Top 5 Vocalists in Rock Music (Page 1 of 4)

Rob Halford
Geoff Tate
Steve Perry
Bruce Dickinson
James LeBrie

B-List:

Jeff Buckley
Robert Plant
Ian Gillan
Ray Alder - "Fates Warning"
Jeff Scott Soto - Yngwie
Brad Delp - Boston
Kiske - Helloween
Lou Graham - Foreigner
Michael Sweet - Stryper (this guys is great!)
Joe Lynn Turner
Ronnie James Dio
Graham Bonnett - Alcatraz
Bon Scott

Honorable Mention "non-techies":

Peter Murphy
Morrisey
Seal
John Denver

Tony Williams of the Platters
James Brown (he may be the best overall entertainer ever--sing, dance, write songs, create multiple genres, band manager and owner, marquee entertainer till death, etc.)
Freddie Mercury of Queen
Gary Puckett
Mick Jagger (for best shouter and tied with Brown, Mercury for showman)

Tom Jones (if he's considered a rock singer).   There are many others for vocal skills, but they don't have enough hits.  Jay of Jay and the Americans has an operatic voice.

Last edited by WebAndNet (2008-07-13 12:20:21)

WEBANDNET!!!!!!!!Synthetic?what do you mean bro!!!!?????!!!!???
I would say..
Steve Perry
Glenn Hughes
Paul Rodgers
Ronnie James Dio
Lou Gramm

I don't know what synthetic means but Robert Plant goes off-key so often, especially live...Ozzy too; I've never been able to understand the fuss over these two, especially the latter.

Rob Halford is great, IMO.

I saw a Queen video, where they described an album which each minute took 3 days, much of this done by an audio engineer.   Freddie Mercury is a terrific singer, but his voice had a lot of special-effects, which when live wasn't as impressive.

I can't recall which Led Zepplin DVD I saw, but Robert Plant clearly had a raspy voice and he couldn't produce the piercing wails (that I love) on the albums.   I don't know if Robert Plant just had a bad live-performance day, but it appears that a sound engineer really modified his album voice.

Both are among my favorite album singers, but I suspect mostly synthetic audio engineer created voices.  Robert Plant I'll agree is soulful, but there are many blues singers just as; Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, Etta James.  I think of Robert Plant as being perhaps analogous to castranto (sp?)--powerful woman-like voice.  But he can't produce it live.

Analogous to is a Playboy cover girl among the most beautiful women live, when her photographed legs are elongated, boobs implanted, scar brushed over, etc.

Last edited by WebAndNet (2008-07-14 08:48:41)

I agree Plant's an innovator, and his albums sound great.   But he can't sing, For Real (synthetic)!

I don't think Pavarotti sang in one style.

Sting--he's solely a high pitched singer--good emotions for his high pitch range.  Freddie Mercury, from what I've seen of him on DVD, looks like he was once classically trained.   Actually somewhat of a funny voice, but unique, and works very well for his music.   Regardless, he does know how to use all kinds of singing skills to sing, and executes these live.

You guys are confusing audio-enhancing, songwriting, band and music, and rock innovations with great singing skills.   Lots of people have better skills--but they didn't have these other supporting mechanisms.

Indeed, the whole purpose of Zen is to see and hear what's real. 

Last edited by WebAndNet (2008-07-14 10:07:06)

A very long list:

But I'd have to say:

Robert Plant
Steve Perry
David Coverdale
Lou Gramm
Paul Rogers

Can't imagine how Dennis DeYoung is missing here ? Particularly his solo works in recent years.
Like Tommy Shaw a lot, too.

But my list is endless....could add many more -

And as far a Robert Plant goes, I've seen Zep in Pittsburgh, Pa. in '73 & '75 and both times,
awesome performances.... Plant was "on top of his game" both times....

And I have to agree 100% with Jamie about the pitch correction. It's analogous to the tech advances over the years with other instruments. As a keyboardist, I used the infamous B-3 Hammond. Now, with the advances in the "boards", my Yamaha is capable of features unheard of years ago. At some recent, and not so recent concerts, as I watched the keyboardists,  heard the effects, paid close attention to the "fingering"" and said to myself "NO WAY"...... I won't take the inherent talent away from the performers, but a lot of high tech is involved, too. Same goes with the other instruments and "Devices"....

Just my observations....

Last edited by Nightprowler (2008-07-14 11:23:01)

I didn't think much of James Brown either, until I saw some of his YouTube videos.   Look up Pavarotti with James Brown, and you'll see Brown can actually sing live, unless he's using some kind of voice modifier.  Younger James Brown didn't seem to sound as good, but maybe it's due to poor audio equipment in the days of B&W TV.

James Brown is far more of an innovator than any of the other artists.   Godfather of rap, hip-hop, and popularized was it funk, soul, or what-name genre.  I can't think of any other artist who single-handedly started so many genres.

