lisa Stansfield...

 

On reflection, the first four I picked were the best white singers operating in the soul/country soul idioms. If you're defining soul as the conveyance of raw, genuine emotion through singing the my nominees would actually be Kurt Cobain and David Gedge.

 

Chris Farlowe with Colosseum. Best I've ever heard belting out the blues. Clem Clempson on guitar and Jon Hiseman on drums are just staggeringly good. This entire concert is on YouTube - highly recommended.

 

Eric Burdon
Steve Winwood
Steve Marriott
Dusty Springfield
Rod Stewart
Paul Rodgers

For a less well known choice, Sharon Tandy. She recorded at Stax in 1967 with Steve Cropper etc.