Top 25 Favorite Singers countdown thread! (Top 2 Revealed!!!)

[Metro]

Geddy was #8 for me. Once the 80’s came around and he cooled it with the shrieking vocals, he became quite an impressive singer.
I’ve tried many times to get into Fates Warning. They’re just not for me.

25. Layne Staley
24.
23.
22.
21.
20.
19.
18.
17.   
16.   
15.
14.
13.
12.
11. Jon Anderson
10.
9. Rob Halford
8. Geddy Lee
7.
6.
5. Chris Cornell
4.
3.
2. Peter Gabriel
1.

[Stadler]

Before we enter the top 10, here is a question for all submitters:

Who is the one singer you put in your top 25 that you were pretty confident wouldn't end up on anyone else's list?

Mine was John Lodge, whom I had at 24.  The Moody Blues are a longtime favorite of mine, and even though Justin Hayward and Ray Thomas were probably the best singers in the band, there was something about Lodge's voice that I always liked a lot.

Easily half of my list.  I doubt David Coverdale or Johnette Napolitano are going to appear here.  Same with Jack Russell, Ben Orr (The Cars) or Hank Williams, Jr.

[Stadler]

I'm curious whether anyone but me had two singers from the same band on their lists.

I did.  In fact, technically speaking, the two singers in question were in TWO different "same" bands. 

[HOF]

I’m with Kev. Prime Geddy (I’d say 1980-2000) was a wonderful singer who gave a consistently great vocal performance on record at least. Lots of great singers didn’t sound that good for even 20 years before they lost it. His voice is one of the reasons I love that era of Rush the most. That said, he only came in at number 15 for me, which partly reflects how much I dislike a lot of his 70s performances and perhaps some of the later years as well. But he is one of the great rock vocalists in my opinion.

Alder did not rank for me, but I enjoy his voice for what it is. He gives a strong, consistent performance on the Fates albums I know. I sometimes feel that he is constrained to certain similar melody lines and that can make him a little sterile sounding. But he’s good at what he does. 

[Stadler]

All I can say is if my number one didn't rank, well, shame!!!!!

Not gonna lie: I would have gotten physically ill had your number 1 made the top 25.

No way. I had him at #11. He's the most underappreciated frontman and singer of his generation. He really doesn't get the respect he deserves for his talent.

Who are we talking about? I missed it if Glasser revealed his number 1.  Lemmy? 

[TAC]

Wow, 2 for 2!!!

I knew both would rank pretty wee in the countdown. I actually expected Geddy to rank higher.

Here's my list. I have 4 so far, plus the confirmed ones that didn't make it. I predicted I'd have 6 on the list, maybe 7. I am expecting two more.

25   Mike Howe
24   
23   Daniel Heiman
22   Joacim Cans
21   Rhett Forrester
20   Rob Halford
19   Biff Byford
18   Ray Alder
17   Eric Knutson
16   
15
14   
13   Geddy Lee
12   Matt Smith
11   Paul Stanley
10   
9   
8   
7   
6   
5   
4   
3   
2   
1   Michael Kiske

[TAC]

All I can say is if my number one didn't rank, well, shame!!!!!

Not gonna lie: I would have gotten physically ill had your number 1 made the top 25.

No way. I had him at #11. He's the most underappreciated frontman and singer of his generation. He really doesn't get the respect he deserves for his talent.

Who are we talking about? I missed it if Glasser revealed his number 1.  Lemmy?

No. It's someone that I would expect to definitely be on your list though.

[Stadler]

Yeah I get that but Einer's vocals are weak. On that criteria Geddy Lee should show up soon. I love Rush but Geddy's vocals are the weakest part of the band.

Einar's vocals....weak? Geddy Lee's voice weak? Get outta here! 

Right, but Paul Stanley is apparently a strong vocalist.

He's excellent, actually.

I've seen them more times than any other band, and I can only name one performance where I was not BLOWN AWAY by his vocals, and even then it wasn't bad at all.  He didn't make my list - I went with more iconic vocalists - but he is WAYYYYYY underrated as a vocalist.

[TAC]

Very disappointed Stadler. How is Paul Stanley NOT iconic?

[Stadler]

Who is the one singer you put in your top 25 that you were pretty confident wouldn't end up on anyone else's list?

Elliott Smith. Possibly also Shirley Manson, Grace Slick and Dusty Springfield.

Shirley Manson was  #44 on my original list.  Love her.

[jingle.boy]

FWIW, Tim... Matt Smith *just* missed my cut.

