Who do you consider to be the greatest voice of all time?
 

Who are some of the greatest voices of all times? Just purely their voice alone. It may be someone who wasn't popular or was in a band or whatever...

my husband and I were having this conversation, and it's kind of hard to pick...

I came up with Linda Ronstadt (sp?) and Patsy Cline....

Roy Orbison






I also like Brian Wilson's voice and find it to be unique, if not the greatest.

since we are talking about Morrissey elsewhere in this forum - I'd just like to add that I like his singing voice.

I would def. agree with this. Orbison sounded great till the day he died. also have to throw in Dean Martin and Jery Garcia.

Re: Who do you consider to be the greatest voice of all time?
 

I personally love her album "Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind" where she duets with Aaron Neville on a couple of songs.

Eddie Vedder
Art Garfunkel
Smokey Robinson
Annie Lennox
Layne Staley
Bono
Aretha Franklin
Stevie Nicks

robert plant
stevie nicks
marc bolan
tori amos
billy corgan


















just kidding about the last one.

Frank Sinatra
Donald Fagen
Ella Fitzgerald
Peter Gabriel
Michael MacDonald
Freddy Mercury
Robert Plant
Sade
Sting
Tom Waits
Vanessa Williams
Brian Wilson

Kurt Cobain's voice was very soulful for me.

Maynard James Keenen
Eddie Vedder
Layne Staley
Thom Yorke
Billy Corgan

Karen Carpenter

no contest ... Peter Hammill

For pop music, Frank Sinatra.

Mike Patton

Female jazz/blues/ r+b/soul singers can't be beat:
Aretha Franklin (holy shit)
Dusty Springfield (insanely great delivery, she could sing anything)
Bessie Smith (straight soul, incredible power)
Billie Holliday (Sinatra learned everything he knew from her)

Male jazz/blues singers are second best, IMO:
Muddy Waters (scary intensity)
Louis Armstrong (the guy's phrasing is incredible)
Sonny Boy Williamson

Some good male rock vocals:
James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers (what does he have a four octave range?)
Robin Zander of Cheap Trick (power and soul from the whitest guy ever)
Rick Danko of the Band (one of the most underrated singers around, he had incredible pathos in his voice)

Female country is pretty good too:
Patsy Cline
Emmylou Harris

Eva Cassidy

the white girl from black eyed peas ;)


I'd thrown in ATYCLB Bono, his voice has changed a lot.

She stressed the word "voice" such that I didn't want to answer Sinatra, since there are so many who have better vocal range and power and a purer sound. However, I wouldn't hesitate to call him the greatest vocalist of all time, and since it appears that's the approach the posters are taking with their responses, I too will then say Frank Sinatra.

das

Brian Wilson

Sam Cooke. After spending a couple days with the James Brown Night at the Apollo, 1962 re-issue, I think he could be the most charismatic. Also high up is Nina Simone. (Personally speaking, of course. I think that a lot of people find Ms Simone too nasal.)

Bob Dylan
Billy Corgan
Isaac Brock
Wesley Willis

All geniuses without a single annoying to tone to their voices -biggrin-.

James Dean Bradfield is getting up there.

Definitely Johnny Cash.

Joe Cocker

Re: Re: Who do you consider to be the greatest voice of all time?
 

For some of her best vocal work, check out her songs on <B>Randy Newman's Faust</B>. Beautiful stuff.