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Singers who's voices have deteriorated.

#62
I saw Roy Orbison at the Channel in Boston about a week before his death and he was truly amazing - could hit every note just like the records and I saw Nina Simone very late in her career and sadly , she was not close to her best . Some artists - even ones as great as Nina Simone continue on after time has diminished their skills - but please don't get me wrong - I was fine with being there as a tribute to her but to be honest - musically , it wasn't very good . Just an aside : none of us can sing remotely like the people [ no matter what their age ] mentioned but that doesn't mean our opinions are not valid or honest .
 
#64
Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. Neither one of them had Golden voices, but they worked for their style of Texas Blues Rock. But nowadays, the years have caught up with them, and it's not pretty.
And, as others have stated, time takes its toll, and we're 40+ years down the road from Tres Hombres.

OTOH, although he is now stricken with Alzheimers, I saw a clip of Glen Campbell, that had been shot in th last 3 or 4 years, and I thought he was still hitting the high notes pretty well.

Edit: I saw Wishbone Ash last year, and at age 64 (or so) Andy Powell sounded amazing, and he has toured a lot, over the years.
 
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#65
Bajo Clarkko said:
Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill. Neither one of them had Golden voices, but they worked for their style of Texas Blues Rock. But nowadays, the years have caught up with them, and it's not pretty.
And, as others have stated, time takes its toll, and we're 40+ years down the road from Tres Hombres.

OTOH, although he is now stricken with Alzheimers, I saw a clip of Glen Campbell, that had been shot in th last 3 or 4 years, and I thought he was still hitting the high notes pretty well.
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He is the lineman of the county, after all...
 
#66
I also didn't take the OP's post to be mean-spirited, but in this day and age it seems that people get their shorts in a bunch over the smallest perceived offense.

Certainly, singers with golden voices in their 20s are most likely not going to sound the same in their golden years - ESPECIALLY in rock and soul music that relies so heavily on higher ranges.

One possible exception among some others listed here is Seal. Dude's voice might not be what it was 20 years ago, but sounds like he can still bring it on most nights. Saw him in a club show 12 years ago and was blown away that his voice carried the room so well.
 
#67
G-MonRV5 said:
I also didn't take the OP's post to be mean-spirited, but in this day and age it seems that people get their shorts in a bunch over the smallest perceived offense.

Certainly, singers with golden voices in their 20s are most likely not going to sound the same in their golden years - ESPECIALLY in rock and soul music that relies so heavily on higher ranges.

One possible exception among some others listed here is Seal. Dude's voice might not be what it was 20 years ago, but sounds like he can still bring it on most nights. Saw him in a club show 12 years ago and was blown away that his voice carried the room so well.
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Seal is 52. Old, yes, but hardly geezer status.
 
#68
I saw Sir Paul on SNL a while back and I felt bad for him. He still has good nights as witnessed by YT videos but they're fewer and far between.

I've lost a few notes off the top but I'm a much better singer in my late 50s than ten or even twenty years ago. Falsetto is mostly gone, too. Easy to keep some of your voice when you don't tour all the time, I suppose.
 
#70
Point taken, @JimmyM. But given his range and some of the higher notes he hits, many others might have lesser ability at 52.

One other example: I saw a more recent YouTube video of Todd Rundgren performing 'I Saw the Light', and it sounded like a Johnny Cash cover version.
 
#73
12bass said:
He does well on the rockers but seems to have lost the ability to sing cleanly at the top of his range (e.g. B4) and has become more pitchy over the past several years.

A few weeks ago I saw Styx and was impressed by Tommy Shaw. He sounded as good or better than thirty years ago and hit all the high notes easily.
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Agreed about Zander, but he's a lot less road worn than most these days.

Styx continues to boggle my mind... Pound for pound I don't think there's another band of their period that's maintained their sound at such a level. Every year I see them and walk out afterwards wondering how I can get hold of whatever they're drinking
 
#75
Max Blasto said:
I agree with the "this thread is lame & uncool" post.

We might as well retitle the thread "Singers who've lived past age 25".

And why in the world is this thread on Talkbass.com? Shouldn't this be on Talkvox.com or something like that?
Click to expand...

Notice that it is in the General > Recording thread. Notice that OP specifically cited and acknowledged that age makes these things inevitable. Sheesh.
 
#77
Me.

Until I was 18 or so I could sing anywhere from baritone to the first-soprano parts in The Hallelujah Chorus.

Then, through 35 or so, it was first tenor backing vocals, and I did all the Dickey Betts / Danny Joe Brown-range lead stuff.

Nowadays, at 57, I still have tons of volume left, but the range is constricted to baritone-backing and crooner-range leads.

Smoking and alcohol, coupled with a lack of proper warm-up will kill your voice, my friends. It did for me.

My daughter, OTOH, got her daddy's natural gift and took proper care to develop and keep it. She's a musical-theater leading-lady, is a natural Mezzo-Soprano, but because she's serious and properly vocal-coached, she still has a voice that's four semi-tones short of five octaves. ...all because she's not as dumb as her daddy.

Be careful with all your instruments, folks.
 
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#78
I agree about Geddy...heck of a bassist, though. No one mentioned Jon Bon Jovi....the last few times I heard him sing....well, it was painful. BTW, I am a bassist who happens to sing both lead and backing vocals and am 57. I've been told I sound better than ever....but I really appreciate and take care of my voice
 

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