OT: Rock and Roll lead singers

[8893]

Not saying his schtick had mass appeal or would've worked with any other band, but there's this entertaining insane homeless bum-looking guy who sold a lot of records (accompanied by perhaps the least appreciated lead guitarist of the era).

Saw Tull in the Netherlands during semester abroad. Great show in Den Haag. It was a thrill buying scalped tickets to a sold out show, in a foreign language.

I'll never forget waiting for the concert to start when the side doors burst open, and there was Anderson with his signature pose, announcing "Let me bring you songs from the wood!" He paraded into the concert hall followed by the band, in what seemed like some bizarro medieval procession. He was an animal.

 

[Dogbreath2U]

Saw Tull in the Netherlands during semester abroad. Great show in Den Haag. It was a thrill buying scalped tickets to a sold out show, in a foreign language.

I'll never forget waiting for the concert to start when the side doors burst open, and there was Anderson with his signature pose, announcing "Let me bring you songs from the wood!" He paraded into the concert hall followed by the band, in what seemed like some bizarro medieval procession. He was an animal.

Yes, he was an animal...in a medieval minstrel sort of way. He was running, jumping, singing, fluting? Unique.

 

[8893]

Yes, he was an animal...in a medieval minstrel sort of way. He was running, jumping, singing, fluting? Unique.

Definitely unique.

 

[Milo65]

Plant
Daltrey
Mercury
Paul Rogers
Van Morrison

At the 7:20 mark, just epic!

 

[CTBballfan243]

1. Bono
2. Freddie Mercury
3. Steve Perry
4. Roy Orbison

 

[CL82]

1. Jim Morrison. His vocals aren't perfect but they are riveting and stage presence is undeniable.

2. Mick Jagger. First did he make a deal with the devil or something? How can he still sing? Puts on an unbelievable show. Saw them in Philly and Hartford probably '82

3. Steven Tyler. Dream on, nuff said.

4. David Lee Roth. Again not perfect but a great front man.

5. Roy Orbison. You've Got It reminded me that he can just flat out sing. Completely different from everyone else on this list, though.

 

[Yardigan]

Phil Anselmo
Chris Cornell
Seasick Steve

So...I saw...for the first time, last night on Late Night with Jools Holland...the one and only Seasick Steve.
Had never heard of him before that...but have spent a good amount of time listening to him on youtube today...
Gotta say...Jools does trot out some good uns now and then....

I needed to search the yard to see if he had any mention here, and found this post.
Amazing...the guy could make a guitar out of whatever you layin' around, I'm pretty sure....

 

[David 76]

I'll go with Van. Unique, soulful, versatile.
Love Joe Cocker for most of the same reason.
Can't stand what Rod Stewart did to his career, and I can't even think of him.
Springsteen may be a boring pick but he is the leader of the uber rock band and who is better live?

Love Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong but this is the wrong category for them. Janis Joplin with a sex change?

 

[sledog]

Craig Finn = sum ( van Morrison / Tom Waits / Iggy Pop)

 

[UConnfan4ever]

Saw Aerosmith at New Orleans Jazz Fest. Steven Tyler can still hit those high notes at 70. They did play Dream On. Amazing show.

 

[Northbound]

Steve Winwood is pretty damn good.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

There aren't a lot of musicians I can't stand but Rod Stewart is one of them. The guy totally sucks.

His first three solo albums range from near great to great throughout, but I can also otherwise recognize and at times sympathize with your sentiment.

 

[Yardigan]

1. Jim Morrison. His vocals aren't perfect but they are riveting and stage presence is undeniable.

2. Mick Jagger. First did he make a deal with the devil or something? How can he still sing? Puts on an unbelievable show. Saw them in Philly and Hartford probably '82

.... at The Rent in 05...was still awesome then...

 

[Ewekon]

His first three solo albums range from near great to great throughout, but I can also otherwise recognize and at times sympathize with your sentiment.

In 1971, the year that witnessed Sticky Fingers, Who's Next and Zep 4, Rod Stewart's Every Picture Tells a Story absolutely stands shoulder to shoulder with them.

Follow up - A nod is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Horse was a damn good 1971 Faces record too with Ron Wood and Kenny Jones in the band.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Craig Finn = sum ( van Morrison / Tom Waits / Iggy Pop)

Ten years ago was my summer of The Hold Steady, haven't heard more recent solo work.

 

[storrsroars]

Follow up - A Knock Nod is as Good as a Wink... to a Blind Horse was damn good too with Ron Wood and Kenny Jones in the band.

Don't forget the late Ronnie Lane and Ian McLagen. Basically Small Faces traded Steve Marriott for Rod Stewart and Ron Wood. "Stay With Me" is classic - basically what Rock n' Roll was all about summed up in a tidy four minutes.

 

[Ewekon]

It'd be a good night spent re-winding through the Small Faces, Humble Pie, Faces axis.

I drove my mom nuts while cranking Stay With Me on the Magnavox in '71.

 

[Huskies4ever]

I'll go with Van. Unique, soulful, versatile.
Love Joe Cocker for most of the same reason.
Can't stand what Rod Stewart did to his career, and I can't even think of him.
Springsteen may be a boring pick but he is the leader of the uber rock band and who is better live?

Love Ray Charles and Louis Armstrong but this is the wrong category for them. Janis Joplin with a sex change?

Louis Armstrong is one of the more iconic voices in music history.

 

[Madmannsucks]

Paul Rodgers.
Roger Daltrey.
John Lennon.
Ronald Isley.
Greg Allman.

 

[jayteeman]

For chops and range alone:

Ian Gilliam
Axl Rose & Steve Tyler
Elvis \ Freddy
Burton Cummings & Brad Delp
Randy Meisner & Orbison
Lennon \ Elton (early)

 

[AdamaNation]

In no order, as style,attitude ( the want to be the lead) and moxey , has as much to do with this as pure talent :
Jim Morisson
David Lee Roth
Axl
Kurt Cobain
The Boss
I wanted to say Prince as well. But his career was as much solo with the same band he started with.

 

[alexd]

99% of you will say , "who the hell are the Mavericks".....Raul Malo on vocals....also one of the great live bands out there today...

 

[Guapo]

There's only a handful of real options here, in no specific order:

Mick, Plant, Morrison, Bruce, Freddie.

If you want to add in more "recent" acts like a Cobain or Rivers Cumo I would listen to that argument, though I think those guys were trying to be the "anti-front man" as defined here.

A "newer" option I will throw out there is Brandon Flowers, he's very good in a classic front man sorta way.

As far as some of the other names being thrown out there like Rose, Tyler and Roth, for all their talent it has always been my opinion that they are simply doing cheap impersonations of the original names listed above, especially Plant and Mick.

 

[Guapo]

There's only a handful of real options here, in no specific order:

Mick, Plant, Morrison, Bruce, Freddie.

If you want to add in more "recent" acts like a Cobain or Rivers Cumo I would listen to that argument, though I think those guys were trying to be the "anti-front man" as defined here.

A "newer" option I will throw out there is Brandon Flowers, he's very good in a classic front man sorta way.

As far as some of the other names being thrown out there like Rose, Tyler and Roth, for all their talent it has always been my opinion that they are simply doing cheap impersonations of the original names listed above, especially Plant and Mick.

Also Michael Stipe is a good and interesting front man

 

[huskyblooz]

Chris Cornell. Didn’t appreciate him until after his passing. What range.

Paul Rodgers. What a rock n roll singer should sound like.

Zac Brown. Yes, I know he’s considered country, but the guy can belt it out.