Greatest Rock Singer...

[buckeyemania11]

 

[stxbuck]

David Bowie, Elvis and Freddie Mercury pretty much blow away all the competition in this category,IMO, if you look at pure vocal performance...

Other favorite frontmen-Ian Astbury,Glen Danzig,Bon Scott,
Ben Harper,the singers from Manic Steet Preachers and The Verve

Soul/R&B-Al Green,Wilson Pickett,Otis Redding,Marvin Gaye

as for the ladies-Nina Simone....no one else is close.......

 

[generaladm]

as for the ladies-Aretha Franklin....no one else is close.......

FIFY

With you on Otis and Marvin, though. David Ruffin is up there, too.

 

[Folanator]

FIFY

With you on Otis and Marvin, though. David Ruffin is up there, too.

Sam Cooke, Al Greene, Wilson Picket...

Good call on the King, missed that one.

Ronny James Dio is on almost all the lists I have seen.

I know you might laugh, but Cat Stevens was one of the best singer song writers of the 70's. Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat were fantastic albums. Harold and Maude's soundtrack is still one of the best ever.

Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce.

 

[Buckeneye]

Lead singer Tommy Rogers from Between the Buried and Me.

For being metal he's a very talented singer - Prequel to the Sequel is probably one of my favorite songs (even though the first what? minute & half is pure instrumentals)

I'm gonna stretch this one too. Brandon Boyd from Incubus. I've seen them twice live. One was an acoustic session - it was incredible. Great vocal range and power. Hit all his notes both low and high, easily the best live performance I've seen from any band myself.

 

[generaladm]

I know you might laugh, but Cat Stevens was one of the best singer song writers of the 70's. Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat were fantastic albums. Harold and Maude's soundtrack is still one of the best ever.

Good call. A lot of times in these discussions, the ones with the more pure voices get overshadowed by the more histrionic ones. With that in mind, Paul Simon is a lot like Cat, not flashy, but very genuine. James Taylor can be put in that category too.

 

[txbuckeye1983]

Classic Rock - Robert Plant, Freddie Mercury

Newer Rock - Thom Yorke, Jim James

 

[Fungo Squiggly]

No, Animal! BEAT drums! Not EAT drums! BEAT DRUMS!

Soul/R&B-Al Green,Wilson Pickett,Otis Redding,Marvin Gaye

I prefer Lou Rawls to those four, but that's just me...
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6eqI6x1hts&feature=related]YouTube - Lou Rawls - You´ll never find Another love like mine[/ame]

I know you might laugh, but Cat Stevens was one of the best singer song writers of the 70's. Tea for the Tillerman and Teaser and the Firecat were fantastic albums. Harold and Maude's soundtrack is still one of the best ever.

Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce.

Those are 3 would all make my top 5 favorite singers, but I'm not sure I'd put any of the 3 into a "greatest singer" category.

 

[stowfan]

Couple ladies for consideration

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJeB0iEXMBI&feature=PlayList&p=3E9053CFAEBC8EA6&playnext=1&index=22]YouTube - I hate my self for loving you - Joan Jett[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0brHGJ6xqbk]YouTube - Patti Smith's "Because the Night"[/ame]

 

[TexasBuck]

Few other names that deserve mention that I didn't see named are:

On the lighter side: Sting and Bono

Little heavier: Perry Farrell

Heaviest: Corey Taylor (I'm not a big fan of Slipknot or Stone Sour but this guy can bring it)

 

[Folanator]

Elvis Costello host a show on the Sundance channel that is quite good. Last night was Elton John. I am not sure how the heck I missed him on our list. He put out some amazing albums early on and was a fantastic vocalist.

I would put up Elton John with anyone mentioned so far.

 

[Dryden]

Elton John is a great singer, although he doesn't leap to mind when the thread is titled 'Greatest Rock Singer.' I tend to think of Elton John as more of a Pop/Top 40 singer, not a Rock singer.

If you're going to open up the discussion to Light/Pop Rock, then I'll submit Jeff Buckley as the winner and a thread ender.

Nobody named in this thread holds a candle to Buckley.

That last minute of Grace is amazing vocal work. Unfortunately, the only video I can find is the radio edit which cuts out some the song to fit it under five minutes, though it does leave the 13 second goosebump raising scream at the end of the song (at around the 4:30 mark).

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siNsgbIWhAQ]YouTube - Jeff Buckley - Grace[/ame]

And of course, Buckley's version of Hallelujah is probably his best known recording (given his relatively unknown, one record recording career before his death).

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AratTMGrHaQ]YouTube - Jeff Buckley - Hallelujah[/ame]

 

[Folanator]

Elton John is a great singer, although he doesn't leap to mind when the thread is titled 'Greatest Rock Singer.' I tend to think of Elton John as more of a Pop/Top 40 singer, not a Rock singer.

Valid points. But EJ's earlier albums were not Pop. Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Honky Chateau were not Pop at all. Heck Freddy Mercury sure put out some buble gum music.

He did start getting pop with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. I'll give you that.

EJ was on a different level than the "light/top 40" rockers like Jackson Brown or Billy Joel.

 

[Buckeneye]

Heaviest: Corey Taylor (I'm not a big fan of Slipknot or Stone Sour but this guy can bring it)

WTF?

Not anymore he can't, he gasps for air when preforming live.... trust me on this. Nothing like 5 years ago.

 

[billmac91]

I'm not the hugest Queen fan, but again, Freddy Mercury is easily at the top of the list. His osng writing and voice are top level no matter what he decided to sing. Guy could have crossed over in any genre and probably been a hit.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JszN7h84TXs]YouTube - Queen- Bohemian Rhapsody(Live)[/ame]