the bassist and guitar threads are successful and I don't see anyone making a vocalist thread so screw it, I'm throwing it out there right now. My favorite vocalist ever always has been and always will be robert plant but here are my other 5 currently in no order. shannon hoon cedric bixler-zavala anthony green chris cornell Tiny Tim I obviously have a ton of others like john gourley, ozzy, lennon, donovan melero, morrisey, ian curtis, iggy pop, lou reed etc. Anthony Green
Going with some off the beaten path, since I'm sure others will mention the same ones I would... For current vocalists, Hamiton Leithuaser (formerly of the Walkmen) has a pretty badass croon. Spoiler Grant Lee Phillips (Grant Lee Buffalo) Spoiler Mike Patton (Faith no More) Guy Garvey (Elbow) Spoiler Eh, what the heck...my top 5 Bono Layne Staley Chris Cornell Kurt Cobain Thom Yorke
I'm not a massive U2 fan - but Bono has a pretty incredible voice. Brandon Flowers also has a pretty good voice (The Killers) Jon Stevens as an oblique selection Eddie Vedder for the roughness, but ability to hold it all together Scott Weiland - what a voice Bernard Fanning as a smokey
Tough. Off the top of my head. Mercury (Queen) Bellamy(Muse) Gillan (Deep Purple) Popper (Blues Traveler) Williams (Paramore)
my faves have been mentioned, but I still have some love for (in their prime) Axl Rose, Steven Tyler, Ric Emmitt, James Brown and Geoff Tate.
David Yow - Jesus Lizard and Scratch Acid Freddie Mercury Randy Biscuit Turner - The Big Boys David Byrne Gibby Haynes - Butthole Surfers Tim Harrington - Les Savy Fav Iggy
My favorites, in no particular order: Ed Roland, Collective Soul......kind of the standard 90s alt-rock singer but I always appreciated his songwriting and lines, how his voice fit over so many styles. Really good singer. Claudio Sanchez, Coheed & Cambria....the way he's able to sing, I get it's abrasive to some ears but how he can play and sing is an amazing talent. Freddie Mercury, Queen.....because duh. Myles Kennedy, Alterbridge.....this dude absolutely rips. His throat must have like biceps instead of regular throat muscles. My Friend Jeremy Schwanke. Dude can just freaking sing, it's unreal. You wouldn't expect it if you just met him but he's so gifted.
Trying to list some that haven't been named already... Sting - the young and angry Police/punk version, not the current adult contemporary version Steve Perry - yeah, I like Journey...so what? Perry has the voice of an angel Roger Waters - I LOVE his frantic screaming vocals during the PF years Matt Bellamy - his use of falsetto is pretty much unmatched in current music (I do loves me some falsetto when used correctly) Billy Corgan - kind of a wild card here, but love his vocals on all early SP material
The top 5: Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) David Lee Roth (Van Halen) Brad Delp (Boston) Freddy Mercury (Queen) Sting (Police) Other great legends: Brian Johnson (AC/DC) Bon Scott (AC/DC) Steve Perry (Journey) Arnel Pineda (Journey) Geddy Lee (Rush) Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) Robert Palmer (Solo) notes: This list is intended to represent the singers in their prime. As age has hit them, some have diminished abilities. My two personal favorite vocalists are Geddy Lee and Roger Waters; however, I can understand how some find Lee's voice unappealing and Waters' occasional inability to hit the correct note is mad up for with his gritty and defiant sound IMHO.
I thought about him, b/c uber talented, but I'm including part of my grades on performance and showmanship. (One reason I seriously think Ozzy and RJ Dio deserve mention). Astbury takes too many shows off; I saw at least two in Houston where he was totally disinterested and even snotty. But love his studio voice.
