Okay, this is one of those little subjective lists that literally hundreds of people have their version of. In fact, over the years, I've done a few of these lists of my own. Just for fun, I have compiled another one here, for this blog. The names that appear on my list have been selected for their overall vocal ability, their position as a showman or frontman, and their influence on heavy rock. The names are not listed in any order however. It would be way too hard to rank most of these guys/gals over or below the others. So, anyway, read on to see my picks and feel free to leave feedback.
1. Ronnie James Dio- A small guy with a huge set of lungs. Ronnie's ability to deliver consistent live performances and carry notes at high volumes for long periods of time, just might have been the result of his beginnings with the trumpet and French horn. From 1958 until his death in 2010, at the age of 67, Ronnie was a well-respected mainstay of the rock n' roll scene. Credited with popularizing the "metal horns" hand gesture; Ronnie flew the banner for hard rock and heavy metal at the front of Elf, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and his solo namesake, DIO.
2. Rob Halford- He just might have brought leather and studs to heavy metal fashion and that's not all he's renowned for. Rob Halford has been affectionately called, "The Metal God." Partly because his band Judas Priest were one of the first bands to accept the term heavy metal. Partly, because the guy has a vocal range like no other. If you want to hear a human being sing in a glass-breaking register, I urge you to check out Painkiller, Victim of Changes, Dream Deceiver, The Ripper, and Exciter.
3. King Diamond- King Diamond just might be the father of Black Metal. He was rocking corpse paint before there was such a thing, holding a microphone stand made of bones, and singing about horror stories and the occult in a mighty impressive falsetto in the early 1980s.
4. Ian Gillan- Ian is insane. I mean that in a good way. I have never heard an individual sound so insane. He layed the blue print for the heavy metal high-pitch scream. Just ask Rob Halford and King Diamond. If you want to hear someone wail like no human can, check out Child In Time, Into the Fire, Speed King, and Bloodsucker as a member of Deep Purple. Also, his album with Black Sabbath, Born Again, is intense to say the least. Disturbing the Priest, Trashed, and Zero the Hero are killer.
5. David Byron was an underrappreciated talent. Without him, Uriah Heep could never recapture the fire they had on classics like Look At Yourself, Demons and Wizards, Salisbury, Very Eavy' Very Umble', and The Magician's Birthday. The man had pipes and showed it on classic tracks like: July Morning, Gypsy, The Wizard, Bird of Prey, Sweet Lorraine, Look at Yourself, and Easy Livin.'
6. Freddie Mercury- Mr. Mercury brought a certain sophistication to what he did lyrically and possessed a vocal range that could go from an operatic high to a low gravelly grunt. Couple his vocals with his flamboyant stage persona and you have one of the greatest live acts of all time. Queen died with him.
7. Graham Bonett- Graham never wanted to sing hard rock and heavy metal. He began as a singer of R&B, pop, and soul. Perhaps his first hit was Only One Woman, as a member of The Marbles. However, when Ronnie James Dio left Rainbow, Ritchie Blackmore scooped him up as the new lead singer. The union only lasted one album but it was a memorable one. Rainbow scored their biggest hit ever with the Russ Ballard-penned, Since You Been Gone. Despite his short time in Rainbow, he fell in love with heavy music and went on to sing for the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.
8. Sammy Hagar- Sammy is a guy who couldn't sell records in his younger days. Yet, as result of his killer live performances, packed arenas and auditoriums everywhere. He sang in one of America's first heavy metal bands, Montrose. After he split from Montrose, he ran full force into a solo career that eventually made him a household name. After years of hard work and after finally achieving some sales, he joined Van Halen. He went on to be even bigger with the Van Halen brothers. Now, he fronts Chickenfoot and still delivers mighty vocals. The Red Rocker is a force to be reckoned with as a singer, guitar player, and businessman.
9. Klaus Meine- Klaus has fronted the Scorpions for 4 decades. The Scorpions remained a force of rock almost exclusively across the pond until the early 1980s. In fact, it took them quite awhile to get the attention they deserved. They began as a raw 1970s German heavy metal unit but it was the party-hearty MTV hard rock hit Rock You Like A Hurricane that solidified their global stance as a heavy hitter of hard rock music. Klaus has been noted as possessing a voice so soft that in the early days of the band he was routinely mistaken for a woman. It is my opinion that Klaus just might be the originator of the guttural scream that would become a mainstay in the 90s metal scene. He screamed like there was no tomorrow on the bands early releases, a price he eventually payed with a torn vocal cord. That didn't stop him however. After surgery he actually gained range!
