THE CLAIM: White singer Bobby Caldwell, who recorded the soul hit “What You Won’t Do for Love,” was supposedly nominated for “Best Black Artist” by Billboard magazine in 1979. The claim has been repeated several times on social media. The claim also says that Caldwell’s nomination was rescinded when Billboard found out he was white.
THE VERDICT: This claim is FALSE.
There is no evidence Bobby Caldwell was ever nominated for a “Best Black Artist” award by Billboard. In fact, there is no evidence such an award ever existed.
We obtained a copy of Billboard’s year-end issue for 1979. That issue broke down the biggest artists and songs of the year for each genre. There was no “Black” genre or award.
There was a “Soul” genre. But Caldwell was not listed among the Top 15 new soul artists of the year. (Interestingly, Rod Stewart was on the list, even though he’d been around for years — that’s because he charted on the Hot R&B Songs chart that year for the first time, with “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”)
Elsewhere in the year-end 1979 issue of Billboard, “What You Don’t Do for Love” ranked #24 on Billboard’s Top Soul Singles of the year chart. Caldwell was ranked #30 on the list of Best Soul Artists.
Beyond that, it is not plausible that Billboard, one of the nation’s leading music publications, would not be aware that Caldwell was white. Caldwell was seen by thousands of people when he toured with Natalie Cole throughout 1979. “What You Won’t Do for Love” also had a music video that clearly shows Caldwell’s face.
WHERE DID THIS CLAIM COME FROM?
The claim that Bobby Caldwell was named “Best Black Artist” seems to have been reported initially on a nameless, defunct website called Loungecore. The article does not cite any sources for its claim.
While the claim of a “Best Black Artist” award is false, it is true that race was a factor in Caldwell’s early career. His label, TK Records, kept his image off the cover of his debut album, because as a skinny, bearded blond guy, he didn’t fit the usual image of an R&B singer.
He told NPR, “Their base to launch their product was basically an R&B format. So they really didn’t want it to be well-known that I was white.”
Even as recently as 2013, when Caldwell performed “What You Won’t Do for Love” on the BET Soul Train Awards, some in the crowd and on social media were surprised to learn that Caldwell was white, though it seemed to make no difference in their enjoyment of the song.
“What You Won’t Do for Love” was an incredibly soulful track, revealing Caldwell’s powerful and voice. The horn-heavy song hit #9 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #6 on the R&B Songs chart.
Caldwell said that the overwhelmingly Black audiences who came out to see him open for Natalie Cole in 1979 were definitely surprised to see that he was white, but he won most of them over.
Even today, many Youtubers have posted “reaction videos” to this song and have been surprised to learn that this famous hit was sung by a white man.
Caldwell said in 2015, “Quite honestly, I never thought I sounded black. I thought I sounded like a white guy that was influenced by R&B music. But people would swear up and down I was black.”
“What You Won’t Do for Love” has endured, and even went viral on TikTok a few years back.
Caldwell said that he grew up in Miami listening to all kinds of music, including “Haitian, reggae, Latin, pop, R&B.” He toured with Little Richard before getting his own record deal in 1977, as TK Records was looking for new artists similar to Boz Scaggs.
Caldwell said, “People were going disco weary. I think they saw me as their guy to usher in something with more of a pop approach to R&B music, without the pounding of a kick drum and the nonsensical disco lyrics. They wanted something that was more art than dance.”
“What You Won’t Do for Love” was a late addition to Caldwell’s debut album, after the label told him they didn’t hear a hit from his initial batch of songs.
He never scored another Top 40 hit, peaking at #42 in 1980 with “Coming Down from Love.”
Bobby Caldwell passed away in 2023 at age 71.
Last Updated on September 11, 2026