My thought here is to look at the people with great pure singing ability, not necessarily the singers we happen to like. My list would start with:
Roy Orbison
Nat King Cole
Johnny Mathis
Paul McCartney
Linda Ronstadt
Greatest pop singers of all time
Greatest pop singers of all time
“The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it.” ....H. L. Mencken
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jingle_jangle
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Wow. I just got done talking about this a little.
My own: Johnny Hartman. Hands down. That makes me an Old Fart, but you did say "pop".
Nat Cole second.
Ray Charles third.
You didn't say "American", so I will include two Brasilian women as my #4 and #5:
#4 Gal Costa. Purest female voice I ever heard. I have never heard Gal hit anything but the exact pitch on any note. Her voice is strong enough to fill an arena without a mike, too.
#5 The late Elis Regina (who cut a wonderful album with JL's idol Toots Thieleman, just before she died). Another pure talent who most Americans have never heard of.
#6: I do agree on Orbison. Talk about perfect use of falsetto. His voice stayed near perfect right up until his death. He also played a mean autoharp...
Johnny Mathis' style is a good deal too, er, eccentric for my taste. The chicks liked him when I was in high school, though. Very nice voice if you can forget the visual.
Linda Ronstadt has, after all these years, never learned to sing in her rather narrow range, and usually sounds strained. Vocal coaches would tell her to open up her throat to hit those high notes; she does the opposite--chokes up, and that somehow passes as "styling".
My own: Johnny Hartman. Hands down. That makes me an Old Fart, but you did say "pop".
Nat Cole second.
Ray Charles third.
You didn't say "American", so I will include two Brasilian women as my #4 and #5:
#4 Gal Costa. Purest female voice I ever heard. I have never heard Gal hit anything but the exact pitch on any note. Her voice is strong enough to fill an arena without a mike, too.
#5 The late Elis Regina (who cut a wonderful album with JL's idol Toots Thieleman, just before she died). Another pure talent who most Americans have never heard of.
#6: I do agree on Orbison. Talk about perfect use of falsetto. His voice stayed near perfect right up until his death. He also played a mean autoharp...
Johnny Mathis' style is a good deal too, er, eccentric for my taste. The chicks liked him when I was in high school, though. Very nice voice if you can forget the visual.
Linda Ronstadt has, after all these years, never learned to sing in her rather narrow range, and usually sounds strained. Vocal coaches would tell her to open up her throat to hit those high notes; she does the opposite--chokes up, and that somehow passes as "styling".
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
I never really liked Johnny Mathis' material or style either, but have always been impressed with with the purity and clarity and tone of his voice.
I'm not too familiar with Johnny Hartman (me bad), but I'll check it out....
....Though he was never the most distinctive vocalist, Johnny Hartman rose above others to become the most commanding, smooth balladeer of the 1950s and '60s, a black crooner closely following Billy Eckstine and building on the form with his notable jazz collaborations, including the 1963 masterpiece 'John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman'.
I'm not too familiar with Johnny Hartman (me bad), but I'll check it out....
....Though he was never the most distinctive vocalist, Johnny Hartman rose above others to become the most commanding, smooth balladeer of the 1950s and '60s, a black crooner closely following Billy Eckstine and building on the form with his notable jazz collaborations, including the 1963 masterpiece 'John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman'.
“The urge to save humanity is always a false front for the urge to rule it.” ....H. L. Mencken
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jingle_jangle
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Johnny was once known as "The Voice that Is" for his commanding baritone. If anything, Billy Eckstine should follow him, IMO.
We agree on Mathis, it seems.
We agree on Mathis, it seems.
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
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jingle_jangle
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OK, OK, Alex Chilton, at least back in the day.
Colin Blunstone of the Zombies, who apparently still has his stuff together...
Now we're rockin!
Colin Blunstone of the Zombies, who apparently still has his stuff together...
Now we're rockin!
“I say in speeches that a plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. I am then asked if I know of any artists who pulled that off. I reply, 'The Beatles did.”
― Kurt Vonnegut
― Kurt Vonnegut
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karl_teten
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I apologize if I've told this story already...(one of the many colorful features of aging, and something for you younger folks to look forward to...)
I grew up listening to my dad's jazz collection with him...I was required to sing back tenor sax lines, etc., about the same time I was learning to walk and talk. Along with the musicology lessons were lots of stories about his friends Nat Cole, Mel Torme, and the guys in Woody Herman's band (most notably Terry Gibb)...it never occurred to me to wonder how an army lifer could have associated with these guys in his youth. After he died, my mom was able to fill in some of the blanks...he had run away from Depression-era Tulsa to Kansas City at the age of thirteen, and secured employment as a 'bag man' working out of the back door of one of the jazz clubs. I guess those guys kept him running all the time. He picked up the 'skag' habit himself during those years, unfortunately...and 'kicked' at the age of 16 during basic training.
I know I've mentioned this part before: get hold of a copy of Nat Cole playing piano in Chicago as part of the JATP (Jazz At The Philharmonic) series...it will blow your mind. The guys 'chops' were monstrous, and he doesn't sing a note on the album.
I grew up listening to my dad's jazz collection with him...I was required to sing back tenor sax lines, etc., about the same time I was learning to walk and talk. Along with the musicology lessons were lots of stories about his friends Nat Cole, Mel Torme, and the guys in Woody Herman's band (most notably Terry Gibb)...it never occurred to me to wonder how an army lifer could have associated with these guys in his youth. After he died, my mom was able to fill in some of the blanks...he had run away from Depression-era Tulsa to Kansas City at the age of thirteen, and secured employment as a 'bag man' working out of the back door of one of the jazz clubs. I guess those guys kept him running all the time. He picked up the 'skag' habit himself during those years, unfortunately...and 'kicked' at the age of 16 during basic training.
I know I've mentioned this part before: get hold of a copy of Nat Cole playing piano in Chicago as part of the JATP (Jazz At The Philharmonic) series...it will blow your mind. The guys 'chops' were monstrous, and he doesn't sing a note on the album.
I didn't get where I am today by being on time...
Don't forget to add Steve Winwood to the list of great singers. Nat King Cole is my all time favorite though.
Honorable mention should also go to Paul Rodgers.
Great story BTW Dane.
Honorable mention should also go to Paul Rodgers.
Great story BTW Dane.
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
"You do not really understand something unless you can explain it to your grandmother" - Albert Einstein
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chingnchime
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Wow, where does one start? If you wanna go way back in pop music, then Bing has to be what i consider at least one of the best, if not the best. Harry Babbitt w/ kay Kyser's band in the 40s was excellent, as was Vaugan Monroe. Elvis, John Lennon, Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys sang his butt off, but was never credited enough.David Crosby's voice always reminded me of a cello, so pure and well modulated.