10. David Coverdale- The classy English singer for Deep Purple and Whitesnake has one of the bluesiest vocal deliveries of any rock singer. In fact, now his voice is even bluesier. This is no surprise however, he is man whose influences come directly from good old southern blues. He entered Deep Purple after the departure of Ian Gillan and made three funky but heavy Deep Purple records that one really needs to hear to believe. Later he fronted Whitesnake, a straight-up blues rock unit. It wasn't until his late 80s rebirth as a glam band singer that Whitesnake got their credit but that's helped him return to playing Whitesnake tunes more akin to their earlier output. Once he grabbed the audience, he was able to persuade them over to blues hard rock and metal.
11. Glenn Hughes- David Coverdale's brother in blues with a little more of a funk edge, Mr. Hughes is another English powerhouse with a passion for bass guitar. He just might be the only bassist out there however, who sings even better! He's fronted Trapeze, shared vocal duties with Coverdale in Deep Purple, sang for Tony Iommi's Seventh Star and Fused projects, and has now taken the mic for Black Country Communion. In England he's known as "The voice of rock."
12. Iggy Pop- With a voice that seems to have really loved Elvis as a young rock n' roller; Iggy has been called one of the originators of the heavy metal attitude as well as "The Godfather of Punk." Only, Iggy Pop sings way too good for punk by the modern definition. He's an overlooked vocalist and songwriter who now, in his 60s, seems to be getting the respect he deserves.
13. Meatloaf- Famous for the voice of Jim Steinman's music, Meatloaf always brought an operatic approach to rock music. No one can deny that in his prime, Meat was one of the greatest voices around. Today he still rocks it in the studio but years of touring with songs of great length have made the live performances harder to pull off.
14. Peter Steele- Steele was a darkly comedic man with a life-long hate of life. Fortunately for us, his pain and anger translated into some of the most beautiful metal performances of all time. With Carnivore, he sang and screamed better than anyone in hardcore and thrash. With Type O Negative, his deep bass delivery could sometimes depress you, excite you, make you scream, make you cry, and make you feel like makin' love all in one song. The man was gothic personified and I don't mean those mall goth kids with trip pants and eye-lid piercings. He was a dark tortured soul crying out and conquering demons with bass in hand and microphone in front. Sadly, he passed away of heart failure at age 48.
15. Arthur Brown- Known as "The God of Hellfire." Arthur Brown conquered both sides of the Atlantic in 1968 with the smash hit, Fire. Brown possesses a vocal range of over 4 octaves. Peter Gabriel, Marilyn Manson, Bruce Dickinson, and King Diamond have all confessed their love of the man at some point and he's made guest appearances on several different projects, including: Hawkwind, The Alan Parson's Project, Bruce Dickinson solo, Klaus Schulze, Curly's Airships, and All Living Fear.
16. John Lawton- John fronted Lucifer's Friend and Uriah Heep and just might be one of the most overlooked vocalists alive today. The man has talent and it's a great shame he was never able to gain more noteriety. Ride the Sky by Lucifer's friend just might contain one of the greatest vocal performances in hard rock history.
17. David Bowie- David Bowie rules. He's a musical chameleon and sings just about any genre he's done with pefection. He possesses a rich baritone voice pefect for rock n' roll and he just might be the most emulated voice in punk, new wave, and gothic rock. He started with a British Invasion self-titled record, moved on to early Heavy Metal, then glam rock, then art rock, blue-eyed soul and jazz, electronic, dance pop, hard rock, industrial rock, and finally just plain old rock. Jeez, talk about a guy with a personality crisis. Don't forget he also changed his appearance with every musical change. British long-hair rock n' roller, drag queen, space alien, sexually ambigious art form, big band swinger, clubber, fashionista, gothic industrial rocker, and seasoned rock vet. The many faces of the amazing Mr. Bowie.
18. Dee Snider- Dee has a voice made to sing rebellion. A voice made to piss off the establishment. Well, he did it. As the singer of Twisted Sister he made the filthy 15, tackled the PMRC in court, and lived to rock another day. We're Not Gonna Take it is the timeless song of any generation and his voice sings it the best.
19. Phil Mogg- Phil Mogg is another overlooked gem of a singer and songwriter. He writes some of the best vocal melodies in the biz and as the frontman of UFO, gave hard rock and heavy metal one of its most melodic but heavy bands ever. His voice is easy to distinguish from the hard rock lot and few can catch a melody and ride it like he can.
20. Paul Stanley- It's my money that he's the musical genius behind KISS. Sure, Gene Simmons has the image and the business sense, but Paul Stanley is one hell of a singer. He probably sings 3/4 of KISS's greatest tunes. Not to mention he produced the most worthwhile of the individual members' solo efforts. He can sing reasonably high in his natural voice and gives slow songs a real kick that most lack.
21. Jack Bruce- Jack Bruce is the mighty singer of Cream. I have always loved how Jack Bruce can sing atop guitar-heavy hard rock and then gradually dip his voice into a sensuous warble to end a chorus. Cream, in my opinion, just might have been the best rock export the United Kingdom had to offer in the late 1960s.
