OT: Best Vocalist You've Seen Live

[ClifSpliffy]

Best female singers I've seen live: Gladys Knight, Linda Ronstadt, Shakira, Dolly Parton, Sheena Easton, and Teena Marie.

Best male: Steve Winwood, Don Henley, Vince Gill, Sly Stone

Prince was probably the best vocalist, guitar, keyboard, and bass player I ever saw.

I was all on this 100% like until the Prince part. then, I was gone. not a prince fan other than a couple of tunes. sheena e has a great voice.

 

[Woof 101]

Tina Turner...Hands down that I have seen live.
Not sure how so many here have Clapton in a best vocalist thread. While I am a big fan and have seen him live a few times he is in no way a great vocalist.
Three greats where his backup singers at a show years ago. He as a gentleman let each one take center stage for a song of their own as he stood back with the band. A welcome and great gesture on his part and the crowed gave their approval. All three very good singers getting a chance to front a great guitar player with a great band and an audience they otherwise would not have.

 

[A10 fan]

My conclusion was there were like 80 to 100 white artists named and around 10 black artists named, which I found strange. Other posters pointed out it's probably because the majority of boneyarders are older white guys and they haven't been exposed to many black artists. I'm guessing that explains most of the discrepancy because as we know most people when they think of great voices they don't usually think of mostly white guys as our greatest singers.

Before reading the thread I assumed I would be seeing names like Curtis Mayfield, Al Green, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Gladys Knight, David Ruffin, Aretha, BB King, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Bobby Womack, Anita Baker, Philip Bailey, Luther Vandross, Levi Stubbs, Dennis Edwards, Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, Chaka Khan, Ray Charles, Smokey, Bill Withers, Nina Simone, Michael Jackson, James Ingram, Edwin Starr, Lionel Richie, Patti Labelle, Diana Ross etc. Guys like Otis and Sam Cooke died so long ago so I could see many not being around to see them.

I would assume lack of exposure to many black artists is probably the main reason the overwhelming majority of artists named are white.

Pretty obvious that most here are rock fans, with most liking bands over individual artists. There are some artists that have a foot in more than one genre. Are Hall and Oates more of a rock act than Funkadelic? Probably not, but since George Clinton was able to get away with signing the same band to two different labels under different names, with one playing mostly rock (Funkadelic), and the other funk based R&B (Parliament), it's easy to understand how many rock fans missed out on one of the best rock bands of the 70s.

 

[superjohn]

Pretty obvious that most here are rock fans, with most liking bands over individual artists. There are some artists that have a foot in more than one genre. Are Hall and Oates more of a rock act than Funkadelic? Probably not, but since George Clinton was able to get away with signing the same band to two different labels under different names, with one playing mostly rock (Funkadelic), and the other funk based R&B (Parliament), it's easy to understand how many rock fans missed out on one of the best rock bands of the 70s.

Daryl Hall is blue eyed soul. Influenced by the black Philly soul acts, same with Rundgren. They're both awesome.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Named a few in the post above but so many more.

The overwhelming majority of the artists listed were white, most people listing like 4 or 5 artists who are all white. Three people have responded to my post saying the majority of the boneyard is older white guys who probably haven't been exposed to black artists.

I get it, Van Morrison is the best singer you've ever seen live. There are like 100 posts in this thread, the thread isn't all about you.

I don’t know how you keep confusing “haven’t been exposed to” with”don’t prefer that style of music”. I don’t care what color anyone is. I had no idea Thin Lizzy was (a) an Irish band or (b) had a black singer. Didn’t matter. Shouldn’t matter. There is no vocal advantage or disadvantage too skin color. I loved the early 50s rock guys like Fat Domino and Chuck Berry, as well as a lot of old 60s Motown. But that was before my time from a concert perspective.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I was all on this 100% like until the Prince part. then, I was gone. not a prince fan other than a couple of tunes. sheena e has a great voice.

Prince was a much better guitar player than singer.

 

[8893]

Prince was a much better guitar player than singer.

I think he was one of the best "five tool players" ever; great guitar player, singer, writer, producer and dancer.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I think he was one of the best "five tool players" ever; great guitar player, singer, writer, producer and dancer.

I’ll buy that. Great talent for sure.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Pretty obvious that most here are rock fans, with most liking bands over individual artists. There are some artists that have a foot in more than one genre. Are Hall and Oates more of a rock act than Funkadelic? Probably not, but since George Clinton was able to get away with signing the same band to two different labels under different names, with one playing mostly rock (Funkadelic), and the other funk based R&B (Parliament), it's easy to understand how many rock fans missed out on one of the best rock bands of the 70s.

I don’t know that anybody who went to UConn missed out on Atomic Dog at the very least. I must have heard it 500 times while I was in Storrs. Never thought of Clinton as a great singer.

 

[A10 fan]

I don’t know that anybody who went to UConn missed out on Atomic Dog at the very least. I must have heard it 500 times while I was in Storrs. Never thought of Clinton as a great singer.

Kind of proves my point though. Atomic Dog is stylistically a million miles away from acid drenched numbers like Super Stupid, or Free Your Mind, And Your Ass Will Follow. Hard to believe that the same person was behind those tunes. Clinton isn't a great singer, and although he had some pretty good singers in his bands over the years, he didn't concentrate on vocals the way contemporaries Earth Wind and Fire did. Getting back to the original question, I'm much more of a bands guy myself. Can't remember going to see many individual artists. My list would be; Philip Bailey of Earth Wind and Fire, Ronald Isley, and Barry Manilow. Mom loved Manilow, so I took her to see him a couple of years before she passed. Very well done, professional show that we both enjoyed. Barry was in good voice, despite being in his 60s.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

hey, good points with earth, wind, and fire, and manilow. I am surprised that I haven't seen george harrison's name here. luv that guys voice (unremarkable, but unique) and his tunes.
he could read micky d's menu aloud, and the whole world would know that it's him.

what is it we think we know......….about anything? dancing past the graveyard, sounds about right.