The Top 200 Greatest Rock Singers-120 to 111

Digging deeper into our list of the top 200 greatest rock singers, inspired by the travesty that was Rolling Stone's supposed list. Where they got it wrong, this list hopes to be more effective, but not only focusing on rock singers and those adjacent to the genre, while placing the spotlight on the singer's technical vocal ability, in terms of range and power, as well as their dynamics, phrasing and the overall character of their voice. Can they emote from different places? How well does their voice hold up live? All factors are being considered here, lyrical content and the instruments they play do not factor in as these ranking are based on vocal merit alone. How they control a crowd or their entertainment value as performers is also not a factor; there are some great front men who are also sub-par singers.  

The same can be said of song writers which is why most Bob Dylan songs sound better covered by someone else. Needless to say, ole Robert Zimmerman is not making the cut.Most pop singers won't appear here, but there are a few country or jazz singers who crossover just enough to qualify for this list, while having a significant influence on rock music. Don't expect rappers on this list or metal vocalists who just scream or growl, but never actually sing. I am keen on singers who are derivative of other singers. The bulk of these are doing their own thing, the few paying tribute to other artists have still made enough of an impact with their music. Having a unique vocal quality is going to be one of the most important factors often trumping technical ability. If they sound too much like Steve Perry from Journey after listening to their vocal coach rather than developing their own style, it is also not going to fly. Some of these might have been ignored by mainstream music media, but by the time we get to the top 10, I am sure it will all make sense, so here are the Top 200 greatest rock singers.   

120-Sammy Hagar

Replacing a singer with greater charisma pushed Hagar to become an even better singer. While Van Halen themselves might not have released their best work with him, Sammy gave the best performances of his career.

   

 119-James Hetfield 

 His commanding roar might have shaped the direction metal would go, but it is when he backs away from that and gets more introspective that you can really hear what his voice is made of.

   

 118-Corey Taylor

 The versatility of Taylor's voice what has allowed Slipknot to have extended their career past the point of nu-metal's expiration date. He augments his actual singing voice with a wide array of snarls and screams.

   

 117-Don Dokken 

 He is one of the more technically textbook perfect singers I can listen to. Don adds enough of who he is to his performance. He might not be able to take shoulder to shoulder with the greatest singers of this metal are, but he does deserve his spot here.

 

116-David Coverdale

Of all the pretenders to Robert Plant's throne, this guy injected more of himself into the role. This was aided by his time in Deep Purple, where he showed the importance of letting soul flow through your pipes.

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115- Neil Diamond

If this was a list of songwriters, He would be in the top ten, but we are just judging pipes here. There is a mellow warmth to his baritone that pulls you into to his songs, even if his style of music is your cup of tea or not. He can belt it when he needs to but always serves the songs first.

    

114-Robert Lowe

 The soulful wail from this powerhouse is always heartfelt. His best work was with Solitude Aeturnus , but has also taken over the mic for Candlemass. He is not an Ozzy impersonator like most doom singer, though he does barrow a bit from Dio in his belting style.  

113-Damien Rice

The Irish singer/ songwriter only has three albums under his belt, but he puts all of his emotions in each note he urgently sings. Many folk singers are great at the hushed nuance, but few can belt it out like Rice who has an impressive range. 

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112-Tarja Turunen

The former Nightwish frontwoman helped set the bar for how to sing symphonic metal with her colorful operatic voice. What those who followed her footsteps lacked was their own personality which Tarja has m and is often more important than the notes she sings.

 

111- Chuck Billy 

The most impressive thing about the longtime Testament vocalist is how aggressive he can get and still manage to actually sing. This is what makes his band's songs so catchy and makes Chuck stand out as one of the best metal singers from the thrash scene.