Not; can't and won't say no... but easy? That I'm not sure about. It's hard to so easily dismiss: Sinatra Ella Billie Nat Cole Al Green Sarah Vaughan Amelia Rodrigues Aretha Mavis Staples Otis Elis Regina Among others who may or may be thought of as the best vocalist of all-time, but I don't think it's a closed question. I might even add Jack Bruce and James Carr among those who should be included in the conversation.
Partial list, in no particular order : Billie Holiday Carmen McRae Jackie DeShannon Tammy Wynette Peggy Lee Evie Sands Sam Cooke Tina Turner Pink Ben E. King I'm not going to name them all, but if I can think of any others not yet mentioned I'll post them.
I agree. Its about uniqueness, how well they connect with the song etc imo. Whitneys performance of I will always love you moves me in different ways to THIS. Both brilliant.
Interesting list. If you were to get most music-school vocalists to study these singers, the conclusion would be that none of them are good singers. Even by 'rock' standards (I'm not familiar with Steve Wynn, so leaving him aside), none of these people are "good" singer with impressive range, tone control, or dynamics. Yet, I agree with you in as much as all of these vocalists are excellent at communicating the song within the contexts they exist in.
11 Favourite Male Vocalists: Paul McCartney John Lennon Peter Gabriel Elton John Greg Lake Pete Townshend Phil Collins Burton Cummings Elvis Presley Mike Nesmith Dave Gilmour 11 Favourite Female Vocalists: Linda Thompson Kelly Hogan Carole King Sandy Denny Christine McVie Annie Lennox Dinah Washington Grace Slick Gayle McCormick Karine Polwart Nina Simone
Norah Jones needs be in here somewhere but the thread has already devolved into “who is your favorite singer?”.
I personally think Sam Cooke is the best. He checks every box on anyone's list. His voice was a force of nature (but he never 'over'-sang). Other bests, for me, are: Gladys Knight, Sinéad O'Connor, Elvis Presley, Louis Armstrong, Joan Baez, young John Lennon and young/mid-era Paul McCartney, David Ruffin, Levi Stuffs, Björk, Máire Brennan, Gordon Lightfoot. (I really like Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye, but I think people over-rate them a bit as compared to some others!)
this blew me away when i saw it ... still does! CSNY w Tom Jones https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIDzA0YDso8 this too ... tom and janis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZmiefQ5y4U
Most examples of Sam Cooke given Are the smooth version meant for the white audiences. Live at the Harlem Square Club is the one to seek out. This is just one small sample, but the whole record is one the most spine tingling performances of all time.
You can tell CSNY were impressed with Jones - even though he was from a different universe than they were. Still, mutual appreciation for their talents. Stills was going to town too.
I posted both clips on Facebook recently to blow my friend’s minds. They both show that if Tom had gone in a different direction, he could have been one of the great rock vocalists. As it is, he’s still one of the best vocalists ever.
Definitely agree about young Lennon. His vocals didn't hold up very well as he aged. Too much screaming, I think.
Eva Cassidy and Sarah Vaughan. I have patently refused to listen to any version of Over the Rainbow since I first heard Eva's version. My wife and I were at a wedding reception a few years back and it came up and I excused myself. When my wife asked what was up "I'll be back in about 4:30" was my response. Eva owns that tune in perpetuity IMO.