Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

In going through my music history, I find that male vocalists (at least the
really good ones) are less prevalent in rock and roll and more prevalent in
the standards of yesterday like Sinatra and Crosby. I wonder why? Having
said that, there are a few in the rock era that I thought sung well even
though most tried to scream their way through the tune.

Here is my list of favorites. Number 1 is number 1 for me. Wow, what a voice
he had.

Gary Puckett
Bing Crosby
Frank Sinatra
Harry Connick Jr.
Sammy Hagar (the best of the screamers)
Steve Perry
Nat King Cole
Ezio Pinza (go listen to Some Enchanted Evening sometime)
Josh Groban (the best today)
Jon Anderson (made Yes what they were)

My mother, God rest her soul, an opera singer, said Garry Puckett gave
her goose bumps. Young Girl, Woman Woman, Lady Willpower and Over
You were 4 of the biggest songs of 1968. Anybody else would have never
gotten these tunes as big as they got.

Anyway, I know I've left out a ton of talent so take it away.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

End of the thread right there. You can't match the master. I don't care how old you are, or where you are from, or what music you listen to there is atleast one Sinatra song that you will probably like

I like a lot of guys, mostly r&b singers, but there is only one sinatra.

also Tony Bennett.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Meatloaf - amazing voice everyone has forgotten.
Frankie Valli
Elton John
Otis Redding
Frank - will always be #1
Bing
Sammie (Davis Jr, not Hagar)

not 10, but that's the beginning of my list.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Yeah, Meat Loaf had a great voice but it's shot to hell now. I have Bat Out
Of Hell, the followup and his last album.

The guy sure had a set of pipes.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

I remember buying Bat Out of Hell when it came out and playing it over and over and over...

I forgot to put Ray Charles on my list.

And, another, Freddie Mercury - weird as could be, but incredible voice.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Ray is the greatest American singer of all time. No one has the range he has. How many others can sign jazz and country/western? Not to mention, rock, pop, blues. No one sang with more feeling and expression than Ray and to me this defines American music.

Elvis is number two.

John Lee Hooker - The definitive blues voice.

Nat King Cole beats Sinatra hands down. I'll take Deano over Sinatra as well.

I also like Kim Wilson of the Fab T-Birds.

Although not into his music, Bing Crosby had a great, smooth voice.

Howlin Wolf, while his voice is rough, he is a master at inflection.

David Bowie is a great singer.

Also, Gene Vincent

Little Richard

Jim Morrison - I'm not into the Doors, but the guy had a great voice.

I love Mick Jaggar, but to say he has a good voice would be a stretch.

And I hate to admit it publicly , but I love Box Car Willie's voice.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that in all the threads about great musicians nobody (yet :rolleyes:) has mentioned Michael Jackson?

Van Morrison
Elvis Costello
Jackson Brown
Any of the Eagles
Joe Cocker
Andrea Bocelli
John Lennon

Donnie Osmond
Shaun Cassidy
Wait a minute, I better save these for the Top 10 Boy Bands thread :)

KJ

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Nat King Cole (my favorite since I was like 5 years old)

Stevie Wonder as a little child - the most beautiful crystal clear voice I have ever heard - just average after he grew up.

Bob Dylan - the master songwriter of our age, and voice may be nasal and raspy, but figure, write, sing, play harmonica and guitar all at the same time.

Righteous Brothers
Joey Ramone
Wilson Pickett
Jackie Wilson
Little Anthony
Joe Cocker - back in the day
Jim Morrison
John Lennon

So many unknown lead singers in groups of the 50-60s like the Cadillacs, Olympics, etc. check out this deep tenor voice. (Eddie Lewis)



Fred Paris and The Five Satins

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

I saw a video in the late 80's that spliced together a bunch of people singing the same song...I "think" it was Infatuation, by Rod Stewart/Jeff Beck.

Donnie Osmond had about 15 seconds of being the singer and he was far and away the best singer of the bunch. He really does have a very good voice, if he'd just pick better songs.

It's sad in a way, he's almost become the symbol for being "uncool", which is entirely based on his goody-goody image, but ignores that he is a talented singer. We often need to seperate the artist from the art (and image).

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

A bit more eclectic perhaps, I love voice. My favourite instrument.

Jussi Bjoerling
Bob Marley
Dean Martin
Bryn Terfel
Placido Domingo
Robert Plant
Al Jolson
Marty Robbins
Jimi Hendrix
Harry Belafonte
Louis Armstrong
Vaughn Monroe
Paul Butterfield
Leo Kottke

Better stop, too many amazing voices, I could go on for a very long time.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

As usual, this is completely subjective.

Here's my quick list...

