Mount Rushmore: rock vocalists

[cartman]

It's been a while since we've had a Mount Rushmore discussion. This one will center around rock vocalists. You know the ground rules, four and only four choices to be enshrined in stone.

To kick things off, here are my four choices:

Freddy Mercury
Amazing vocal range, due to his operatic training. His performance at Live Aid is counted among the greatest of all time.

Roy Orbison
Came from the tiny town of Wink, TX. Had an incredible range, and when the Beatles were at their peak, he still had the record for simulaneous Top 10 songs. A feat he repeated shortly before he died with a solo effort, as well as his recording with The Traveling Wilburys.

Roger Daltrey
The lead singer of The Who. Not a great songwriter, but did incredible things with the material he was presented. Another of the great frontmen of rock and roll.

Aretha Franklin
Widely regarded as The Queen of Soul. Amazing voice that was trained in her early years with gospel singing. One of the most awarded voices in rock history.

[Lathum]

Freddie Mercury
Sebastian Bach
Ozzie Osborne
Bruce Dickinson

[Fonzie]

Steve Perry
Ann Wilson
Robert Plant
Freddie Mercury

[DaddyTorgo]

Eddie Vedder anybody?

[B & B]

Eddie Vedder anybody?

......


C'mon DT, you're smart...

[Abe Sargent]

Wow, if we are considering Aretha Franklin as a rock vocalist, then I think there are a lot more ways to go than the ones mentioned

[DaddyTorgo]

yeah...seriously

[DeToxRox]

Layne Staley
Phil Anselmo (Down version)
Ozzy
Maynard James Keenan

[Abe Sargent]

Anyway, here are my four:

Kelly Clarkson - If she had not been the sheer vocal talent she was, would American Idol have been legitimized as a talent finding process? When I heard the live Napster performance of Since U Been Gone acoustic, and she still nailed every single note loud and proud, you knew she was amazing. She make not sing the songs you or I love, but there is no doubt that she is one of the singular talents of rock history vocally.

Jim Morrison - His ability to both sing and not-sing at the same time was very ahead of its time. When later vocalists would similarly sing in such away that they violated the rules of singing, and yet conveyed speech and song, you could feel them channeling Morrison.

David Gahan - His musical stylings created what some consider to be the best electronic song of all time (Enjoy the Silence), and created tons of copycats. In almost every musical genre, the lead singers are either sopranos or tenors, but in electronic music, due to his influence, they are al most always baritone or bass. His vocal influence and power is top notch.


David Clayton-Thomas - lead singer of Blood, Sweat and Tears which performed at Woodstock, won a Grammy for album of the year in 1970 (which had only been won by a pop group once before by The Beatles), and had the best jazzy sounding voice you'll ever hear.

[rockboy70]

Chris Cornell
Freddy Mercury
Paul Rodgers
Ian Astbury

[Johnny93g]

I know it's early for the thread, but how is Elvis not mentioned yet!!!

My 4
Freddie Mercury
Elvis Presley
Robert Plant
Bruce Springsteen (not even close to the best voice, but live performance alone puts him here)

[3ric]

Geoff Tate
Ronnie James Dio
Glenn Hughes
Ray Gillen

[Karlifornia]

Mercury, Orbison, and Daltrey are all great choices. Robert Plant would be an obvious selection for me. Tomorrow before Super Bowl I'll try to come up wiht my own Rushmore.

[rowech]

Robert Plant -- to me he stands out as #1

Freddy Mercury -- I've grown to like Queen a lot over the years and I'm not sure they really ever get their full due. Mostly because of Mercury's early death.

Axl Rose -- not a huge amount of music and some duds but to me, he nails what being a rock front man is all about

Those first three came very easily. The fourth, not so much as I tossed around several people. I debated Ann Wilson for equality's sake (not that she's not quality). I debated some of the more modern guys like some of you but can't bring myself to put them on the list. My final spot comes down to...

Roger Daltrey -- I always say The Who is one of the most underrated bands around. Many will say how are they underrated and I understand they're big but they are really, at least to me, right behind Zep for bringing that sound mainstream.

[Flasch186]

Adam Lambert

[Scarecrow]

I'll take 4 that have yet to be named...

Jon Bon Jovi
Meat Loaf
Dennis DeYoung
Sir Paul McCartney

[Neon_Chaos]

Steve Perry
Freddy Mercury
Mick Jagger
Steven Tyler

[Scholes]

I can't believe that the 'Human Air Raid Siren' Bruce Dickinson hasn't been mentioned.

[Tigercat]

Mercury
Jeff Buckley
Elvis
Steve Perry

[weegeebored]

I can't believe that the 'Human Air Raid Siren' Bruce Dickinson hasn't been mentioned.umm... Post #2?

Is the Mount Rushmore about vocal talent or impact on R & R? It makes a difference to me. But my initial Top 4:

Freddie Mercury
Annie Wilson

Plus (based on vocal talent) -- Amy Lee and Lou Gramm
or
(based on impact) -- Robert Plant and Mick Jagger

[Flasch186]

/sarcasm

[BYU 14]

Freddy Mercury - Nobody better period, amazing range and the consumate performer on stage. Freddy could have been a star in any genre of music, which can't be said for everyone.

