Top 5 Rock n Roll Vocalists


My 6 year old daughter posed this question. I thought it was great. She also said that she knew her favorites were not the best. Here are my choices, which are not necessarily my favorites:

No particular order:

Robert Plant
Freddie Mercury
Axl Rose
Janis Joplin
Paul Rodgers
jtinn
All good. I'll play.

David Bowie
Brian Ferry
Nick Cave
Mick Jagger
Bruce Springsteen

Regards,
Hey Jonathan,

You might be interested in this thread that got started about 5 years ago.

Best Rock Voices

My five would be:

Paul McCartney
Jim Morrison
Robert Plant
Janis Joplin
Grace Slick

PS Hope all is going well for you and your business, (and your family!).
How are your line of speakers selling for you?
Well, I hope!
Post removed 
Well since we are mixing gender and looking for best musical talent I will pick living not dead:

Justin Hayward
Linda Ronstadt
Brian Ferry
Annie Haslam
Jon Anderson

Favorites is another story

Ooo Ooo one more Bob Dylan!
russell thompkins jr., general johnson, colin blunstone, scott morgan, elvis (not costello)
Robert Plant
Jim Morrison
Paul McCartney
Eddie Vedder
John Lennon (sentimental favorite)

The list makes me feel old.
In no particular order................

Paul McCartney
Roy Orbison
Ann Wilson
Robert Plant
Freddy Mercury
1. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple)
2. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
3. Lou Gramm (Foreigner)
4. Steve Walsh (Kansas)
5. Robert Palmer
I also like Theo's choice of Annie Haslam... she's awesome. David Byron was incredible when he could be serious. John Wetton is still great today, as is Paul McCartney. #5 is a toss up to me between, Ann Wilson and Robert Plant.
1.Steven Tyler
2.Springsteen
3.Freddy Mercury
4.Robert Plant
5.Jim Morrison
Honorable mention,John Mellencamp
Adam Lambert. He can mimic most of the singers mentioned and maybe sound better. If he developes his own style he may really be something. Yes, I do blow valuable listening time in front of the TV watching American Idol.

For vocalists that will always sound great, I'd go with these:

Bon Scott (it's insane that no one mentions him!)

Freddie Mercury

Robert Plant

Phil Lynott

I'd take Freddie over any other singer...

in order...
Roy Orbison & Elvis Presley have the greatest range
Robert Plant ... comes close
Janis Joplin for sheer emotive content.
Freddy Mercury... tone and excitement
Jim Morrison... darkly expressive and involving
... and several of the Eagles, of course.
blindjim's outstanding picks reminded me of two of my favorites who also had the 'imediately identifiable' thing in spades..rick nelson and gene pitney.
Freddie Mercury
Roy Orbison
Jon Anderson
Linda Ronstadt
Paul McCartney

Honorable mention-
Robert Plant for the first 4 Zep albums (his voice severely deteriorated after 1971)
Ian Gillan
So many great singers listed so far but I'm surprised that one hasn't been mentioned yet: Brad Delp (Boston). What a voice! Too bad he's no longer with us.
I agree with the Brad Delp, but I would also add Meatloaf. His range and ability to sing songs others are not is amazing.

And the Adam Lambert addition, come on........In the top Five vocalists..........If only I could scream maybe I could get a recording contract.
Jaybo picked a favorite "sleeper"of mine - "General" Johnson. Great vocals w/ Chairmen of The Board ("Give Me Just a Little More Time")and The Showmen who Allen Toussaint shepherded from doo-wop toward something like rock n roll. The General also gets bonus points for penning "Patches", a frequent resident on "Worst Song Ever" lists but a favorite of mine. Of course, if you pick Johnson, you should consider many of the great doo-wop singers who deserve mention, but there are too many to list.

Marty
Please don't forget about Jeff Lynne from ELO. What a sweet voice. I was really blown away by his vocals on the DVD Concert for George (Harrison).
Roger Daltry

Robert Plant

Steve Tyler

Freddie Mercury

Ann Wilson

Next 5

Pat Benatar (probably the best "voice")

Paul Rogers

Burton Cummings

Mick Jagger

Grace Slick
The ability for a singer to produce a large variety of engaging musical sounds is really what I like hearing. I'd put the front vocalist for Yes, Beatles' Lennon & McCartney, both together and independently, Creedences' Fogerty strength and simplicity, Dylan's very involving and unique variety of vocal sounds, and Zep's Plant, minus the "sick bird syndrome" noise effects - screeching noises like a bird being strangled slowly to death. I felt it was over-used on too many live tracks, and to me, blurred or diluted Zep's great musical definition between their songs way too much.

Plant's new tracks with Cross sound very cool - much more relaxed and very musical.

There's so many - early Elton...huge musical variety and fabulous voicing. I saw him this year with Billy Joel and Elton was exceptionally good, even singing Joels' (they traded off back and forth) numbers solo.
more...colin blunstone(who's your daddy?)...steve winwood (peaked in his teens)...billy stewart(if general johnson was jesus, billy was john the baptist)....russell tompkins jr (makes smokey robinson sound like a baritone)...sandi shaw/lulu(underrated always)....lou rawls(too much!)....teddy pendergrass('even the president said he's givin' it up)....paul jones(doo wah diddy-amazing career)....that guy in the statler bros who sings bass(like to see a showdown between him and the guy from the oakridge boys).....david ruffin(tragic soul but maybe the greatest of all/walk away from love)....ronnie dyson( a singer's singer)....annie golden and cathie chamberlain(new york's finest)....just calling out those who should not be missed if you love music.
Jaybo,

How about Fred Johnnson (bass) and Cornelius Harp (lead) of The Marcels? Spin "Blue Moon" sometime. If it's been a while, you'll be surprised.

Marty
yep...the marcels wrote the book..and johnson was one of the great bass-men.
1. Brian Williams
2. Robert Plant
3. OZZY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4. Freddie Mercury
5. Roger daltry

Were talking rock and roll here right??
1. Robert Plant
2. Brian Johnson
3. Geddy Lee
4. Eddie Vedder tie with Roger Daltry
5. Freddie Mercury
My favorites

1. John Lennon
2. Paul Carrack
3. Peter Gabriel
4. Elton John
5. Jim Morrison
6. Robert Plant
7. Jon Anderson
8. Freddy Mercury
9. John Fogerty
10. Roger Daltry
11. Elvis
12. Paul McCartney
13. Roy Orbison
14. Bob Dylan
15. GAry Brooker
16. Paul Rodgers
Jimi Hendrix. I have always thought he had a cool voice and am always surpriesed that it is just guitar-guitar-guitar, when he was a really good singer too.

The chick from Heart - is that Nancy Wilson ?
The dude from Supertramp?
Marie Osmand
Pat Benitar
Robert Plant
David Lee Roth
Neil Young.
Grace Slick

There is allot more to being a "front man" that just voice alone, of course. :)