Who Is Your Favourite Singer Ever?

Thank you! Love 'em all.

 

My dear old mom. Her voice was sweet and gentle. She sounded like Doris Day.

 

I really can’t answer this. If the singer serves the song and if I like the song then at that point in time he or she is my favorite singer be it Levon Helm, Roy Orbison or Linda Ronstadt. There you have it.

 

Male:
Bing Crosby
Dave Swarbrick
Steve Hogarth (Marillion)
Marvin Gaye
Joey Belladonna (Anthrax)
Louis Armstrong
Stephen Stills
Al Jolson

Female:
Sandy Denny
Joni Mitchell
Karen Carpenter
Susanna Hoffs
Miranda Lambert
Carla Bruni

 

LENNON

 

Yep. Polarizing, love/hate thing going on with him. Like the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Yankees.

Yet so many wannabes. So many pale imitations.

And there is only one. There can only be one.

I've been in his midst during live performances and he can be positively electrifying.

I've also heard him hit some clunkers, lol...

But noone has his tone, his feel.

My personal favorite voice of the electric age. Nonesuch.

 

My list was long enough as it was, but I would actually add these, as they are definitely a few other singers I should've included:

Nat "King" Cole
Charlie Rich
Linda Ronstadt

 

Nick Drake

 

I know this is probably not a popular opinion but I think the way Bruce Springsteen sounded on some songs in 1985 make him one of the mots unique voices to ever be recorded...


Like here, starts at 5:45:




(Listen after "me and Mary" part... just perfect balance between being raspy and crystal clear... to me, just amazing...)


Or this vocal in 1988:

Bruce Springsteen - Tougher Than the Rest

Of course he did do a magical tour in 1978 but back then it was too raw for some tastes, even if not for me...

I love Neil Young's voice too, so what do I know right...

Ok, the guy on fleet Foxes is pretty good too...

And the one in The War on Drugs too; they have to write meaningful songs before I even listen to them... just a shame what they did to Cohen's voice in the studio for his last few records...

I love Tom Waits' voice quite a lot but that is definitely an acquired taste: first time I heard him I wanted to throw the cd player out of the car's window...

I guess that is my personal list...

PS-To add insult to injury, I like Ringo Starr's voice quite a lot too (not in recent years though)...

 

Ray Charles

 

I was going back and forth between Linda Ronstadt and Olivia Newton-John and it was a virtual draw. I am a huge fan of Linda and her versatility and the sheer beauty and range of her voice is a stunner. I rally should have had her on my list as well. Boy, Charlie Rich is really the greatest singer most people will never know about. What a hidden joy his entire music catalogue is when you listen to it. Discovering his music is like finding hidden gold in your attic.

 

Another amazing and very diverse list and some real innovators make up that list. Oh my, I really should have included Karen Carpenter on my list as well. The sound, tone and pitch of her voice was just fantastic. Mr. Crosby was a very close friend of my Aunt so there is a family connection there for me, and what would Christmas be without his iconic version of White Christmas.

 

Karen Carpenter

 

Ronnie Hammond, Atlanta Rhythm Section

 

John Lennon
Tim Buckley
Fred Neil
Laura Nyro
David Ackles
Dory Previn

 

Michael Jackson, Utada Hikaru, John Lennon (pre Pepper), Brian Wilson, Morrisey, Bob Dylan (pre moto accident), Joni Mitchell...so many...

 

John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Frank Sinatra
Dylan
Elvis
Wetton

 

Jim Morrison
David Lee Roth
Chris Cornell
Layne Staley

 

As I replied before and will do again
Chad Mitchell
Lyambiko

They both could Sind anything

 

I have read a lot of great singers in this thread.
I would like to speak about of a fabolous male singer dead three years ago who has done the story of jazz singing.

He was Mark Murphy (1932-2015).

 

Sinatra in the fifties
Presley in the sixties

 

What about 70's-10's???

 

Motorhead - Ace Of Spades

 

This is a hard question.

But I've always thought that Lennon and McCartney have really great, effective and personal voices and singing

 

There's not one definitive one.