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best rock singer?

#283
jamro217 said:
This question needs to be fine tuned in order to come up with valid candidates. The criteria should include: widest range, most powerful, most believable (or sincere), best phrasing, best technique, best falsetto... I always root for the underdog, so my picks may seem strange to you, yet each of them has some quality which makes them stand out. Gregg Allman, Randall Bramblett, Bonnie Raitt, Colin Cooper (Climax Blues Band), Don Brewer (Grand Funk), and Pete Rivera (Rare Earth). I do agree with so many posters here about the undeniable talent of Burton Cummings, Freddie Mercury and Paul Rodgers.
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Miljenko Matijevic of Steelheart meets all of those criteria except falsetto, he doesn't need it. He's also an underdog according to people here.
 
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#289
Hard to say. Too much context to consider. Part of what makes a great rock singer is a unique sounding voice, in addition to how their sound and presence fit with the band. So many of the singers mentioned also fronted great bands with a unique sound and style. There are some incredibly amazing singers in all genres that might not get mentioned because of this.

That being said, I think the all time greatest rock singer is Freddie Mercury. Hands down incredible control, tone, style, and range, and performed some of the most memorable recordings in rock history.

I would then say Steve Perry and Chris Cornell, both of which are my two personal favs. The main reason is that I love their unique sounds that fit with the music. And in the case of Journey, I'm not ashamed to admit I love them. I'm also a huge Soundgarden fan. Someone mentioned Superunknown being a "no filler" album, and I agree. I think there were 5(6?) or so radio cuts that came off of the album.

However, Chris Cornell loses points IMO due to his inability to do live anything close to what he recorded. Other than the ridiculous cost it will be to see a Temple of the Dog reunion show, I would be hesitant to see them because I wouldn't want to be disappointed. Just sayin'

EDIT: Oh yeah, and Journey's current singer can do Steve Perry better than he could.

I would then put the rest of my favs. Here's but a few in no particular order:

Ann Wilson
Chrissie Hynde
Paul Rodgers
Vaden Todd Lewis
Robert Plant
tons of others, but I spent too much time on this already
 
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#290
Some more rock bands with multiple lead singers

Night Ranger - Kelly Keagy & Jack Blades
The Doobie Brothers - Tom Johnston & Patrick Simmons
Styx - Dennis DeYoung & Tommy Shaw
.38 Special - Don Barnes & Donnie Van Zant
 

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