22. Rod Stewart- That's right, the pop singer. He wasn't always a pop singer though. As the frontman in the unforgettable late 1960s Jeff Beck Group and also The Faces, Rod Stewart really rocked. He rocked hard. His throaty crisp rendition of the Elvis Presely standard Jailhouse Rock on Beck-Ola is a killer vocal performance.
23. Joe Lynn Turner- Joe took over the vocal duties in Rainbow after Graham Bonett departed, once again proving Ritchie Blackmore knows how to find singers. Joe brought a poppier flare to the founders of power metal but he never compromised when it came to singing with the aforementioned power. His solo records are fantastic as well and his sole record with Deep Purple, Slaves and Masters, is an odd but enjoyable entry in the great bands legacy. His voice is smooth and so clean sometimes it's downright jaw-dropping. You rarely have a hard time catching the lyrics on even your first listen.
24. Doro Pesch- Doro Pesch is proof that power comes in small packages. The attractive, blonde, German singer can wail with the boys. She can sing high like any good power-metaller and she can sing very moving ballads. Just crank All We Are from her band Warlock and you'll see what I mean.
25. Jared Leto- Yeah, the actor. My girlfriend turned me on to his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars. Ordinarily it wouldn't have been the kind of band I'd have bought an album from. Then I heard this guy sing. All I can say is, "Why'd the music career not come before the acting?" He has a nice clean vocal delivery that lends itself not only to pop but to some good hard rock. He also packs alot of emotion into his choruses. Commendable indeed.
26. Tim "Ripper" Owens- Perhaps the best falsetto out there right now. He filled big shoes when he took over for Rob Halford in Judas Priest and he brought extreme vocal power to Winter's Bane and Iced Earth. Now he fronts Charred Walls of the Damned with Death drummer Richard Christy. He's a dead-ringer for a young Rob Halford, with an American accent just to separate him a little bit from his English hero.
27. Ian Anderson- This man, for over forty years, has sang his heart out and played the flute like a classical music master throughtout Jethro Tull's entire catalogue and live performances. You have to pat this guy on the back. For the entirety of a live show, he sings every word of a song and breaks only to solo on the flute. He's got a pair of lungs, that's for sure.
28. Derek St. Holmes- Yet another unsung hero of hard rock. Most people probably wouldn't even know it but, Ted Nugent was not the lead vocalist in the Ted Nugent band in those early days. It was this guy, Derek St. Holmes (Actually Meatloaf sang a few songs on Free-For-All). Derek has a voice that just shouts classic rock. He was the perfect compliment to Nugent's guitar playing and even though he really hasn't done a lot of notable projects since, it's worth noting he's the guy that sang the amazing Stranglehold.
29. Anne Wilson- Ever heard Barricuda by Heart? Then you know just how much power this lady's voice has behind it. She's a stellar vocalist that has had every bit of influence on hard rock as her male peers. Dreamboat Annie and Little Queen are what the strong female voice is all about.
30. Phil Lynott- A poet with a microphone and a bass. Phil's vocals weren't the icing on the cake to Thin Lizzy's twin-guitar sound. They were the very soul. Whether he was singing a lovely ballad like Still in Love with You or soaring through a heavy metal tune like Cold Sweat, he always seemed to be singing with real feeling.
31. Michael Bolton- Before he was an adult contemporary crooner, he really rocked in the hard rock band BlackJack and his first two solo records. BlackJack reminds one of Bad Company with a harder guitar sound, the product of having Bruce Kulick (who would later join KISS) shredding away behind you. Songs like Heart of Stone and Welcome to the World really give one a sense of his vocal prowess. His solo record Everybody's Crazy is a nice hair metal/AOR album that really confuses folks that know him for his covers of 50s love song standards.
32. Gary Cherone- Gary knows how to sing. He always brings the funk to the hard rock and an attitude that gives the songs an extra boost of umph. Van Halen III should not be where you start and stop with this guy. Forget that ill-fated adventure and check out his Extreme days. Oh, and if you're aware of Extreme, the acoustic ballad More than Words isn't his best either. Unfornately for Gary he's been pigeonholed between the master failure of a horrible one-off Van Halen disc and the super success of a heavy-less ballad. When it gets down to it though, this guy can sing hard rock with real scope.
33. Matthew Bellamy- Matthew is the vocalist of the English pop/progressive/hard rock/symphonic rock unit Muse. Like UFO's Phil Mogg he can really write vocal melodies. Matthew grabs those melodies and rides them to finish with beautful falsettos and and his own killer guitar licks. He's a good guitarist and a tremendous singer.