Roy Orbison -- (this guy had a 4 or 5 octave range - enough said)
Freddie Mercury -- (this crazy little thing could sing like Elvis and more)
Elvis -- (the voice, the charisma, the presence -- what else can you say?)
John Fogerty (back in his day -- this guy just oozed with soul/realism)
Paul Rogers (now this is one bad ass singer)
John Lennon (imagine having a voice like his)
Roger Daltry ( don't get fooled again -- this guy can sing)
Bono (in his prime he could belt it out with the best of them)
Elton John (the melody and dynamics in his good old days)

I'm sure I missed some. But that's a start.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Ah, I see someone did get Robert Plant.

Roger Daltrey certainly belongs on the list as well.

John

Edit: Looks like Dave Allen beat me to the punch.

My top ten list would look pretty close to Dave's.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Yep...He should have been on my list. He had incredible octave range.

I don't mean to brag, but I have 1/2 octave range...There's at least 5-6 notes I can hit. ;)

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Here's a great singer I don't think anyone mentioned, Tom Jones:



Here's another Tom dedicates to Leadbelly:

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Flashback! When I was fifteen my favourite singles were Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf and Delila by Tom Jones. Amazing pipes, that song really got to me.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Here ya go:

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Kurt, Tom Jones had one heck of a voice, I agree. I remember, as a kid,
the first time I heard "What's New Pussycat?"

He was probably one of the most popular singers in the 60s and early 70s
before his career started to taper off.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Hey Kurt,

Yeah, you're right. Tom Jones has an amazing set of pipes. My buddy, I was mentioning, who had played keyboards with Richie Blackmore's Rainbow, reminded me of that a couple of weeks ago when we were having some beers. Tom can belt it out -- no doubt.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Burton Cummings of the Guess Who, and John Fogerty of Creedence had very distinctive, unique voices when they were in their prime.

Kurt Cobain was great, too. I think the key for guys like these is they wrote their own material -- they couldn't necessarily make a living as song interpreters, the way guys like Sinatra, Crosby, and Bennett could, but they were perfect for the bands they were in.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Hey Ken,

You're absolutely right. Burton Cummings was one of the "unsung" hero's. (amazing)

Plus, (what you were referring to -- guys like Kurt Cobain, John Fogerty, to mention only a couple) that's one of the key components of "mostly everything" that "differentiates" itself and "positions" itself as a -- unique "brand". They may not have been "THE best", (necessarily, or were/are) but... they (did/present) themselves in a way that distinguished them from everything else that was/is out there.

That's always an extremely powerful place to come from.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Ah, Burton Cummings. Ever hear him do "Stand Tall?"

Man that guy could sing.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Ken, my favorite John Fogerty song.


He had one of the most identifiable voices in history. I could tell a CCR
tune a mile away.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Toss Geddy Lee of "RUSH" into the mix.... a most distintive voice with an amazing range...

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

One guy who hasn't been mentioned that had an amazing career is Bryan Ferry. The woman sure loved the guy and his voice.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Johnny Cash.

Not a songbird, but a distinctive voice

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Mario Lanza should be mentioned, he influenced Elvis, Pavoroti, Domingo and Carreras and was considered as a rival to Caruso

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Freddy Mercury and Steve Perry

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Hi Derek,

How about Paul Robeson?

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Opera
Luciano Pavarotti

Variety/Jazz
Frank Sinatra

Rock music
Freddie Mercury

About Bryan Ferry I just wish he would accept the fact that he is getting old and he would stop dyeing his hair and chasing after very young women. Totally ridiculous.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Mel Tormey
Andy Williams
Tom Jones
Vince Gill
Paul Rogers
Art Garfunkel

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Here's a kid with a great voice that most Americans have seen on TV, but never really heard.

His name is Eric Violette and he's best known as the "singer" in the freecreditreport.com TV commercials. He's either French or French Canadian...However, that isn't his real voice in the TV commercials.

Check him out, he's really a very good singer. If you've seen him in the commercials, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by his REAL voice:



This one's in English:

YouTube - Escape by Eric Violette

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Kurt, I don't know Paul Robertson although I recognize the song. My mother was a fan of Mario Lanza and that is how I heard him sing. Generally, I do not like listening to recordings made before the mid seventies because they are often in mono and sounds rather flat.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Here are the ones that spring to mind. In no particular order...

Lee Ving - (1)Lead singer of the punk band Fear, but also shows his real talent in a (2)clip from Fame.
Mark Mothersbaugh/Gerald Casale
Keith Morris/Dez Cadena
Donald Fagen
Bob Dylan - Yes, I said Bob Dylan. :)
Elvis Presley - Especially the haunting version of Blue Moon.
Adam Ant
John Lennon
James Brown
Mick Jagger
Alice Cooper
Stiv Bators
David Bowie
Hank Williams, Sr.
Roger Daltrey
Neil Young
Bon Scott
Little Richard
Steve Winwood
Ian Gillan

Rock on!
Michael

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Bob Dylan? Bob "hey when you find the tune jump on" Dylan?

Surely you must be kidding. :D

The guy's a great writer and I love him, but a singer?

Hey Michael, I knew you had a sense of humor but this one's the best. :D

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Seriously.

