Freddie Mercury
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Freddie Mercury. He did rock/pop to perfection. No one did it 'bigger'. He could have sung opera. Anything really. Personally think he is head and shoulders above all the rest Paul Rodgers is up there in my opinion because he can still do it. Robert Plant was up there in my opinion but he has lost almost all of his former range. The real conversation ender is probably Pavoratti but I don't know enough about opera to say. Maybe Caruso but there are no recordings that can actually demonstrate his talent as they are all crude and tinny. |
+1 NAT KING COLE! He was also a great jazz pianist! https://www.npr.org/2008/02/06/18715138/nat-king-cole-the-pianist |
While I wouldn’t consider him to be "best ever," IMO Jay Black (often referred to as "The Voice") definitely deserves mention in this conversation. And that would apply even when he was 72+ years old: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffGjbaAFVpw Also, the late British singer Matt Monro (sometimes referred to as "the British Frank Sinatra") deserves mention IMO. In saying all of this, I am assuming the thread is not intended to encompass opera and classical singers. Regards, -- Al |
In his prime, Ray Charles was amazing. Nat King Cole, who early in his career was known more for his piano chops, is and always will be an iconic vocalist. Bobby Darin was a hell of a singer, with a swagger that has rarely been matched since his all too short career ended at the age of 37. Last, but not least is the Master, the Voice, the Chairman of the Board, Old Blue Eyes himself - Francis Albert Sinatra. He did it his way, and nobody has ever done it better. Sinatra didn't just sing a song... he interpreted it with impeccable phrasing, he made you feel as if he had experienced whatever the lyrics conveyed (because he had!), and his natural ability as a fine actor gave him a stage presence and lent an ambience that his contemporaries could never equal. He made you feel like he was singing to you, and that whatever happiness or sorrow you may have encountered in life, he had been through it too, all too many times. Who else could sing of lamentations, heartbreak and being down and out in a way that was, and still is so totally relatable. One listen to the classic Sinatra album - Sinatra sings for "Only The Lonely"- is all that's needed to convince most anybody that Sinatra was in a class by himself. |
Howlin' Wolf is the Greatest Male Vocalist of All Time. Honorable Mentions: Scott Morgan. Gerry Roslie. Mitch Ryder. Joey Ramone. Iggy Pop. Otis Redding. Al Green. John Kay. Steve Marriott. Paul Rodgers. Gene Clark. Jay Farrar. John Fogarty. Little Richard. Barrence Whitfield. Burton Cummings. Mark Lanegan. Rob Tyner. Scott Walker. Charles Thompson 1V (Black Francis/Frank Black). Roy Orbison. Roger Daltrey. Jack Bruce. Johnny Cash. Glen Campbell. Alex Chilton. Chris Farlowe. Jimmy Reed. Arthur Lee. Roky Erickson. Eddie Cochran. Richard Thompson. Johnny Burnette. Big Joe Turner. Sam Cooke. Smokey Robinson. Ian Gillan. Ronnie James Dio. Wilson Pickett. Carl Wilson. Muddy Waters. Greg Allman. Stevie Winwood. Levon Helm. Richard Manuel. Layne Staley. Chris Cornell. Bobby "Blue" Bland. James Brown. Sam Moore. Clyde McPhatter. |