Steve Perry - As good a "natural' voice as there was in rock (Listen to "Feeling that way" as it demostrates the energy he injects into a song with just his vouce)

Robin Zander - I am a huge Cheap Trick fan and biased, but he doesn't get his due IMO because he is not a flashy front man. CT has influenced a ton of bands and he can just flat out sing.

Brad Delp - Surprised he hasn't been mentioned. A powerful, melodic voice and one of the nicest guys in Rock. "More than a Feeling" is more than an anthem and he is the one that makes it.

Bruce Dickinson - I have to add a 5th and Bruce is the best Metal singer ever (slightly ahead of Tate) to me. He is a high energy performer and to this day still has all the power in his vocals he had when he first joined Iron Maiden.

Honorable mentions to Plant, DeYoung, Tate, Orbison, Mike Patton and Bruce Hornsby.

[KWhit]

John Lennon
Paul McCartney
George Harrison
Ringo Starr

[JonInMiddleGA]

Bruce Dickinson
Ronnie James Dio
Robert Plant
Joe Lynn Turner

[jeff061]

How has Mike Patton not been mentioned. Second only to Mercury.

[DeToxRox]

How has Mike Patton not been mentioned. Second only to Mercury.

Knew I forgot someone. I did this way too late at night.

[BYU 14]

How has Mike Patton not been mentioned. Second only to Mercury.

Good call, In love FNM too, in fact Ashes to Ashes is playing as we speak.

[jeff061]

Or Fantomas, specifically Director's Cut, not sure anyone else out there can manage the kind of variety Patton does.

[claphamsa]

Phil Anslemo
Layne Staley
Roger Daltry
Trey anastacio

all you who said freddy mercury need to turn your man cards in.....

[Scoobz0202]

Freddie Mercury
Robert Plant
Stevie Nicks
Ann Wilson

[jeff061]

all you who said freddy mercury need to turn your man cards in.....

Lol, I get the point. I don't actually have or listen to Queen music. But I still respect the talent both vocally and as a performer on the stage.

[Tigercat]

all you who said freddy mercury need to turn your man cards in.....

If you like him or not, leaving him off a rock vocalist list is akin to leaving Babe Ruth off a baseball list.

[Scoobz0202]

What's there not to like about Mercury? Was he a prick or something? Or just the fact that he liked the prick?

[claphamsa]

If you like him or not, leaving him off a rock vocalist list is akin to leaving Babe Ruth off a baseball list.
hsi voice always made me want to jab my eyes out with a fork.

[Fonzie]

hsi voice always made me want to jab my eyes out with a fork.

We all have that experience with particular singers (for me the eye jabbing impulse is most intensely felt when Chrissy Hynde is singing), but I'm not sure what that has to do with man cards.

[Kodos]

This is just based on who I personally have enjoyed the most, not on who should be regarded as the best vocalists in history:

Joe Elliott
Freddie Mercury
Jon Bon Jovi
Brad Delp

[Hammer755]

Freddie Mercury
Sebastian Bach
Ozzie Osborne
Bruce Dickinson

The Bruce Dickinson?

[Blackadar]

1. Freddie Mercury - The best male rock vocalist, ever. Any man who can get off his deathbed and record "Show Must Go On" gets top billing in my book...not to mention his Live Aid performance.

2. Pat Benatar - Simply an amazing voice - good enough to be accepted into Juiliard as a singer. She was just as good live as she was in the recording studio.

3. Elvis - Seriously, I can't believe he hasn't been mentioned.

4. Annie Lennox - Another great voice with amazing range and depth.

Honorable mention: Roger Daltry, Paul McCartney, Grace Slick and Steve Perry.

[rowech]

Interesting to see how people are making their choices. Is it pure talent or does being the lead vocalist go deeper than that? In addition, what is classified as "Rock"

[Abe Sargent]

3. Elvis - Seriously, I can't believe he hasn't been mentioned.



Reading the thread = win.

[Matthean]

Interesting to see how people are making their choices. Is it pure talent or does being the lead vocalist go deeper than that? In addition, what is classified as "Rock"

I would go for talent and within what I would consider rock. If Aretha Frankiln can be on the list, then I have a hard time seeing people leave Whitney Houston off the list as much as they do. Of course, I'm not really adding in Aretha in this list so...

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[Warhammer]

Freddy Mercury - Incredible range and energy

Steve Perry - Listen to Velvet Curtain/Feeling That Way to se the energy his voice injects into a song. Could argue that he single handedly turned Journey from another San Francisco band into one fo the leaders of the Arena Rock movement.

Paul Rodgers - Just a great voice

Anne Wilson - The first of the great hard rock women, that moved first to Pat Benatar and then to Joan Jett.

[Bad-example]

John Fogerty

Roy Orbison

Elvis

Grace Slick

[Coffee Warlord]

Ozzy Osbourne
Steven Tyler
John Fogerty
Maynard James Keenan

[k0ruptr]

Freddy Mercury
Pat Benetar (come on people!)
Roger Daltry
Elvis.

[Groundhog]

Freddy Mercury - Great range, great voice.

Mike Patton - Very versatile, easily one the best voices in the myriad of genres he dabbles in.

Richard Sinclair - Not very versatile and technically not a great singer either, I just love his very British voice.

Robert Wyatt - Similar weaknesses to Sinclair, though even less versatile and much less technically great, all the same he has one of the saddest voices I've ever heard, even though he has rarely dabbled in what would be called "rock" music - not since the earlier stage of his career.