Greatest Male Singer

• Elvis Presley
• Frank Sinatra
• Paul McCartney
• David Bowie

I don't feel as strongly about this list as the female list

tha's just coz you LURVE women ;)

Frank Sinatra.� He could make singing the alphabet into a show-stopping number.

Of course, he couldn't have done it without the AMAZING backing bands he had and those arrangements!� They played with such emotion without overstepping the lead singer.� The trombone solo of I've GOt You Under My Skin, my favorite trombone solo ever.

I've got to agree on that one.� Fly Me To The Moon with the Count Basie Orchestra..... mmm.

I understand that. For some reason I'm more drawn to female voices. I tend to enjoy bands with female singers more. I don't know if it's an issue of my being able to sing along or if it's just that they appeal to me more for aesthetic reasons.

My criteria also differs with male and female. I'm more likely to enjoy a quirky non-traditional singing voice in a man than a woman. (Those of you who know I don't like Tom Waits's or Bob Dylan's voices may roll your eyes now. :) )� But people like Dan Bern or Danny Michel or any number of male singers I like don't have typical "good" singing voices. But I'm okay with it. Women are less likely to get that kind of slack from me. Macy Gray's voice rubs me the wrong way big time. Nerissa Nields's, alone, has a similar effect.

I don't know who would be on my list, really.

I totally agree Andrea - quality of voice somehow seems less important There are a lot of women's voices that I just can't tolerate, some of whom have a technically great voice. Like the Celine Dions or Mariah Careys.

I tend to like women with slightly smokey tendencies - like Amanda Marshall or Morley Or that jazzy type like Billie Holiday, Marina or Susan Werner. :)

Hold on, Dan Bern has a typical "good" voice? When he got started what everybody commented on was how he sounded just like Dylan? Now I love them both so this isn't a knock.

um, she said he *didn't* have a typical good voice.

shoot me now.

*bang*

*dies*

*screams*

I think he sounds more like Arlo Guthrie. Especially when, in Edmonton, he said "And that's all I've got to say about that."

I'd say two male singers with non-traditional voices who are good at what they do are David Byrne and David Lowery.� (Maybe you have to be named "David" to have a good non-traditional voice. <g>)

no one's mentioned tim and jeff buckley...they should be on this list, i think.
andrew bird and jay clifford are on my list of "greats-to-be."

I mentioned the Buckleys, Carey... because of the threading, though, it's down somewhere below this post.����

ohhh, i see. i was confused because i thought you might have been referring to some buckleys who were in radiohead, because i don't know anyone's names in radiohead besides thom yorke...oh, screw it, let's just say i'm stupid and be done with it. :)

I thought I mentioned the Buckleys. Well now you did. Of course Andrew reminds me of Jeff.

a lot of people compare andrew to jeff buckley or to rufus wainwright.

I see the Rufus comparison big-time. Which is a good thing in my book, but I can see where it wouldn't be in others.. :)

darned you !!! i was gonna say Jeff Buckley!!!! *cries*... yeah... i just ordered a *new* copy of "Grace" .. cause after all this time.. the one i stole from my sister finally died��.... I definatly like Jeff's version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah"... and his song "Satisfied Mind" from "Sketches for my sweetheart the Drunk" is�just.. wow..and Tim Buckley's "Hallucinations" is absolutely. just.. great..� there are no words to describe how i love them^.^ -sam

1. Freddie Mercury

2. Bono

3. Paul McCartney

4. Frank Sinatra

5. David Bowie

6. John Lennon

7. Paul Simon

8. Bill Medley (assuming I spelled his name right)

9. Michael Stipe

10. Billy Joel

Lots of good picks. I should have mentioned Lennon with McCartney.

Freddie Mercury was amazing.

I love simon as a singer/songwriter but Garfunkel was the better singer.

How about Vance Gilbert?

I don't think I have heard of him, but I have been thinking all day aboot an all raound 11 place, whom can be just aboot anyone on any given day.

Meat Loaf, Springsteen, Roger Daltrey, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, The� Bee Gees. (as they are more or less interchangable)

Again, "greatest" is not a word I'm fond of using, because there are many I haven't heard.� A lot of groups I'm not wild about because of one person's singing, but how 2 or more people sing together.� Anyway... Here are some of my faves.

