Best Male Singers of the 20th Century

Here's a short list: Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Johnny Hartman, (Not Johnny Hammond, John Hammond is a blues singer and son of CBS executive of the same name), Dion, Bobby Darin, Donny Hathaway, Elvis, James Taylor, Muddy Waters, Van Morrison, Bob Marley, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Tony Bennett, Michael Stipe, Eddie Vetter, The Byrds--just to name a few.

Gino Vanelli? Elton John? Bobby Darin? Michael Stipe? By what standards are any of these guys worthy of the honor of "Greatest Singers of the 20th Century?" Let's try to be a little more objective! Unless you want the category to be "Popular Singers of the 20th Century" or "Not Very Good Singers of the 20th Century Whom I Like Anyway."

Now, now, Michael, I deliberately did not place any categories on singers. What floats one person's boat may sink another's. I think you could make a fair disinction between great VOICES and great SINGERS. The best SINGERS are those who have the ability touch the listener emotionally, intellectually, or both. Therefore, I think it is fair to include people like Sinatra, Elton John, Steveland Morris (aka Stevie Wonder), etc. My favorite male jazz singer, Mark Murphy, is certainly no Pavarotti, but he gets inside a song and does absolutely wonderful things with the phrasing, using his voice like an instrument (something Louis Armstrong did - listen to the similarity between his vocal phrasing and the way he played his trumpet). For the rest of this thread, I'd like to see some names of lesser-known singers who deserve to be in the "great" category.

...John Fogarty during his CCR days-- love that "swamp rock", J.J. Cale (Louisiana Blues), and Buddy Guy (Chicago Blues). Country/Western isn't really my thing, but I do really like some voices-- Johnny Cash, George Jones, and Conway Twitty. It took a lot of guts to mention these last three because for some reason AudiogoN members NEVER mention C/W music. Craig.

Hey Michael, have you ever listened to any of Gino Vannelli's albums such as Storm At Sunup, Pauper In Paradise, Gist Of the Gemini, Brother to Brother, Yonder Tree,etc.. You may give him a little more credit than you did here. By no means was Gino Vannelli in the popular music vain and nor did he write and produce his music for that purpose and quite to the contrary. He was once quoted in an interview that his music was for "People who dared to dig it". If you haven't listened to any of the above albums, please do if the oppotunity arrises and if you still don't give him a little more credit, than all I can say is music is very personal and to each his respectfully own. I believe the question was "the best male singers". Mr. Campbell didn't put a limit of how many, for there are so many great singers in which I could certainly name many more, including some that have already been mentioned here. Who are your favorites, maybe I'll give a listen if I'm not totally familiar with them? Joe Lienhard