What makes someone think they're a vocalist?

[ArtechnikA]

You are trying to get them to come to you.
You need to do some scouting / recruiting.
Go endure some karoke.
Attend some open mike nights.
Ask around at the community colleges or universities in your area who have vocal arts programs.
Check the yellow pages (or whatever their current digital equivalent is) for vocal teachers and get referrals.

 

[awakefie]

Applause at Karaoke night

This. They go out, get drunk with friends. They put in request after request. KJ dials them in with pitch correction. They laugh off the mistakes cause they're drunk.

Their friends (also drunk) tell them how great they are. They believe it.

We had a girl audition once. She was suprised when she got there and we didn't have words on a prompter.

Whipped out her iPhone for the words. Couldn't stay on key. Bad timing. Blamed us. Exact quote "I sound awesome singing in my car"

 

[zachoff]

There are plenty of singers that have made it big that can not sing.

Bob Dylan , Tom Petty, Geddy Lee,Yoko Ono,Linda McCartney, Kurt Cobain, Neal Young,Eddie Vedder, Iggy Pop, Dick Dale,Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson all told them that anyone can make big as a singer.

I guess that's where you split hairs between "singer" and "vocalist". Eddie Vedder can sing. So can Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.

Some folks have a cool vocal style. Other folks write music to fit their range. Point is, they make it work somehow. I still love Nirvana and Kurt can definitely sing within the confines of the music he wrote. Could you throw him in an opera? Hell no, but why would you want to? Same with pretty much all of the other folks you listed. They made it work within the confines of the music they wrote.

Problem is, OP is looking for a cover singer & they don't have the luxury to live in their own little world. They have to be able to cover a lot of ground and therein lies the problem of finding someone that can do that and isn't a flake or bat shite crazy.

 

[two fingers]

There are plenty of singers that have made it big that can not sing.

Bob Dylan , Tom Petty, Geddy Lee,Yoko Ono,Linda McCartney, Kurt Cobain, Neal Young,Eddie Vedder, Iggy Pop, Dick Dale,Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson all told them that anyone can make big as a singer.

I think you are totally confusing "can't sing"with having different character to your voice.

And by the way, Dolly can not only sing, but has a very pure character to her voice. I think some of the people in your list are just people whose music you don't care for.

Eddie is a great rock singer.
Willie has an odd quality to his voice, but for his style of music he is a great singer.
And so on......

Using your criteria, one could also say that Bryan Adams, Rod Stewart, Sting, Joe Cocker, Jimi Hendricks, Tina Turner, Janis Joplin, Eric Clapton, etc. "can't sing". None of them would even get past the first round of American Idol if they were unknowns today. But they do (did) what they do VERY well. Singing isn't just about tone. The singer has to PERFORM. On the flip side of your equation is the singer whose voice is AMAZING, but they are so boring to watch that they never ever make it anywhere. Are THEY "great singers"? I would argue no. Singing isn't about sounding like Whitney Houston (before crack). It is about performing.

 

[cnltb]

"What makes someone think they're a vocalist?"


They don't play an instrument.

 

[GlennW]

Using your criteria, one could also say that...Jimi Hendricks... "can't sing".

You got to be jivin'.

 

[maxiegrant]

Ack! Ack! Ack!

I did this before craigslist, with a group in the early 1990's. We used the local want ads. Received 118 replies. Of which we saw about 30 of those people over a period of a couple of weeks.

Complete nutjobs, almost every one of them. This was I think before Karaoke had gotten really big, so these people sang in their basements. One guy wanted to be Robert Plant. One chick wanted to be Pat Benetar. One guy gave me my first listen to "Come as you are" which was a song I hadn't heard until that day. Virtually all of them sucked total ass. We ended up making the guitarist sing.

Find a person who plays an instrument to sing. At least they will understand the commitment of practicing and contributing.

 

[Faith Nicole]

I can sing, I'm a vocalist ..

 

[Sam Evans]

"What makes someone think they're a vocalist?"


They don't play an instrument.

... and desperately want to be in a band.

A rock vocalist is the member of the band least likely to be a musician.

 

[nojj]

"What makes someone think they're a vocalist?"


They don't play an instrument.

+1 That's it in a nutshell.............

 

[Joebarnes]

I was hoping for a few more horror stories considering we're in bass humor & gig stories. We have a line on another singer who has had years of vocal training, great range, and is a similar age to us. Friday is her audition, so my fingers are crossed.

For those of you saying go with the Spanish girl; We couldn't understand what she was singing; so probably not the best choice for us.

For those of you who are suggesting I should do it; well..... trust me; nobody wants to hear me sing, including myself, lol. Like Clint Eastwood says "A man has got to know his limitations".

 

[two fingers]

I can sing, I'm a vocalist ..

Freakin hilarious! I love it!

 

[BawanaRik]

Having the guts to stand out front and belt out a tune

 

[Joebarnes]

You are trying to get them to come to you.
You need to do some scouting / recruiting.
Go endure some karoke.
Attend some open mike nights.
Ask around at the community colleges or universities in your area who have vocal arts programs.
Check the yellow pages (or whatever their current digital equivalent is) for vocal teachers and get referrals.

We've done the open mic's and karaoke scare-a-thons. Referrals from vocal teachers is actually not a bad idea. Thanks for the tip.

 

[Joebarnes]

Seems like the common factor is your band?

Touche, Chromer. I salute you, sir.

 

[basslifter]

Spanish girl. I speak a little Spanish and sometimes listen to Spanish music. I can sing along to a few songs even if I don't know the meaning of all of the words. Give her a shot. Buena suerte

 

[nutdog]

For those of you saying go with the Spanish girl; We couldn't understand what she was singing; so probably not the best choice for us.

Did she drool on your mic? If so, who cares what she's singing?

 

[avvie]

I could not sing and play when I started either. I learned. Here is your answer: Do it yourself.

This, and I'd like to suggest the TC Electronics Mic Mechanic to help you out:

Invalid Link Removed

 

[avvie]

I think as long as you can sing mostly on pitch and do it with feeling you can get by.

I'm still gonna suggest aid on the pitch if necessary (see above, just don't use too much correction) but sincerity or selling it is everything.

Also, You won't be able to sing everything. You'll have to find what you sound best doing. when you do, change the band's direction to suit that. I am really good at Southern rock whether I like it or not (I don't) but the audience absolutely loves when i do it because I sell it.

 

[avvie]

Also I'm gonna add this: I won't be jumping on the bandwagon to bash the singing competitions on TV. Those shows- especially "The Voice"- are handing out free singing lessons to anyone who will tune in and pay attention. Now, I get that the icons of classic rock would never survive those competitions, but singing was never their focus....they could still learn a lot about presentation and performing with conviction.