34. Lemmy Kilmister- Lemmy is Rock N' Roll. Plain and simple. He bleeds Rock N' Roll. He sweats it. He comes from the school of Chuck Berry and Little Richard but somewhere along the way he seems to have swallowed a few razor blades. Or maybe it's just the Jacks and Cokes? The cigarettes? The speed? The strange women? Anyway around it, he has a very distinctive rough and gruff style perfect for heavy fast Rock N' Roll. He roadied for Jimi Hendrix. He played bass and sang on Hawkwind's most famous of songs. He sang for Sam Gopal. For the past 35 years he's flown the flag of Motorhead and he couldn't be happier. He was punk before it existed. He was heavy metal before Steppenwolf spoke it. He's as real as they come. While not a technically perfect vocalist, no one else should dare attempt to sing Ace of Spades, Killed by Death, The Watcher, Love me Forever, Overkill, Bomber, or God Was Never on Your Side. He's the only one who could keep up with those songs. He's also a tremendous songwriter. You know Ozzy's songs Momma I'm Coming Home, I Don't Wanna Change the World, and Hellraiser? Yep, Lemmy wrote them.
35. Messiah Marcolin- Messiah was made to sing the doom and gloom. As the darkly mesmerizing vocalist of Candlemass, he delivered some fine high volume soaring vocals.
36. Bobby Liebling- As the singer/songwriter of Virginia's long-running doom metal unit, Pentagram, Bobby has been through the ups and downs. However, he's maintained a cult following and his songwriting has often drawn the attention of folks like Gene Simmons who wanted to buy him out! His voice is masculine and rough on the fast tunes and emotionally driving on the ballads. You couldn't call his ballads soft songs though, because he always brings the heavy!
37. Philip Anselmo- Phil is most famous as the singer behind Pantera and Down. In his early days in Pantera he could sing like the best of them. Obviously one who took his Rob Halford to heart, he soared with high screams and tore through fast sections with a voice unlike anything in thrash. Cememtery Gates on the legendary Cowboys from Hell just might be his finest moment. After Vulgar Display of Power his voice adopted a rougher sludgy quality that couldn't capture the power he let loose on his first three records with the band. He began to shout more and scream less. Some say he lost the range, others say he just progressed. Either way, his earliest performances will always be his best.
38. Billy Squier- Ah, how one video can ruin a career? But honestly, he can't be doing too bad now. Adam Sandler always throws The Stroke in his movies. Good royalties? Billy has a nice naturally high voice that was well-suited to early 80s guitar-driven rock. As he moved further from hard rock, his voice never got the chance to show off again.
39. Mark Slaughter- Most known for the ballad Fly to the Angels with his namesake band, Slaughter. Mark gave some of his best vocal work for Vinnie Vincent, however, in the Vinnie Vincent Invasion. His highs are perfect in the classic Love Kills and he carries the ballads just fine too.
40. Geddy Lee- Some may not be able to handle his nails-on-a-chalkboard approach. But try singing along like that sometime. He has a very disctinctive voice to say the least and without his vocals and bass, Rush just wouldn't be the same. More range than he's given credit for.
41. Biff Byford- Biff has long carried the heavy metal flag into battle. He's even trying to get it legally recognized as a religion in his native UK! His vocals are always clean and consistent in live performances and he brings the heavy metal thunder to the studio too!
42. David Lee Roth- Commanding a raspy howl and trying for highs he picked up as a fan of the Ohio Players, he added a party happy frat house flavor to early Van Halen that is forever loved. Not the best in terms of technical ability but a wondeful showman with an unequaled energy.
43. Black Lawless- W.A.S.P.'s mainman and PMRC favorite, Blackie has one of the most sinister and mischievious voices in all of metal. He has this dark but sleazy vocal delivery that perfectly represents his raw-meat flinging persona.
44. Henry Rollins- Perhaps the most commanding agressive vocalist ever. When Rollins talks, you listen. He barks orders and enlightens you philosophically through his lyrics and has a raspy shout that gets everyone standing and paying attention.
45. John Kay- In Born to Be Wild he sang, "Heav metal thunder!" He's Steppenwolf's frontman and besides being the guy pointed at for unknowingly naming a whole genre, he has a cool collected vocal style that puts one right back on a harley cruising down the open road in the late 1960s.
As always I must mention Alice Cooper, the world's greatest showman. But above, you get to hear about some of my other favorites!
And also, dont forget to check out: Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost), Stephen Pearcy (Ratt), Jani Lane (Warrant), Tim Aymar (Control Denied), Lita Ford, Joey Belladona (Anthrax), Rusty Day (Cactus), Dan McCafferty (Nazareth), Patti Smith, Paul McCartney, Kevin Dubrow (Quiet Riot), Marc Free (King Kobra), Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Brian Johnson (Before AC/DC he was in Geordie), Mark Farner (Grand Funk) and Wino (St. Vitus).
