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Post by M.Maestro on Jun 26, 2005 12:20:36 GMT -8
After much calculation, research, & brainstorming, these are the 100 top Male Vocalists of the 20th Century. If you agree, or disagree with this list, feel free to make comments, yea or neigh. If you'd like, supply your list of the best, and if there is a sufficient response, we'll tally them up & post the results here.
100. John Denver 99. Gene Autry 98. Buddy Clark 97. Louis Prima 96. Sting 95. George Harrison 94. Rick Nelson 93. Jack Jones 92. Cab Calloway 91. Ronnie Milsap 90. Tex Ritter 89. Richard Marx 88. Vic Damone 87. Jerry Vale 86. Tom Petty 85. Al Martino 84. Michael Bolton 83. Guy Mitchell 82. Tennessee Ernie Ford 81. Waylon Jennings 80. Glen Campbell 79. Eddy Howard 78. Chuck Berry 77. Little Richard 76. Tom Petty 75. Jerry Lee Lewis 74. Buddy Holly 73. Fats Domino 72. Al Green 71. Tex Beneke 70. Fred Astaire 69. B.B. King 68. Jim Reeves 67. Tom Jones 66. Engelbert Humperdinck 65. Phil Collins 64. Frankie Valli 63. Brook Benton 62. Neil Sedaka 61. Conway Twitty 60. Chubby Checker 59. Mario Lanza 58. Hank Thompson 57. Muddy Waters 56. Johnny Mercer 55. Mel Torme 54. Hank Snow 53. Lefty Frizzell 52. Johnny Ray 51. Ernest Tubb 50. Merle Haggard 49. Jackie Wilson 48. Vaughn Monroe 47. Louis Jordan 46. Barry Manilow 45. Rod Stewart 44. Willie Nelson 43. Smokey Robinson 42. Eddie Fisher 41. Hank Williams Sr. 40. Kenny Rogers 39. Jimmie Rodgers (the C&W pioneer) 38. Paul Anka 37. George Jones 36. Sammy Davis Jr. 35. Frankie Laine 34. Billy Joel 33. Rudy Vallee 32. Luciano Pavarotti 31. Enrico Caruso 30. Steve Lawrence 29. Johnny Mathis 28. Billy Eckstein 27. Roy Acuff 26. Dick Haymes 25. Robert Goulet 24. Barry White 23. Marty Robbins 22. Roy Orbison 21. Sam Cooke 20. Andy Williams 19. Bobby Darin 18. Pat Boone 17. Marvin Gaye 16. James Brown 15. Neil Diamond 14. Paul McCartney 13. Dean Martin 12. Eddy Arnold 11. Elton John 10. Johnny Cash 9. Perry Como 8. Stevie Wonder 7. Nat King Cole 6. Ray Charles 5. Tony Bennett 4. Al Jolson 3. ELVIS PRESLEY 2. BING CROSBY 1. FRANK SINATRA
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tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Jul 16, 2005 2:51:49 GMT -8
In choosing my favourite male vocalists of the 20th Century, I used only one rule. I asked myself 'who would I be happy to listen to all day, without getting bored?'.
The list I arrived at probably contains one or two people that others wouldn't necessarily recognise, and I appologise in advance for that. Here they are (in no particular order):
Bing Crosby Dean Martin Frank Sinatra Simon Nicol - the lead singer and founder member of British folk-rock group, Fairport Convention John Denver Mel Torme Gene Pitney Gordon Lightfoot Glenn Campbell Harry Secombe Josef Locke Jim Reeves Barry Manilow Vic Damone Perry Como Howard Keel Pete Cetera - lead singer of Chicago
I'll probably think of others, but that'll do for now. Feel free to vocalise your opinions!
Tom
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Post by vidal on Jul 28, 2005 7:43:10 GMT -8
Nice to see a fellow Fairporter on the web, Tom! Hope you'll be at Cropedy with the rest of us.
Simon is a very underated singer and his voice just seems to get deeper and richer as they years go on.
