Best Male Singers of the 20th Century

No Bmpnyc it isn't Al Jolson, good guess though

Paul I believe you just made the point. 100 years will bring a lot of changes in styles, tastes and music. I think only the good music will last. The artists will be viewed by most for the period they came from. I really can't think of one that will have broad lasting appeal. The critics will have their favorites but the masses will have long forgotten or when they see a clip will view it as nostalgia. Elvis may be canonized a Saint by popular demand, not for his art but the "miracles" he performed in his life. BTW I still listen to McCormick only because my father used to sing some of those songs to us as kids. He listened to his records when HE was a kid and was greatly influenced by him.

Well I guess most of the well known artists from Caruso to the latest contemporary artists were pretty much covered. But here is a question for one and all. WHO WAS RCA'S FIRST MAJOR POPULAR RECORDING ARTIST? Clue... he was a contemporary of Caruso and in his time was quite well known he was a trained in Bel Canto but no one above mentions him. WHO IS HE?

If no one knows the who this singer is, so noted in his time for the purity of his voice and perfect pitch, my bet is that most of the singers listed above, with the possible exceptions of Sinatra, Caruso and Elvis (as a pop icon, certainly not a singer) will be as obscure at the turn of the 22nd Century as he appears to be now. If it weren't for Mendelsohn, Bach would probably be as obscure a composer as 99% of his contemporaries. I guess everything is relative to the time we live in.

You got it Paul, the Great Irish Tenor, I'm impressed. Now I wonder, how many have even heard of him? His first recordings were made when Louie Armstrong was a little boy.

The interest is only to those interested. I guess if the material 100 years is as dated as McCormick's recordings are today the interest may be left to a small minority of those that "discover" it in the archives. Greatness and general acceptance by the masses only comes through broad appeal. I'm not so certain Sinatra will stand the test of time. We won't be around then to know for sure. My bet his his appeal will be more as a personality than as a great artist.

Waltersalas

"His pain is sometimes palpable to the point of being unbearable--in this particular area, he has only one peer, and that is Billie Holiday"

When you speak about pain, unbearable, heartbreaking, gut wrenching you are forgetting Janis Joplin