Who has The best voice

[nomis]

We did the bottom of the barrel - now whos the top.. heres who I think have the greatest voices,purely subjective of course..

Frank Sinatra
Billie Holiday
Karen Carpenter
Marvin Gaye
Joan Baez
Judy Collins
Stevie Nicks
Diana Ross
Lauryn Hill
Whitney Houston [[once upon a time)
Judy Garland
Pavarotti
Luther Vandross
Anita Baker
Jim Morrison
Tracy Chapman
Beyonce
....hmm thats off the top of m head

[abfan]

U know I was gonna make one of these threads earlier...Oh well u beat me to it


Top 3 of course Aretha Patti Anita.... Glady's gets a honorable mention.....

brb with my male choices

[pshark]

These type of posts are getting old and always ends up with a flame war

[abfan]

pshark are you in a good mood my friend.It's just conversation and opinions for god's sake

[pshark]

Believe me this will turn into hissy fit thread. Kinda like whacking a wasp's nest with a stick. You're just inviting trouble

[davie gordon2]

I usually find that when I do one of these lists I forget some people I really rate but just haven't played for a few months - the list ends up being people I've
listened to recently ... probably one of those things that needs more thought and time to be really accurate. The other thing is that there many singers that
move me emotionally far more than others who are supposedly technically better. My rule of thumb has always been if what they're singing touches me it doesn't matter
if they can't hit notes that only dogs can hear.
Nomis, Judy Collins ? hmmm, good singer I'll grant you - I'm just not nuts about some of her material, she sometimes comes across as just TOO polished - how about Sandy Denny ?

[jobeterob]

Art Garfunkel
Elvis Presley
Aretha Franklin
Diana Ross
Frank Sinatra
Connie Francis
Michael Buble
Mariah Carey
Dusty Springfield
Whitney Houston of the old times
Mirielle Mathieu
Lady Gaga
Barbra Streisand

[robb_k]

Nat Cole, Ray Pollard, Sollie McElroy, Dee Dee Warwick, Rudy West, Blinky Williams, Willie Winfield, Sarah Vaughn, Billy Eckstine, Lenny Welch, Barbra Streisand, Nate Nelson, Arthur Lee Maye, Perkle Lee Moses, Whitney Houston, Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, Carmen McRae, Maryland Pierce, Eugene Pitt, Mel Carter, Richard Street, Barbara Lewis, Rudy Lewis, Johnny Moore, Arthur Prysock, Pavarotti, Caruso, Jerry Butler,

[daddyacey]

Based soley on the unique quality and mastery of their voice as an instrument ,I would add...........
Walter Jackson
Dinah Washington
Sarah Vaughn
Chaka Kahn
Valerie Simpson
Gladys Knight
Levi Stubbs
Nancy Wilson
Stephanie Mills
Randy Crawford
Linda Jones
Aretha Franklin
Rochell Flemming
Joycelyn Brown
Joe Williams
Minnie Ripperton
Denice Williams
Arthur Prysock
Charlie Wilson
Jeffery Osborne
Rapheal Saddiq
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Junior
Michael Jackson
Smokey Robinson
Sharon Jones
Jill Scott
Barbara Roy
Cory Daye
Sarah Vaughn
Phyllis Hyman
Angela Bofill
Eloise Laws
Alexander O'Neal
Eddie Levert
Gerald Levert
Martha Wash
Gwen Guthrie
Luther Vandross
Natalie Cole

[nomis]

I had no intention in my mind when I posted to start a war..Im far too exhausted from the wars that have been recently going on other threads..just was interested in whose voice has touched sdf members personally

[jboy88]

Daddyyancey covered most of my favorites but here are some singers that haven't been mentioned yet.

David Ruffin, Tammi Terrell, Paul Williams, Aaliyah, Selena, Johnnie Wilder, Sam "Little Sonny" Brown, Sharon Paige.

[daviddesper]

Most of my favorites have been mentioned but here is my take:

For pure vocal power, not to mention longevity at protecting and enhancing their instrument over the years: Shirley Bassey, Barbra Streisand and on the male side Tom Jones

For having the natural talent to sing just anything at all and make you believe it: Nancy Wilson, Phyllis Hyman, Anne Murray, Karen Carpenter, and among males Johnny Mathis

For appealing to my personal style of music: Dionne Warwick, Whitney [[for a while as people have pointed out), Phyllis [[again), and to give shout outs to a few of my blues mamas-Denise LaSalle, Trudy Lynn, E. C. Scott and Francine Reed. It is harder to pick out some males in this category, but if I had to, it would be Errol Brown of Hot Chocolate, David Ruffin, and Curtis Stigers, but only for the first album. [[If I ever meet him, I am going to kick him in the nads for changing his musical style!)