Well, with only 8 spots left, I'm looking at my list and thinking for more than a few of them "how the hell did they not rank, ??"... which I'm sure most/all of us are doing to some extent.  Especially given some of the names that are already here.

TASTES^TM!!!

[TAC]

Who is the one singer you put in your top 25 that you were pretty confident wouldn't end up on anyone else's list?

Elliott Smith. Possibly also Shirley Manson, Grace Slick and Dusty Springfield.

Shirley Manson was  #44 on my original list.  Love her.

[Stadler]

Very disappointed Stadler. How is Paul Stanley NOT iconic?

He IS iconic, though.  If we were doing "front men" he'd be in the top three.  Maybe top two (Freddie would be number one).   Paul is more the "total package" though, than just his vocals.   And to be honest, I prefer Gene's vocals - just the vocals.

[TAC]

Very disappointed Stadler. How is Paul Stanley NOT iconic?

He IS iconic, though.  If we were doing "front men" he'd be in the top three.  Maybe top two (Freddie would be number one).   Paul is more the "total package" though, than just his vocals.   And to be honest, I prefer Gene's vocals - just the vocals.

To be honest, I expected both to be on your list.

[Stadler]

Very disappointed Stadler. How is Paul Stanley NOT iconic?

He IS iconic, though.  If we were doing "front men" he'd be in the top three.  Maybe top two (Freddie would be number one).   Paul is more the "total package" though, than just his vocals.   And to be honest, I prefer Gene's vocals - just the vocals.

To be honest, I expected both to be on your list.

Paul was #32, Gene was #50.

[Lethean]

Both Geddy and Ray were on my list - #6 and 7.   

Very happy they both made it.

[Tomislav95]

Ray, yes. My #1. He is the case of a singer that could sing anything and I'd like it. Just love how he adapted older FW songs for his more (now) natural range. His use of ornamentation is one of the best in rock/metal imo. He uses it often but not too often (like Karevik for example).

I like Geddy but didn't rank him. Didn't expect to see him tbh even though many people love Rush here. Polarizing voice for sure.

[TAC]

Very disappointed Stadler. How is Paul Stanley NOT iconic?

He IS iconic, though.  If we were doing "front men" he'd be in the top three.  Maybe top two (Freddie would be number one).   Paul is more the "total package" though, than just his vocals.   And to be honest, I prefer Gene's vocals - just the vocals.

To be honest, I expected both to be on your list.

Paul was #32, Gene was #50.

[TAC]

FWIW, Tim... Matt Smith *just* missed my cut.

I just don't think anyone knows who he is, or is not into that style of music. But he is ridiculous.

Well, with only 8 spots left, I'm looking at my list and thinking for more than a few of them "how the hell did they not rank, ??"... which I'm sure most/all of us are doing to some extent.  Especially given some of the names that are already here.

I expect only 2 left on my list will make it. I'm actually more confident in one than I am the other though, with only 8 spots left.

[Stadler]

25
24. Robert Plant
23
22
21
20
19
18
17
16
15
14   Brad Delp
13
12
11
10
9
8
7   Paul McCartney
6
5
4
3
2. Ann Wilson
1

Rob Halford was No. 35.

Robert Plant is just... I saw him live twice, once solo and once with Page and Plant.  He is MESMERIZING on stage.  Really, really powerful.   I think "examples" with him sort of misses the point, though, since he's so interpretive live.  I will say, my single greatest concert moment was Robert Plant and Jimmy Page live.   "The Song Remains The Same" was transcendent. I felt like I was in a trance it was so powerful.  In that same show, he was singing "Calling To You" and the band broke down into a little vamp, the room got dark and then as if from nowhere, he sang "Stop, hey, what's that sound" (the Buffalo Springfield song) and bright white lights shot to the audience, and it clicked; I got it.  I got why everyone made such a big deal about Zeppelin in the '70's.
1.  Battle Of Evermore
2.  Ten Years Gone
3.  In The Light

Ann Wilson is my favorite female vocalist by far, and at times may be my favorite VOCALIST ever. I've never seen Heart, but I saw Gov't Mule a couple years ago, and she just showed up - in New Haven, CT - and sang the entire second set (more or less).  Mostly Zeppelin songs, but not all.  So good.
1. Wait For An Answer - this song STILL gives me chills when I hear it.  It's a crappy song, but her vocal is just otherworldly
2. Mistral Wind
3. Dream Of The Archer

I'm going to list some favs for Halford; my first concert was Bruce Dickinson/Rob Halford as vocalists, so it set a pretty high bar!
1. Run Of The Mill - everyone points to "Victim Of Changes" as the "epic", but while the song is sort of... his vocal, especially the mid-section, is awesome.
2. Dreamer/Deceiver
3. Freewheel Burning - not my favorite song but it's amazing that he can do that live.

