Singer with the most distinctive voice

How have none of us, before this, thought to mention Elvis Presley?

Perhaps also Michael Jackson?

 

I don't know if we should count rappers, as singers, but some of the better known ones, with distinctive voices, are :

Shaggy
Snoop Dog
Eminem
Busta Rhymes
Biggy Smalls
Ludacris
Fifty Cent
(and Biz Marquee, of "Just a Friend" fame).

Also recognizable, though not necessarily as "distinctive," would be P. Diddy, and Jay- Z.

 

Oh, god-- how boneheaded of me! I thought of this as I was nodding off, last night, but am just remembering, now:

Barry White, and
Lou Rawls.

 

I'm only 41 but I'm a big fan of hers and classic rock in general.

 

I've always loved Don Henley's voice.

 

Listening to a lot of 70s today

Neil Diamond
Cher
Barry Gibb

 

You also overlooked one of the MOST identifiable-- many would use the word iconic-- of voices: Ray Charles.

 

All with readily identifiable voices-- though I can't swear I would be able to easily distinguish between Barry and Andy Gibb's singing. Was Barry even the Bee Gees' lead singer? I thought it was another brother.

Anyway, all those 3 have some songs worth a listen.

 

I think Barry & Robin sang lead on most of their hits

Pre Disco - this is arguably their best song and Barry is the lead

 

John Fogerty. Van Morrison.

 

I like, also, when they do more rhythmic pieces, like "You Should Be Dancin'." But here is also a good one, that combines the sweetness of a ballad with a more groovin'-- in this case, I am tempted to say rockin'-- alternating section:



See, now I thought that the oldest brother-- who usually plays keyboards, but is, here, on the bass-- who was their principal song writer, was named Barry. His name at least begins with B, doesn't it?




As long as I'm waiting for your answer-- why not?

 

Not clear on your question. Robin & Maurice were the other members (who are sadly both deceased). This song was credited to all 3

The Sirius 70s station has had a listener voted top 1000 this weekend. Numerous Bee Gees songs in the top 100. Night Fever was just at #23 and I am sure Stayin Alive is to come

They had an amazing run on the charts 77/78 plus the hit songs that they gave others (Emotion & Grease)

 

Oh, well singers whose voices we like, is quite another thing, than those who are merely "distinctive." If that's the shift we're making, I do think that is something that all would take more of a personal interest in.

I love the singing of the Eagles, as well, but not just Henley. I found it interesting that both had a similar, smooth aspect to their singing, that put me in mind of a consonantly howling wolf (probably because of their music's Western flavor). Compare these two songs, for example, first by Glenn Frey, followed by Don Henley.

 

So I guess Maurice, was the brains behind the act? Or had it been Barry, all along (Barry Gibb-- B.G.-- Bee Gees)?

Yes, I just looked it up. I was right that Barry was the bandleader, but wrong to think that he was the keyboardist, which was one of Maurice's roles. The site did credit Robin, as did you, as being a key songwriting collaborator, with Barry.

P.S.-- How did you forget to mention, "If I Can't Have You?"

 

IIRC BG = Brothers Gibb = Bee Gees

 

Well sure, that's what Barry told the other two, it stood for.

 

I'd rank Tragedy, How to Mend a Broken Heart & Words ahead of that song at a minimum

They have a #of great pre 1975 songs. A lot of people only know their Saturday Night Fever era songs

 

I was referring to the songs they'd written for other people; you'd only mentioned "Emotion," for Samantha Sang, and "Grease," for Frankie Valli. Yvonne Elliman's gift of, "If I Can't Have You," is the song she is best known for today (except for by fans of the soundtrack for Jesus Christ, Superstar).

 

@InWalkedBud

I really should have included Joe Walsh, in my last post's examples of the lupine mellifluousness, of the Eagles' singing style

 

This dude's voice is distinctive.

 

this guy as well


and that of one of the top five front men in rock history

 

We'll have to agree to disagree. I find Henley's voice enormously distinctive; the single most distinctive (and controlled & professional) voice in that band. I put him ahead of Glen Frey by a country mile.

You write:

Me too. I don't know if you've seen the Eagles documentary. The label finally decided they were going to get behind the band & hooked them up with Glyn Johns, who had produced Zepplin, The Who, the Stones etc. Johns could not have been more underwhelmed & wrote them off as a confused bar band. Until he heard them warming up one day with this, and was instantly sold:

 

The jazz geek in me would be remiss were I not to submit the great Johnny Hartman for consideration; the greatest, most distinctive crooner of all time. Just my opinion of course. Your mileage may vary.

P.S. For the those with the attention span of a gnat & too impatient with Trane's intro, JH weighs in at approximately 2:14.

 

' ~ Did PeeWee make an album.. ? ​

 

It's not that Henley's voice is not distinctive, but only in relative terms to those we have been mentioning-- from Louis Armstrong & Tom Waits, to James Brown, Elvis, & Buddy Holly, to Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, even Rod Stewart, who you mention-- Henley's voice is clearly not as uniquely distinctive. That is certainly not a slight, against him (after all, you named yourself, among the most "distinctive"). While the thread would eventually reach him, I just think that there are others with more distinct voices, who should have come first. I'm not even a fan, but I can recognize that Sting's voice, for example, is more distinctive than Henley's. Probably Tom Petty's, as well. Or, certainly, Frank Sinatra's (though, again, I am not among his throng of adorers). While I will admit that I don't have a fine ear for distinguishing between voices-- it took me a good while, after falling for the Beatles, before I could even be sure whether it was John or Paul singing-- that is the whole idea behind distinctiveness, isn't it? IOW, the most distinctive Beatle singer, almost impossible for anyone to mistake, is RINGO!

I see that I have made the same mistake with Eagles' songs. I named Joe Walsh as the singer of "Take It To the Limit," but have just discovered it was really Randy Meisner. In fact, I will admit that my favorite Eagles song, which I'd always assumed to be Don Henley, also turns out to have been Meisner. I am including it below, in between a song actually by Joe Walsh, and another, which I'd always thought had been sung by Glenn Frye, but just found out that this one, was sung by Don Henley!

Pretty Maids All In a Row (static screen)