Male singers you thought were Female or vice-versa

Me too.

 

Excepting Susanna Hoffs, I thought The Bangles were guys. And I'm talking looks.

 

That's a nasty comment - and one that makes no sense to me, as the other Bangles are damned cute too...

 

Ouch.

The first Superchunk album I heard was "Here's To Shutting Up." I knew the bass player was a woman, and I thought she was doing all the vocals, but it was the male guitar player. I didn't find that out for a long time.

 

Brother Louie by Stories I was on the fence with this one for a long time.

 

Jimmy Scott, with all due r-e-s-p-e-c-t

 

Leo Sayer

 

This was my first thought, too. I still use Jimmy Scott to trip up my friends.
Amazing voice, in any case.

Cody

 

Yep. As noted in a concurrent thread, I was sure "Holding Back the Years" was sung by Buffy Ste. Marie.

 

As a youngster in the late '70's, I thought the Bee Gee's disco hits were all sung by a woman.

For some odd reason, around the same time, I thought Supertramp's "The Logical Song" was sung by Laverne DiFazio.

 

Latest recording I've heard: "On Broadway" from the recent Ace compilation "The Leiber & Stoller Story vol. III".

 

Just this morning I was listening to the Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose's "Too Late To Turn Back Now" and remembering that when I was a kid I couldn't tell whether it was a man or woman singing. The voice sounded like a woman to me but the lyrics suggested it was probably a man singing (given that lesbian love songs weren't typical top 40 material).

 

The first time I saw the cassette of Poison's Look What the Cat Dragged in, I thought they were girls.

 

It was more than a woman!

 

Slightly off topic, but does anyone know why soul singers like Smokey (or whoever started the trend) adopted that ultra high singing style ? What was the precedent ?

 

When I first heard the Pretender's 'Tattooed Love Boys' back in November/December of 1979, I thought it was a guy singing.

 

I'm Not an Addict - K's Choice
Automatic - Pointer Sisters

 

My sister calls Geddy Lee "the chick with the high-pitched voice from Rush".

 

I, too, thought for sure that Neil Sedaka was a female. The first of his songs I ever heard was "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," before the '74 comeback. I even wondered if, like several names in the real world (Tony and Toni, for example), spelling the name "Neil" meant a girl and "Neal" meant a boy -- until I saw my first Neil Diamond record.

 

I thought Nick Gilder was a chick, too. I also thought Ann Wilson singing "Crazy On You" was a high-pitched dude...before I knew about Heart.
Gimme a break, I was a youngen.

 

Little Richard

Mind you, I didn't know his name - that would have clarified things somewhat.

 

For sure. I thought the lead vocal on "You Are Everything" was a female.

I also thought the lead vocal on Breathe's "Hands To Heaven" was Alison Moyet, yet when I first heard Alison Moyet I thought it was a male.

 

Wow, I must be sure to avoid whatever you were taking!

But, going the other way: how many punters thought Poison was an all-girl band when their first LP came out?

 

It didn't help when he started covering Dionne Warwick.

 

Frankie Lymon (Why Do Fools Fall In Love?)

Millie Jackson (especially "All the Way Lover")