DIGGIN' IN THE CRATES

Bobby Caldwell - 'What You Won't Do For Love'




This 1978 hit originally released on the self-titled album Bobby Caldwell from the jazz singer/guitarist has was a big hit for Bobby. Most people remember Tupac Shakur's song 'Do For Love,' released posthumously in 1997, which took a vocal sample from the Caldwell classic.

I'm sure I'm not the only person who thought Bobby Caldwell was black. In fact, back in the day in order for Caldwell to get significant airplay on the black R&B stations early in his career, his management team portrayed him only in silhouette on the cover of albums and in advertisements in order to hide the fact that he was white.

On the flip side, back in the day in order for black artists to appeal to mainstream white audiences, white artists would record cover versions of these artist's music. For example, Pat Boone recorded cover versions of a lot of Little Richard's songs. Often these black artists saw the record companies profiting from their art instead of themselves.

See another classic Bobby Caldwell track below:

Bobby Caldwell - 'Open Your Eyes'