Though I'm not foolish enough to think a lot of others would agree.

Yes, I actually like his voice.

However, when it comes to his vocal tone and timbre, he may not compare to people like Sinatra. BUT, he does have something in common with them that elevates him several spaces - and that's his delivery. Sometimes it's disjointed, but when he sails through some of near stream-of-consciusness stuff it's amazing.

Reminds me of a discussion I once had...

Him: Dylan sucks!
Me: No he's awesome.
Him: Maybe as a writer, but not a singer.
Me: Yes, as a singer, too.
Him: Prove it!
Me: Well, nobody can sing Dylan, like Dylan.
Him: That's because nobody would want to.

:)

Rock on!
Michael

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

I disagree. Dylan was a better singer than Gary Puckett IMHO. I mean, Gary Puckett? You must be kidding. He only recorded a few albums and hasn't had a new one in 38 years! :-) Who has he influenced? Dylan, as a singer, has influenced many singers and still does. It's not all about have a golden voice. It's what you do with your voice and Dylan was one of the most inovative singers I have ever heard.

Cheers
Tim

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

These top ten lists "of all time" are very amusing. Most are compiled by people whose musical knowledge, if any, goes back to about 1995. To me, "all time" anything means the best from all eras and genres of music, not just the last 20 years. With this in mind I present my list of the BEST from all genres of recorded music: Pop, Jazz, Country and Classical.

1. Bing Crosby............................................ .Pop
2. Frank Sinatra........................................... Pop
3. Nat King Cole...........................................Pop
4. Perry Como.............................................. Pop
5. Dick Haymes............................................ Pop
6. Mel Torme............................................. ..Jazz
7. Sammy Davis Jr........................................Jazz
8. Jim Reeves............................................ ..Country
9. Eddie Arnold............................................ Country
10. Mario Lanza...........................................Cl assical:)

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

...and to think nobody mentioned Engelbert Humperdinck.:)

Yup, Kurt Cobain. I include him on my top list.

Add to that the names of Steven Tyler and Freddie Mercury.

Edit:

If in terms of my roots I would put Freddie Aguilar on top of my list. His song "Anak" ("Child") was the all time best selling hit in the Philippines, translated in over 26 countries and even topped the Billboards in the 80's.

The vid here is the original. And I think a lot of the old timers here have heard it before.


The song is about parental love.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

phil colins
stivie wonder
frank senatra
james hetfield
sting
john lennon
jim morison
rod stuwart
steve perry
freddy mercury

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Someone told me once they have good singers in other countries too

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

liam gallagher, grossly under rated musically

the press decreed his personal life was more significant than the music

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Bob Marley, Luther Vandross and Captain Beefheart are 3 of my favorites. Check this out for some killer vocals.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Lots of great singers mentioned. I'll just mention a few I didn't see listed. If you listed one of these guys and I missed it, pat yourself on the back.

John Kay (good with Steppenwolf, but I think his voice shines on Heretics and Privateers)
Waylon Jennings
Ronnie James Dio
Brother Iz
John Hiatt (most won't agree with this one but I like him)
JJ Cale (most probably won't agree with this either, but I like his lazy style)
Markus James (OK, let me save time, most probably won't agree with any I post)
Chris Rea
RL Burnside (reminds me of John Lee Hooker)
Lonesome Dave (Foghat)
Harry Chapin
Jim Croce
Cat Stevens
Eric Burdon
Jimmy Buffet
Gordon Lightfoot

Call me crazy, but I've always liked Ozzie too.

PS to Michael - I think John Prine is kind of like Dylan, not everyone likes his voice but a great songwriter who makes the most of what he has.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

a voice like that, the women chase him

let the music stand alone

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Going a bit more international:

Garou (from Canada) with his French co-stars Patric Fiori and Daniel Lavoie




Victor Manuel (from Spain)




Kamahl (from Australia, via Malaysia/Sri Lanka)




Another Aussie, Philip Quast




Martin

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

I'm shocked no one has mentioned Morrissey. He's the first name that sprang to mind.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

Van Morrison (just love "Listen to the Lions")
Tom Waits (Grapefruit Moon)
Peter Hammill
Robert Plant
Stevie Wonder
Otis Redding

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

in no particular order

john lennon
ray davies
liam gallagher
ray columbus
james reyne
george thorogood
eric burdon
dave edmunds
harry chapin
graham parker

sort of the real world list, but harry and george had to be there

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

I don't mean to pick on your choices (you named some that I did earlier so we obviously have some favorites in common), but have you ever seen George Thorogood live? I did once. He didn't sound anything like his recorded music. He couldn't carry a tune at all. One of the worst singers I've ever seen, actually. Unless that was just an off night for him, he gets a LOT of help from the studio tech guys adjusting his pitch, etc.

Re: Top 10 All Time Male Vocalists
 

#1 for me is and will always be Michael Jackson.