Some were released decades after they were first written
These days, a multiracial band is no big deal. In fact, it's quite normal to applaud music made by a racially mixed act. But there was a time when it was rare to see white musicians performing alongside those of color. Fortunately, music has always been a great leveler, and as early as the 1940s there were those who refused to let racial prejudice stand in the way of a good tune.
Click through the following gallery and be reminded of the bands that helped harmonize the music scene.
Formed in 1955 by members of the US Air Force stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Del-Vikings were one of the very first successful racially mixed musical groups during a period of time when such bands were rare. They are best remembered for 'Come Go with Me' (1956), later covered by The Beach Boys, and for 'Whispering Bells' (1957).
A sensation in the 1940s, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm were the first integrated all-female band in the US. Members of many different races, including Latin, Asian, Caucasian, African American, and Indian, performed in the band until its demise in 1949. The band regained a significant amount of popularity during the feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s in America, when feminist writers and musicologists endeavored to equally include both men and women musicians in the history of jazz. Pictured is the 1946 lineup: Selma Lee Williams, Vi Burnside, Roz Cron, Willie Mae Wong, and Helen Saine.
Legendary American guitarist Jimi Hendrix and English musicians Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding became the trio known as The Jimi Hendrix Experience. The band was highly influential in the popularization of hard rock and psychedelic rock.
Pivotal in the development of funk, soul, rock, and psychedelic music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sly and the Family Stone was the first major American rock group to have a racially integrated male and female lineup.
One of the most successful bands of the 1970's disco era, KC and the Sunshine Band had five number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Front man Harry Wayne Casey (KC) is regarded as one of the pioneers of the disco genre.
Formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1969, Thin Lizzy was originally fronted by bassist Phil Lynott. Born to an Irish mother and a Guyanese father, Lynott was the first black Irishman to achieve commercial success in the field of rock music.
English 2 Tone and ska revival band The Specials formed in Coventry in 1977. The mixed racial lineup was deliberate in that the group was created with the goal of integrating black and white people during a time of heightened race relation issues in the United Kingdom.
One of the defining hardcore punk bands of the late 1970s, The Dead Kennedys' original drummer, Ted (Bruce Slesinger), was replaced in 1981 by D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley), who also had a brief stint with the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
English reggae and pop band UB 40 hail from Birmingham and achieved considerable international success from the late 1970s through to the early 1990s. The ethnic makeup of the band's original lineup was diverse, with musicians of English, Welsh, Irish, Jamaican, Scottish, and Yemeni parentage. The band remains one of the most commercially successful reggae acts of all time.
American funk band Rufus included Chaka Khan in the lineup. Known as the "Queen of Funk," Khan served as lead vocalist with the band, which became one of the most popular and influential funk outfits of the 1970s. Their 1974 hit 'Tell me Something Good' was written by Stevie Wonder.
Black drummer Steve Ferrone was part of the "classic lineup" of Scottish funk and R&B band the Average White Band and played on the group’s best known hit, 'Pick Up the Pieces.' Ferrone went on to work with Duran Duran and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, among other top acts.
British soul band Hot Chocolate enjoyed considerable success in the 1970s and early 1980s, having at least one hit every year from 1970 to 1984. Founded by Jamaican Errol Brown—who in 2004 received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music—and Tony Wilson from Trinidad, the band were briefly signed to the Beatles' Apple Records music label.
One of the first racially diverse American rock bands, Love blossomed in the mid-1960s—and became one of the most influential rock groups of all time. Their music drew on an eclectic range of styles including folk, rock, blues, jazz, orchestral pop, flamenco, and mariachi. Pictured left to right: Johnny Echols, Arthur Lee (top), Bryan MacLean, Ken Forssi, and Michael Stuart) in 1967.
Mexican-American guitarist and songwriter Carlos Santana formed his seminal rock band in San Francisco in 1966. The band has undergone multiple incarnations in its history, but core members Gregg Rolie, Michael Carabello, Michael Shrieve, David Brown, Neal Schon, and José “Cheptio” Areas (pictured) are considered the "classic" lineup. Santana remains one of the best-selling groups of all time.
Known for their soul-funk sound relating to both minority and rebellious listeners, American R&B-based horn section and band Tower of Power have been performing since 1968. Vocalist Lenny Williams fronted the band in the early 1970s, during their most successful commercial period. The band are pictured performing on an episode of 'Soul Train.'