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Post by peridot44 on Jul 28, 2005 11:43:06 GMT -8
Couldn't stand Sinatra with his nasal whine (as an actor not so bad), preferred Perry Como and Dean Martin. Elvis Presley (of course, as I was 10 when Heartbreak Hotel flabbergasted me!) Buddy Holly Rickie Nelson Glenn Campbell Ray Charles Paul Anka Mario Lanza (maybe he belongs in a different, list with Placido Domingo - a great favourite of mine). P
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Post by M.Maestro on Jul 28, 2005 11:58:26 GMT -8
Couldn't stand Sinatra with his nasal whine (as an actor not so bad), preferred Perry Como and Dean Martin. Elvis Presley (of course, as I was 10 when Heartbreak Hotel flabbergasted me!) Buddy Holly Rickie Nelson Glenn Campbell Ray Charles Paul Anka Mario Lanza (maybe he belongs in a different, list with Placido Domingo - a great favourite of mine). P Nasal whine? ;D Oh, well you can't please 'em all!
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Post by peridot44 on Jul 28, 2005 12:26:54 GMT -8
Well, maybe nasal whine was a bit strong but really I found his voice to have a very 'nasal' quality to it and a hard edge I didn't like at all. I've disliked his singing voice since the 50s and never liked any song of his except 'Something Simple' the duet with his daughter. even there that nasal edge was audible but much softer than usual. This version is easily better than the latest one. I take it you're a Sanatra fan, then. P
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Post by M.Maestro on Jul 28, 2005 12:46:04 GMT -8
Well, maybe nasal whine was a bit strong but really I found his voice to have a very 'nasal' quality to it and a hard edge I didn't like at all. I've disliked his singing voice since the 50s and never liked any song of his except 'Something Stupid' the duet with his daughter. even there that nasal edge was audible but much softer than usual. This version is easily better than the latest one. I take it you're a Sanatra fan, then. P Well, P, it's like this: You can argue for ANY of the top 3 as not only the greatest male singer of the 20th century, but you could ALSO argue that any of those gentlemen is the greatest ENTERTAINER of the century! (more on that in a future thread, I promise you! But back to Mr. Sinatra. While not having the overwhelming chart success of the other two (6 #1's as opposed to Bing's 38(!) or Elvis' 18 (2nd to The Beatles' 20 in the Rock Era), or as many charted hits (127 vs. 147 for Elvis or 383 for Bing (!!), his vocal phrasings were well respected by his peers, fans, & music buyers all over the world. One of the very few artists to have charted top 10 records/albums in SIX decades, he may not have been the most talented singer in history (Nat King Cole, Jackie Wilson, Billy Eckstein, & Al Jolson come to mind) but NO ONE had an across the board appeal like Frank! From 1940 ("I'll Never Smile Again" w/Tommy Dorsey & the Pied Pipers) to 1957's classic "In The Wee Small Hours" album, to the #1 "Strangers In The Night" (which by the way won the 1966 Record Of The Year at the Grammys, to his comeback hit "Theme From 'New York, New York" in 1980, to 1993's "Duets II" Album, let the record reflect: his did it HIS WAY, & no one has done it better, in my humble opinion. P.S. "Something Stupid" was a #1 single on both the Pop Charts (4 wks) & the Easy Listening Chart (9 wks) in 1967) and I adore that single as well, P!