[Animal]

Who is the one singer you put in your top 25 that you were pretty confident wouldn't end up on anyone else's list?
 

Jorn Lande, Hansi Kürsch, Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Jennifer Holiday, Lara Fabian, David Bowie, Angela Gossow...

Kürsch and Bowie were on my list. And I think they can be realistically expected to appear on a couple of more (the same with Lande).
   
As for the original question, I am pretty sure I am the only one to have ranked Loreena McKennitt (a celtic world music singer and songwriter).
   There are other few where I think there is a good chance I was the only ranker but I am far from confident: Cat Stevens, Art Garfunkel, Dolores O'Riordan (a Cranberries singer).
    And the ones where I think at least one or two others ranked them as well but I wouldn't be all that surprised if I turned out to be the only ranker and there is zero chance they will make the collective Top 25: Ian Anderson, Zach Stevens, Jon Oliva, Michael Stipe, Annie Haslam and Greg Lake...

[SwedishGoose]

Before we enter the top 10, here is a question for all submitters:

Who is the one singer you put in your top 25 that you were pretty confident wouldn't end up on anyone else's list?

Mine was John Lodge, whom I had at 24.  The Moody Blues are a longtime favorite of mine, and even though Justin Hayward and Ray Thomas were probably the best singers in the band, there was something about Lodge's voice that I always liked a lot.

Easily half of my list.  I doubt David Coverdale or Johnette Napolitano are going to appear here.  Same with Jack Russell, Ben Orr (The Cars) or Hank Williams, Jr.

I have David Coverdale at nr 21 on my list..... great vocalist in his prime

[Animal]

Re. two singers from the same band - I immediately thought of Dominici. I wonder if anyone ranked him. If I were to guess, I would say no, but what do I know...

[Dave_Manchester]

Re: 2 singers from 1 band - yep. Hint: one of its 3, count 'em, 3 singers died last week.

[Stadler]

Who is the one singer you put in your top 25 that you were pretty confident wouldn't end up on anyone else's list?
 

Jorn Lande, Hansi Kürsch, Andrea Bocelli, Celine Dion, Jennifer Holiday, Lara Fabian, David Bowie, Angela Gossow...

Kürsch and Bowie were on my list. And I think they can be realistically expected to appear on a couple of more (the same with Lande).
   
As for the original question, I am pretty sure I am the only one to have ranked Loreena McKennitt (a celtic world music singer and songwriter).
   There are other few where I think there is a good chance I was the only ranker but I am far from confident: Cat Stevens, Art Garfunkel, Dolores O'Riordan (a Cranberries singer).
    And the ones where I think at least one or two others ranked them as well but I wouldn't be all that surprised if I turned out to be the only ranker and there is zero chance they will make the collective Top 25: Ian Anderson, Zach Stevens, Jon Oliva, Michael Stipe, Annie Haslam and Greg Lake...

Love Dolores, but she didn't make my list.

I have it on good authority that you aren't the only one to rank Michael Stipe or Greg Lake.

By the way, it's amazing to me how many singers I love and yet there are only so many spots in the top 25.

[WardySI]

Ray, yes. My #1. He is the case of a singer that could sing anything and I'd like it. Just love how he adapted older FW songs for his more (now) natural range. His use of ornamentation is one of the best in rock/metal imo. He uses it often but not too often (like Karevik for example)...

Nice write-up cheers.  I had Ray at #8.
..

[Samsara]

Catching up:

I did not have Floor Jansen or Rob Halford in the top-25. However, they are in my top-30, with Halford over Floor.

I also didn't have Geddy ranked. Love Ged, love Rush. But his voice isn't one that I'd call one of my favorites. He gets the job done for what Rush does, and sings amazingly well. But he's not one of my favorites. MAYBE in the top-50? I'd have to think about it.

Ray Alder though - he was absolutely on my list. Checked in at #9, so I nailed it with the forum consensus.

Regarding those that thought Frank Sinatra and Sebastian Bach would not be on anyone else's list - I have Bach on mine at #19. I doubt he he makes DTF's ranking. As for Ol' Blue Eyes, he was not in my top-25, but would have been in my top-40.

[HOF]

There was a time years ago when Sebastian Bach would have been very high on my list. Amazing voice for sure, but I just don’t listen to his music very much any more.