Dan Myers�http://www.onthedancefloor.com/audiosamples.htm� go there and listen to "Love is Here to Stay."� He's got 2 other bands, and quit this one, so hit this link quickly before it's gone!

Levi Britton http://www.downthelineband.com/sound_bytes.php�listen to "All Wrong."� So velvety, Hubba hubba... he also can do a great Martin Sexton, another man who needs to be mentioned on this list.�

Matthew Sweet.� I love when he's comfortably singing in his upper range.��He can soar.� Andy Stochansky for that too, even though he reminds a lot of people of a mellow Bono... Neil Finn again...

Cat Stevens. Very distinct and cool.

Chris Cornell.� Very powerful, can punch but bring out a melody too.

And of course, a shout out to Radiohead's Thom Yorke and the Buckleys.��A lot of people are trying�to sound like them now, just like everyone was trying to sound like Eddie Vedder for years....

And of course, a shout out to Radiohead's Thom Yorke and the Buckleys.��A lot of people are trying�to sound like them now, just like everyone was trying to sound like Eddie Vedder for years....

You mean like Coldplay?

Yea, because coldplay's "rush of blood to the head" is *so much like* radiohead's "hail to the thief" that I'm sure nobody but a trained concert musician would be able to tell the two bands apart. I might concede that their older stuff (both bands) might sound vaguely similar, but they're definitely going in different directions.

BTW: hail to the thief and rush of blood to the head are amongst a very select number of albums i've felt like actually purchased with cold hard cash over the past year.

No mention of Buddy Holly? well, now there is.

I know this won't be a popular post, but I have to add Maynard James Keenan from Tool. That man has incredible control of his vocals.

well, since this is oh so very arbitrary... (what exactly is greatest? most albums, best range, most popular during their "time", most songs of impact? and to whom? the most deep, the most moving? etc etc etc).

that having been said here are some guys i particularly like.

martin sexton
harry conic jr
wayne coyne (lead singer of the flaming lips because he strangest voice of any lead singer)
thom yorke
billy joel
bono
louis armstrong

oh i am sure there are a few i've missed...

I was thinking it terms of highest quality, not popularity or influence. They often do go together of course. Now what defines quality is another matter. There are some singers that have incredible voices but can't emote well. I'll take someone like Dylan who doesn't have a great voice of someone like that any day. I still wouldn't say he was the greatest singer. To be the greatest you need the total package. I was thinking of saying greatest vocalist which would perhaps lay more stress on the voice as an instrument.

Again, quality is so subjective. I would say to be frank that Paul McCartney isn't all that great. But that's just me and I have never really particularly cared for the beatles (or McCartney's solo "career"). Can't emote well? I'm not really sure if acting emotional about a song you've sung a billion times is really a pre-requisite for being a great singer (then again, I'd prefer it if it wasn't sung without emotion either). But greatest vocalist, opens up pandora's box as far as musicians go, I mean we haven't even touched opera singers...

i think being able to bring the same emotion to a song after singing it a billion times is definitely a hallmark of a good performer. and i think performing well is definitely important in being a great singer.

Ah. There we go. Most of the male singers I like I don't like because of the beauty of their voices alone, but the way they use them.

Marty Sexton. DEFINITELY. Thanks, Bill. I would never have though of that on my own.

1. John Linnell just cause hes dreamy and I feel sorry for him in a weird way
2. Mr.E Cause he's so got that raspy thang
3. Tom Waits cause its so unlikely that anything that rough could be so beautiful
4. Elvis Costello cause he doesn't need a mic and hes so damn good and dreamy maybe he should have been number one
5. Bon Scott cause he was �a crazy mother fucker
6. John Flansburgh just cause hes cute and I feel sorry for him he has presence

Im leaving it at 6 cause its weird to go to 6.

Im sure everyone will disagree with my list but thats ok.

Who has a raspy voice that you like? I love Tom Waits and the late great Dave Van Ronk.

Mr.E from The Eels has a raspy voice and he's cute and smart���

Waits, obviously.... ditto for Elvis (the real one... not the american hack).

