Like the great female artists of the long and great Rock era, that same period also had its share of male artists. And what a cast they were. Elvis Presley, Bobby Dylan, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, and yes, this list CAN go on and on. Where bands were concerned, there were plenty of great frontmen that led bands. Singers like Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones), Jim Morrison (The Doors), Freddy Mercury (Queen), and Steve Perry (Journey) were essential singers.
There are all kinds of male performers. The inimitable ones. The lyrical ones. The flashy and showy ones. The punkish ones. The angry ones. Singers. Songwriters. Singer/Songwriters.
Great performers like Leonard Cohen, Elvis Costello, Dave Lee Roth, Lou Reed, David Bowie, Rod Stewart.
I can’t even think straight, there are so many great male performers and singers.
Who makes YOUR Top five cut?
[This is part two of a three-part tie-in.]
1. ROBERT PLANT
3. OZZY OSBOURNE
3. IAN GILLIAN
3. BON SCOTT
4. FREDDIE MERCURY
4. PAUL RODGERS
4. JON ANDERSON
5. ROB HALFORD
5. MICK JAGGER
5. KLAUS MEINE
There are just too many but I will limit myself to 5 and I will take into account their ability to perform the “front man” duties as well as thier singing ability…
Mick Jagger
David Lee Roth
Bruce Springsteen
Bon Scott
Ozzy Osbourne
and I will add a personal favorite as a 6th choice; Geddy Lee
damn, Robert Plant has to be in there somwhere too. Like I said just too many to make a fair list of 5
This is hard but I’ll go with this: 1. Robert Plant 2. Mick Jagger 3. Roger Daltrey 4. David Bowie 5. Freddie Mercury
Because there are so many great male performers and singers I am going to by-pass the obvious heavy hitters and get to the journeymen who keep the small venues hopping with terrific shows.
Peter Wolf (blues, soul, Ramp;B and even country)
Eric Burdon (Springsteen gave him a debt of gratitude for his influence on him as a performer)
James McMurtry (storyteller par excellence with a sarcastic bent)
Al Kooper (the zelig of R’n’R)
Southside Johnny Lyon (a true disciple of the roots of R’n’R)
Roger Chapman (Family, Streetwalkers)
Robert PLant
Roger Daltry
Terry Reid
Peter Gabriel
Jon Anderson
John Wetton
Greg Lake
Steve Winwood
Terry Kath
Freddie Mercury
Meat Loaf
John Wetton
Dennis DeYoung
Mick Jagger
1. Freddie Mercury
2. Mick Jagger
3. Paul McCartney
4. Jim Morrison
5. Bon Scott
Steve Marriott
Ray Davies
Eric Burdon
Rod Stewart (faces era)
Pete Townshend/Roger Daltrey
Lennon–McCartney
DAVE GAHAN from DEPECHE MODE
ELVIS PRESLEY
JIM MORRISON
ROBERT PLANT
ROGER DALTREY
1. James Brown ( The greatest musical entertainer ever)
2. Freddie Mercury – Best frontman for stadiums ever
3. David Lee Roth (Vocals may not be top-notch, but performance-wise back in the day he could not be beat…
4. David Bowie – A true musical chameleon
5. Robert Plant – A true singer that is well aware of his limits nowadays and adapts….
Ritchie Havens
Jack Bruce
Graham Nash
David Crosby
Stephen Stills
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Nils Lofgren
In no particular order:
1. Bob Dylan
2. Johnny Cash (he recorded a lot of lousy songs over his career and made even those sound good)
3. Elvis Presley (tho’ I’m not much of a fan of the post Sun stuff)
4. Tim Hardin
5. Tom Rush (listen to The Circle Game album)
Freddie mercury-roger daltrey-Phil Collins -peter Gabriel -geddy lee
As far as performer or front men go a little talent is a plus but a big personality is a necessity. It would be hard to beat these guys:
Freddie Mercury
David Bowie
Mick Jagger
Bono
Peter Murphy
Morrissey
For songwriting skills I’d go with these guys:
Bob Dylan
Pete Townsend
Robyn Hitchcock
Billy Bragg
Nick Drake
Robert Smith
No guitar slingers on the list – that’s a whole seperate category!
Bob Dylan
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
Billy Joel (it kills me that he rarely gets the credit he deserves)
Paul Simon
Those are the first five, off the top of my head. But it means leaving off Mick/Keith, Daltrey/Pete, Waters/Gilmour, Plant/Page, Jimi, Clapton, Garcia, Elvis, Chuck, and many more.
Leon Russell
Jeff Beck
Brian Wilson
Tom Waits
Leon Russell