Influential American instrumental R&B-funk band Booker T. & the M.G.'s are especially remembered for their worldwide 1962 hit 'Green Onions.' Having at the time two white members (Steve Cropper and Lewie Steinberg) and two black members (Booker T. Jones and Al Jackson Jr.), the band was one of the first racially integrated rock groups, at a time when the soul music scene was generally regarded as the domain of black culture.
In 1968, the Chamber Brothers released the 11-minute ‘Time Has Come Today,’ a track now considered one of the landmark rock songs of the psychedelic era. The band, however, had been around since 1954 as a foursome, performing gospel and folk songs. The addition in 1965 of Brian Keenan, affectionately known as Curley, saw the brothers joined by a white drummer who was instrumental in lending 'Time Has Come Today' its psychedelic quality.
In 1972, black bassist Tiran Porter replaced Dave Shogren to become a member of the Doobie Brothers. He brought with him a punchier, funkier bass style, and shared vocal duties. He left in 1980 only to rejoin in 1987, but quit for good in 1992.
Formed in London in 1965, The Equals topped the charts in 1968 with 'Baby, Come Back.' Co-founded by Guyanese-English singer-songwriter and musician Eddie Grant, The Equals are noted as being "the first major interracial rock group in the UK" and "one of the few racially mixed bands of the era."
Active from 1967 to 1970, English soul group The Foundations were made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan. Their 1967 debut single 'Baby Now That I’ve Found You' helped establish the band as the first multi-racial group to have a no. 1 hit in the UK in the 1960s, and one of the few British acts to successfully imitate the Motown Sound.
White South African musician Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu, a Zulu musician, formed Juluka in 1969. The band became closely associated with the anti-apartheid movement, but as a multi-racial group Juluka was often banned on South African radio. It was only in 1982 that the group was given permission to tour internationally. Juluka disbanded in 1985, but Clegg went on the form a new band, Savuka.
Savuka enjoyed even more success than Juluka. Blending traditional Zulu music influences with Celtic music and rock, Savuka's anti-apartheid stance and the fact that their lyrics were often bi-lingual in English and Zulu garnered significant cross-racial appeal in South Africa. Savuka disbanded in 1992, two years after Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
Queen’s original lead vocalist, Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar to Parsi-Indian parents. Charismatic and flamboyant, Mercury wrote numerous hits for the band, including 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' considered today one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
Drummer with American blues-rock soul group Electric Flag, Buddy Miles was later a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys, and also played and recorded with Carlos Santana. Miles, together with founder and guitarist Mike Bloomfield and keyboardist Barry Goldberg, fused rock, jazz, and R&B styles to produce what they dubbed "American music." Pictured left to right: singer Nick Gravenites, guitarist Mike Bloomfield, drummer Buddy Miles, and bassist Harvey Brooks.
American soul singer P.P. Arnold was backed on several recordings by acclaimed and influential English mod group the Small Faces. Arnold toured with the band during 1967-1968. She also dueted with Rod Stewart on the single 'Come Home Baby.'
The first band to perform at the Woodstock Festival in 1969, Sweetwater was fronted by Nancy Nevins and backed by Albert Moore, August Burns, and Fred Herrera (all pictured), plus Alan Malarowitz, Elpidio Cobian, and Alex Del Zoppo.
An American rock band formed in Florida in 1969, their 1971 live release 'At Filmore East' is regarded by many as one of the best live albums ever made. Among the founding members is drummer Jai Johanny Johanson (pictured far right), better known as Jaimoe, who was instrumental in reviving the band and leading it back to national prominence in the 1980s after a period of decline.
Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972, the E Street Band included celebrated saxophonist Clarence Clemons. After his death in 2011, Clemons' nephew Jake filled his role on the instrument as an unofficial member.
Led by singer-songwriter and musician August Darnell (Kid Creole) since 1980, the American musical group is backed by the Coconuts, a trio of predominantly white backing vocalists/dancers whose lineup has changed throughout the years.
Multiracial bands that made history
This is the music that helped break down racial barriers
MUSIC Groups
These days, a multiracial band is no big deal. In fact, it's quite normal to applaud music made by a racially mixed act. But there was a time when it was rare to see white musicians performing alongside those of color. Fortunately, music has always been a great leveler, and as early as the 1940s there were those who refused to let racial prejudice stand in the way of a good tune.
Click through the following gallery and be reminded of the bands that helped harmonize the music scene.