If there were a gun to my head and I had to name only one favorite out of all of these, it would be Dionne because I have liked more of her music over the years than some of the others. But then you just can't beat Miss Nancy as a pure song stylist. That lady can sannnnngggggggg!

[daddyacey]

OMG ,I forgot to mention Ron Isley ,Jerry Butler ,El Debarge ,Kenny and Clarence Burke.

[KevLo]

Hi this is Kev-Lo

Well since no one mentioned The Immortal Sam Cooke I'll start off with him and then
Smokey Robinson
Eddie Kendricks
Curtis Mayfield
Jackie Wilson
Aretha Franklin
Glady's Knight
Linda Jones
Eddie Holman
Phillip Baily
Russell Thompson Jr.
Wil Hart
Ted [[The Wizard) Mills
Damion Harris
Eugene Record

Just name a few, daddyacey already named most of great ones

[useyourchucklemuscle]

I had no intention in my mind when I posted to start a war..Im far too exhausted from the wars that have been recently going on other threads..just was interested in whose voice has touched sdf members personally

Tata Vega, Tammi Terrell, Kim Weston, Barbara Randolph, Loleatta Holloway, Martha Wash, Shirley Brown, Peggy Scott-Adams, Irma Thomas, Roberta Flack, Phyllis Hyman, Jean Carne, Kiki Dee, Dusty Springfield, Gladys Knight, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Thelma Houston, Bettye Lavette, Patti LaBelle, Linda Clifford, Darlene Love, Diana Ross, Jean Terrell, Scherrie Payne, Chaka Khan, Clydie king, Venetta Fields, Sherlie Matthews, Sheila Ferguson, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Vermettya Royston, Esther Phillips, Maxine Brown, Ruby Turner, Helen Terry, Christina Aguilera, Doris Troy, Kelis.

Just a few!!!

[copley]

Marianne Faithfull
Dusty Springfield
Laura Nyro
Joni Mitchell
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Blinky Williams
Brenda Holloway
Wanda Rogers
Gladys Horton
Kim Weston
Martha Reeves
Gladys Knight
Mary Wells
Jean Terrell
Tammi Terrell
Diana Ross
Nona Hendryx
Nina Simone
Dinah Washington
Billie Holiday
Ella Fitzgerald
Mavis Staples
Sharon Jones
Janis Joplin
Martha Davis
Beth Gibbons
Siouxsie Sioux
Doris Duke
Cass Elliot
PJ Harvey
Carmel McCourt
Grace Slick
Patti Smith
Ronnie Spector
Cher
Etta James
Aretha Franklin
Mitty Collier
Madeline Bell
Big Maybelle
Ruth Brown
Carla Thomas
Dee Dee Warwick
Suzanne Vega
Amy Winehouse


David Bowie
David Ruffin
Shorty Long
Levi Stubbs
Marvin Gaye
James Carr
Stevie Wonder
Otis Redding
Smokey Robinson
Brian Wilson
Lou Reed
Scott Walker
Cee Lo Green
Sam Cooke

[splanky]

I had no intention in my mind when I posted to start a war..Im far too exhausted from the wars that have been recently going on other threads..just was interested in whose voice has touched sdf members personally

Well, since you put that way, I have to say daddyacey pretty much covered most of my best enjoyed singers and kev lo and copely mentioned a few others...Wanda Rogers, definitely and a major inspiration to me, Nina Simone. Other than that
I've said before my taste often fall far off the beaten path so I'll add:

Jeri Brown
Oumou Sangare
Sa Ding Ding
Sheila Chandra
Jane Monheit
Carmen Souza
Glodean White
Carla Cook
Molly Johnson and my favorite voice of the last 10 years
Ejigayehu Shibabaw known in this country as Gigi. I could listen to this woman's hiccups and burps...

[nysister]

Daddyacey and KevLo pretty much got me covered!

[edafan]

Paul Robeson


and

Ella Fitzgerald



edafan

[nomis]

Im glad someone mentioned Bassey - Ive always admired her voice it has grown to an almost operatic quality - I think her choice of alot of standards has lessened her impact to many listeners,But shes definetley got the pipes...

[arrr&bee]

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa,this is great...you actually put elvis average voice on a list with sinatra????haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa puleeeeezzze frank's snoring was better than elvis singing..ok here's my pennies worth...sinatra-dean martin-tony bennett-marvin gaye-lou rawls-luther-jerry butler-david ruffin-brook benton-johnny mathis-nat king cole-jackie wilson-walter jackson...females-aretha-patti-dinah washington-jennifer holliday-the great mahalia jackson!!