Last edited by WebAndNet (2008-07-14 13:46:51)

Interesting!  It always struck me that there is an overwhelming bias on this list toward metal, and the lists generated here certainly validate that impression.  Now, to be fair, the original poster invited people to name the best rock singers, but outside of a few mainstream folks (Sting, Jagger, Bono), the overwhelming majority of these admired vocalists sing hard/heavy rock.

Also, excepting Sting, none of these guys normally plays an instrument on stage.

Now, let me try to even things out a bit: McCartney is an awesome singer, as are Elton John, Lyle Lovett, K.D. Lang.  I also admire a lot of people who can't sing in technical terms but who outsell (by large percentages) the singers named here: Dylan, Young, Springsteen, etc.

So, for the sake of argument, who are the best singers who are not metalish dedicated lead vocalists???

Please kindly list the band they're with?

Halford--I just went through 5 YouTube videos of him.   A high pitched singer-talker-shouter-near screamer who is a good frontman.   Sings very well in sync with the music--and great at branding an image. 

Noticed most of the preferred singers here are high pitched screamers.   OK, for high pitched screaming, some of these guys are fairly good.  It's their band and music that creates most of the effects, in my opinion.  Plant is good live, but Jimmy Page is awesome.  How would Halford sound without his tight band?

I'm rarely impressed by high pitched screaming live, though it sounds great on albums.   I saw Buddy Guy recently (whose album voice really is fair).   But he's got bass.   When live, bassy voice beats screaming highs any time, because it has more punch.  While nearing age 70, Buddy Guy could deliver more punch than these high pitch singers, and didn't need color lights or stage props or deafening volume.  Additionally Eric Clapton calls Buddy Guy the greatest guitarist alive.

Lots of these blues and R&B singers--don't sound so great on albums, in part because their bass somehow doesn't carry across well.  Put them with a stack of speakers in an auditorium--everyone vibrates.  Listen to Muddy Waters on YouTube, and imagine how he would have sounded.

KD Lang is awesome!   She definitely ranks on my top five list of women, along with Aretha Franklin, Etta James, Dinah Washington.  KD Laing is top 5 in men or women in skills.  Not enough hits though.

Last edited by WebAndNet (2008-07-14 22:18:47)

Non metal
Robert Plant
Steven Tyler
Steve Perry
Sting
Joe Cocker-now there is a non trained singer with poor techniqu that is still amazing. It;s the emotion

TO quote Chen-
How would Halford sound without his tight band?

Hmm let's see. Guess we could check out the FIGHT records, TWO (which was techno) or the HALFORD releases. He still sounded amazing. To note, there are several early Priest records where there isn't even one high note...Not because he couldn't do it, but because he let's the song dictate what needs to be said. I don't think you knew who Rob Halrford was until we posted his name;)

All in all, this started out as a personal choice of the top 5 rockers. When I used to work construction, a guy asked me who I considered the best rock singer of all time, to which I replied Steve Perry of Journey. He looked at me and said, 'No way it is Mick Jagger". Now I would never knock Jagger, but come on...as far as vocal quality, diversity and range, Jagger is NOT at the top of the list.

Now, he IS at the top of the list for longevity. I think it is amazing that he still performs and is so energetic, but he sings safely as does Brad Arnold from Three Doors Down. Both are entertaining and nice to listen to, but they sing within their means; they don't push their limits, they stck to a very limited range and sing the songs they are expected to sing. Which is fine, because the Stones are great. But I wouldn't personally say that Jagger has some amazing vocal instrument.

I'm giving a list based on non technical just some of my likes if we are talking technique i would need to hear live undubbed,undoctored recordings and to be just some of the artist out there i have only heard in studio recording and at the actual live event usually to loud and moving to fast to judge technique also don't know what effects etc they have added.

1. The vocalist from the Band Boston and for some strange reason i can't remember his name lol
2. Annie Lennox - excellent
3. Ann Wilson- yes she not in her heyday, but i think she was highly underrated and under accredited in her earlier years - strangley she's getting more attention since american idol- pretty sad ,but Alone is one of the most used songs in contest.
4. I'm with Jaime on the Joe Cocker anyone that can screw it up with such consistance and make it work so well tied with Janis Joplin.
5. This is really damn hard cause i like so many and if we are going technique i want to hear their simple scale lol

Chen,

I posted a response regarding your exposure to toxic fumes (Vocal Health). Don't know if you've checked it, but perhaps you should - Perhaps it will work for you, and then maybe not. But as I said in that post, if you're still having those difficulties, you should see the doctor, or perhaps another one.
It's nothing to mess around with. I'd hate to see you develop further difficulties, which IS possible.

Again, I'm not a doctor, and don't profess to be one. But check it out. After all, your health is first and foremost. Hey, just trying to help out !!!

I assumed we were talking about Known famous persons- My favs are all unsigned or unknown for the most part