[cramx3]

Catching up as well...

Floor made my list.  She's absolutely amazing and part of my ranking could be that I saw her perform earlier this year and it just blew my mind.  Nightwish was by far the best concert I've seen this year and a lot of it was because of her performance.  Here's a clip of how their show ended, with her just singing with the rest of the band standing by.  So good https://twitter.com/Cramx3/status/1523865794454634496

Halford makes a lot of sense to be listed, but I've never been a big JP fan so he was never under consideration for myself. 

Geddy is a bit of a surprise.  Obviously this forum loves Rush, but his vocals are... not good and I don't believe they are the reason why people love Rush.  I kind of thought he'd be ranked closer to 25 for that and not this high.  I'm not a fan of Rush and mostly because of Geddy.

Alder.... really good singer.  I kind of also am shocked he's ranked this high but at least I can say I enjoy his vocals.  I just don't really love the bands he's associated with.  His solo album was solid, but also, not something I personally would rank highly of.  Good singer for sure though.

As for singers who I listed that I doubt make this list... I have quite a few so not worth mentioning, but I did notice I sent Kev "Taylor Hawkins" lol when I meant "Justin Hawkins"  I've made this mistake so many times since Justin was involved in the Taylor memorials recently  But yeah, I doubt The Darkness singer made this cut.

[twosuitsluke]

As for singers who I listed that I doubt make this list... I have quite a few so not worth mentioning, but I did notice I sent Kev "Taylor Hawkins" lol when I meant "Justin Hawkins"  I've made this mistake so many times since Justin was involved in the Taylor memorials recently  But yeah, I doubt The Darkness singer made this cut.

But tell.us who your punk vocalists were!

I can appreciate Hawkins, but he didn't make my list. He gets the most play time in my house at this time of year, as Don't Let the Bells End is the greatest Christmas song!

[cramx3]

As for singers who I listed that I doubt make this list... I have quite a few so not worth mentioning, but I did notice I sent Kev "Taylor Hawkins" lol when I meant "Justin Hawkins"  I've made this mistake so many times since Justin was involved in the Taylor memorials recently  But yeah, I doubt The Darkness singer made this cut.

But tell.us who your punk vocalists were!

I can appreciate Hawkins, but he didn't make my list. He gets the most play time in my house at this time of year, as Don't Let the Bells End is the greatest Christmas song!

I don't think my punk vocalists make the list either so they are: Davey Havok (#5) and Glenn Danzig (#25)

[twosuitsluke]

As for singers who I listed that I doubt make this list... I have quite a few so not worth mentioning, but I did notice I sent Kev "Taylor Hawkins" lol when I meant "Justin Hawkins"  I've made this mistake so many times since Justin was involved in the Taylor memorials recently  But yeah, I doubt The Darkness singer made this cut.

But tell.us who your punk vocalists were!

I can appreciate Hawkins, but he didn't make my list. He gets the most play time in my house at this time of year, as Don't Let the Bells End is the greatest Christmas song!

I don't think my punk vocalists make the list either so they are: Davey Havok (#5) and Glenn Danzig (#25)

Davey Havok didn't make mine (good call though), but I had Danzig at 24 I think!

[bosk1]

I had Alder.  Interestingly, I think he has gotten better after losing range.  His voice is just more full and he's been forced into some better singing habits.

[hefdaddy42]

Catching up:

14. Daniel Gildenlow: I know that he is very talented, because I've seen him plenty of times performing live with Transatlantic, but I've never cared for Pain of Salvation.  Not rated.

13. Ann Wilson: Just a sensational powerhouse singer.  She made my list at 18.  All killer, no filler.

12. Floor Jansen: Not rated.  Never cared for any of the bands she performs with.

11. Rob Halford: Not rated.  I can't stand Judas Priest.

10. Geddy Lee: Not rated.  I love Rush, but it's certainly not because of Geddy's voice.  It's not what I would call "good", but I do think that it's perfect for that band.

9. Ray Alder: Not rated.  I liked his work with Redemption (although I've never been into Fates Warning), but I never thought he had an exceptional voice.  Pretty standard melodic metal singer.

Singers in my Top 25 I'm pretty confident wouldn't end up on anyone else's list? Probably most of my list, but I'll just name Grace Cummings.

[SwedishGoose]

There was a time years ago when Sebastian Bach would have been very high on my list. Amazing voice for sure, but I just don’t listen to his music very much any more.

He is on my list for sure....
He floored me when Skid Row broke