[useyourchucklemuscle]

Im glad someone mentioned Bassey - Ive always admired her voice it has grown to an almost operatic quality - I think her choice of alot of standards has lessened her impact to many listeners,But shes definetley got the pipes...

I love Dame Shirley's 'Performance' album. Her voice is still powerful!

[RossHolloway]

My Holy Trinity of Singers are: Diana Ross, Brenda Holloway and Teena Marie.

[mikey]

One of the best singers ever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maHE2bkQ9No

[waldo]

anyone said Melba Moore ?

[topdiva1]

anyone said Melba Moore ?

Well they sure should have - and for God's sake what about Dionne Warwick, and Esther Phillips.

[arrr&bee]

I should be horsewhipped for not mentioning..natalie cole-whitney houston..and a female voice many of us may have forgotten-theora kilgore[great singer]!

[topdiva1]

Shirley Bassey and all of The Three Degrees - plus Phoebe Snow - All of Labelle - Mary Wilson [[surprise) and Nina Simone.

[phyl]

mary wilson is my favorite singer of all time she cna sing anything and i love it.

[jillfoster]

Females:
Mama Cass
Dusty
Karen Carpenter
Dionne

Men:
J. Vincent Edwards
Richard Barnes
Cuba Gooding
O.C Smith
Al Wilson

[daddyacey]

I have to add Lauren Hill ,Lisa Stansfield and Joss Stone to the list.

[cuz]

The real deal

Russell Thompkins Jr.

[Kamasu_Jr]

The real deal

Russell Thompkins Jr.

One of the best, most spectacular singers to emerge in the 1980s was Miki Howard. She came after Billie Holiday, Aretha and Ch
aka, but she was every bit their equal.

[jobeterob]

Where is your Dad, Kamasu?

We need him to help define and keep order here. He's missed.

[luke]

Patti, Barbra, Luther, Lorraine Ellison, Darlene Love,Sam Harris, Aretha, Bobby Hatfield, Thelma Houston,David Ruffin

[nomis]

I listened to Alison Moyet the other day..boy can she sing love how her voice sounds..

[adrian]

Some notable omissions:-
Al Green
Solomon Burke
Sam Moore
Ann Peebles
Blinky

[blueskies]

Ronnie Dyson
Jerry Butler
Dusty Springfield
Brenda Holloway
Alton McClain
Kim Weston
Anita Baker
Morgana King [[perhaps an acquired taste?)
Brenda Payton
Wanda Rogers
Edna Wright
and Miss Jean Terrell

[nomis]

anyone mentioned Jackie Wilson? the vocal on "Lonley Teardrops" floors me..Im glad other people have mentioned Karen Carpenter as well,The depth of sorrow in her voice for someone so young..everytime I hear Karen Im astounded at her instrument..its so precise,clear and melancholy....

[TammiTerrellFan]

Patsy Cline, Selena Quintanilla, Tammi Terrell, Flo Ballard, Karen Carpenter, Dusty Springfield, Timi Yuro, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Janet Vogel-Rapp [[The Skyliners), Gus Hardin [[female Country/blues)...

[Guy]

Just the men:

Al Jarreau
Luther Vandross
Jack Jones
Teddy Pendergrass
George Michael
Steve Perry
Johnny Mathis
Marvin Gaye
Levi Stubbs
Tony Hadley

[Guy]

Has no one named LINDA RONSTADT? For real?

[PeaceNHarmony]

Well they sure should have - and for God's sake what about Dionne Warwick, and Esther Phillips.

Esther - oh HECK yes!!

[nativeNY63]

Not sure if Chaka was overlooked. For longevity & sheer power. And am certain the superb pipes of Temp, Ali "Ollie" Woodson was!

[PeaceNHarmony]

So many great voices mentioned here & I can't really present a logical argument against any of them.

[lockhartgary]

Great choices here but I'd add Tony Williams of the Platters.

[nativeNY63]

She doesn't belong on here, but for the main fact she is, Imo, an Aretha Franklin sound-alike. Shirley Brown.

[arr&bee]

This post is fun,so how bout...eddie lavert...walter jackson...dennis edwards...roy hamilton.

[nativeNY63]

This post is fun,so how bout...eddie lavert...walter jackson...dennis edwards...roy hamilton.

Don't forget Eddie past on his voice to son, Gerald. Don't believe me? Go check out that father/son album they dropped back inaday!!! Uncanny!!!!

[nativeNY63]

The baritone/bass: Temp Mel "Blue " Franklin & Mike McCarty [[?) of B2M for subtle, understated and underrated silk n mocca.