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tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Jul 29, 2005 3:56:01 GMT -8
Nice to see a fellow Fairporter on the web, Tom! Hope you'll be at Cropedy with the rest of us. Simon is a very underated singer and his voice just seems to get deeper and richer as they years go on. Unfortunately, I never seem to get to Cropredy, even though I've promised myself year after year. Something always seems get in the way - lack of money, lack of time, etc. I have seen them several times at various venues, mainly as Acoustic Fairport. The strange thing about them is that I can't decide which is their best song. But it must be said that when they perform Meet on the Ledge, it always brings a lump to the throat. That's probably their equivalent of Hey Jude. Simon's voice has a strangely hypnotic value. Their concerts are always good, mainly for the following reasons: They're usually on stage for about 2 hours (or more!) They vary their material. They always have time for their fans - both during intervals and after a concert. and most importantly: They always pick venues with bars! ;D Tom
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Post by peridot44 on Jul 29, 2005 5:18:41 GMT -8
Well, maybe nasal whine was a bit strong but really I found his voice to have a very 'nasal' quality to it and a hard edge I didn't like at all. I've disliked his singing voice since the 50s and never liked any song of his except 'Something Stupid' the duet with his daughter. even there that nasal edge was audible but much softer than usual. This version is easily better than the latest one. I take it you're a Sanatra fan, then. P Well, P, it's like this: You can argue for ANY of the top 3 as not only the greatest male singer of the 20th century, but you could ALSO argue that any of those gentlemen is the greatest ENTERTAINER of the century! (more on that in a future thread, I promise you! But back to Mr. Sinatra. While not having the overwhelming chart success of the other two (6 #1's as opposed to Bing's 38(!) or Elvis' 18 (2nd to The Beatles' 20 in the Rock Era), or as many charted hits (127 vs. 147 for Elvis or 383 for Bing (!!), his vocal phrasings were well respected by his peers, fans, & music buyers all over the world. One of the very few artists to have charted top 10 records/albums in SIX decades, he may not have been the most talented singer in history (Nat King Cole, Jackie Wilson, Billy Eckstein, & Al Jolson come to mind) but NO ONE had an across the board appeal like Frank! From 1940 ("I'll Never Smile Again" w/Tommy Dorsey & the Pied Pipers) to 1957's classic "In The Wee Small Hours" album, to the #1 "Stangers In The Night" (which by the way won the 1966 Record Of The Year at the Grammys, to his comeback hit "Theme From 'New York, New York" in 1980, to 1993's "Duets II" Album, let the record reflect: his did it HIS WAY, & no one has done it better, in my humble opinion. P.S. "Something Stupid" was a #1 single on both the Pop Charts (4 wks) & the Easy Listening Chart (9 wks) in 1967) and I adore that single as well, P! Ah well, we agree on something at least. You really are a Sinatra fan! One can't win an argument with a fan. P
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tom
Bronze Nostalgic Master
Posts: 101
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Post by tom on Jul 29, 2005 19:31:22 GMT -8
I've got my tin hat on, so I'm jumping into the Frank Sinatra debate. In my opinion, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby, and Nat King Cole were technically much better singers than both Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. However, Sinatra and Presley were far and away much better entertainers. Having said that, I'd gladly listen to any of the above anytime, but preferably in the wee small hours with some form of alcoholic beverage to hand! ;D Tom
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Post by peridot44 on Jul 30, 2005 0:48:02 GMT -8
Tom, I would agree that all those old hands had huge stage presence and I know Sinatra had that and could really hold an audience. It's just that I didn't like his singing voice. Dean Martin I preferred (especialyy if he was a little 'merry'). By all accounts Elvis had amazing stage presence and charisma. About technical ability - the funniest thing I saw on TV in relation to that was when Placido Domingo and Cliff Richard were brought together. Placido (who, in an opera house, needs no microphone) with his amazing and highly trained voice sang first. He held the mic on his lap facing sideways (he needed it so we at home could hear him) while he faced the audience, chin-up. His lovely voice filled the whole studio thrilling everyone including those who had never heard an opera singer before. The mic was handed to Cliff who was horrified and said 'Me! follow that?' However he put the mic up to his lips and the tiny weak little voice that emerged made me, at least, feel for him. He sounded like he always did but coming after an opera singer showed up the huge difference between a trained singer and an untrained one. This folly has never to my knowledge been repeated. The two genres should be kept strictly apart. How would Sinatra, Martin, Crosby, Bennet etc have faired? All would sound reasonable with no backing at all, I think, and could hold a tune certainly, but without training, wouldn't have the vocal power. Modern pop singers strive to make their weak voices heard above their own over-amplified instruments. Do they have stage presence? or just a great stage noise? I wouldn't know. I don't know if any of them could hold a tune with no backing at all. But - I admit I don't think the Animals could pass a test like that, but I loved House of the Rising Sun and still do. Great song with many versions esp Nina Simone's, but I still prefer The Animals' version. See Tom, I can go on a bit too. Cheers P
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Post by tigerman on Oct 15, 2005 15:42:47 GMT -8
My top 100 Male vocalists of the 20th Century are: 1: Elvis Presley 2: Mario Lanza 3: Al Jolson 4: Perry Como 5: Engelbert Humperdinck 6: Tom Jones 7: Nat King Cole 8:Dean Martin 9: John Denver 10: Jim Reeves 11: Buddy Holly 12: Johnny Cash 13: Carl Perkins 14: Jerry Lee Lewis I will try and think of some more.
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