Other than that....
Kurt Cobain
Layne Staley
Eddie Vedder
Russell Wolff
Peter Mulvey
Adam Greenberg
Jim Morrison
Silas Tanner
And... others?

My very favorite male�singer in the whole universe is Andy Partridge.

I also think quite well of Elvis and Dean Martin (probably my mom's influence for both). I'm trying hard to name people I think are great instead of just naming my favorites. I mean, I like TMBG more than I like XTC, but still, I'd say that Andy is more of a great singer than the Johns are. Blah, don't mind me. {g}

MmmmmAndyPartridge. In a pear tree.

I. Love. XTC.

Yes how could I forget the Andy

lol the Johns aren't great singers but they have something of their own

I'll agree with Andy Partridge, as one of the greats among both singers and songwriters.� As far as TMBG goes, I think Flansburgh is probably the better singer (although Linnell is the better instrumentalist, and probably wrote a greater percentage of my favorites), but I don't think either one would be in my list of all-time greats.� I think Scott McCaughey has a really good voice, and I'll also suggest Frank Black, who, although not really traditionally good,�can do pretty cool things with his voice.

1.� MICHAEL CRAWFORD

2.� Bing Crosby

3. Josh Groban

4.� Billy Joel

5.� Adam Pascal

6.� Dave Matheson

word on bing crosby...and dave may be up there someday, too, tho not yet in my opinion.
as for michael crawford, he kicked all kinds of ass in phantom, so i know what an amazing voice he has...but when he released an album a few years ago, it seemed like all of the music on it was treacly little weenie-boy God songs...I'd like to hear him do some more challenging stuff that really shows off his vocal and emotional ranges.

One person I would love to see play the Phantom is Sebastian Bach from Skid Row. I've heard him do stuff from Jeckyl and Hyde and he was amazing.

for some reason I read that as Bill Cosby and was all uhhh what the hell!

S T�I N G

Not exactly in any particular order-- I'm not that decisive.

Jeff Buckley (both angelic and snarly, and his dad was lovely, too)
Elvis Costello (whose phrasing is genius)
Dave Matheson
Martin Sexton (Hallelujah!)
Rufus Wainwright
Dave Gahan from Depeche Mode (I think I'm on my own for this one)

ooh, yum to Sting up above there... and I can kinda see Gahan... I mean, he's more a really wonderful *performer* and "emoter" than vocalist live to me, live he comes off with a bit of a honk sound ;)� but he's relaxed enough in the studio to sound great on record.��

1. Bobby McFerrin
2. Mel Torme
3. Andrea Boccelli
4. Daryl Hall
5. Smokey Robinson
6. Al Stewart
7. Stevie Wonder
8. James Ingram
9. Aaron Neville
10. Stan Rogers

Of the ones who have been mentioned, nods to: Sinatra, James Taylor, Harry Connick Jr., Garfunkel, Cat Stevens, Billy Joel,

..that I didn't actually answer this yet.

Van Morrison and James Taylor, with honorable mention to Lowell George and Bill Payne.

and ALL of the guys from Take 6.

gordon noted that there were, like, no african-americans listed in this topic. and i realized we were missing somebody really obvious. so there you go.

The fact that I forgot him is unforgivable. I mean he owned my song, Ol' Man River till I made it my own. I think they call that theft.

It's called the folk process. :)

For Pete or Arlo yeah, my singing makes it pure evil.

*points to above comment about Take 6* There's six African Americans right there. ;)

I was going to mention them, but I don't know any of their names. And if we are going to get into people known mostly for group work, well lets see, Allan Paul from Manhattan Transfer, Don Sheldon from Singers Unlimited, Jon Hendricks from Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Which reminds me I forgot to put Anni Ross on the female singers page.

John Hendricks... *drool*

- Barry White
- Bryan Ferry
- Marvin Gaye
- Jussi Bjorling (tenor)
- Tory Cassis

Speaking of Barry White there was an experiment performed to see if his music would induce sharks to breed. No this is not an urban legend, here is a link to an article on it. CNN: Barry White in shark mating role. That was issued when the experiment was announced. I can't find the results of the study but I am pretty sure I read that the experiment worked.

I really am a trashcan of facts.