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.
If you want me to tell you just because he is dead I was always the biggest Van Halen fan, then you must not know me.This might be the first time anything really about the band Van Halen has been written for this blog.."1984" was one of the first ten albums I bought, it was after "Shout at the Devil " and "Stay Hungry" compared to those two it was more of a pop record. I considered Van Halen the rock band for the sporty kids. People who liked to drink beer. When "Eat'em and Smile " came out I was in camp David Lee Roth. Then an older kid I was smoking pot at 12 played "Unchained" for me. I went out and bought "Fair Warning". It was margially darker than "1984" and much more of a hard rock album. Eddie's guitar playing impressed me more almost every one except Randy Rhodes. My tastes in guitar players has expanded since them. I like to know some one has the chops to rip a solo, they just don't have to do it every song.
I did not care for the first two albums with Sammy Hagar. They were even more mullet rock for the same crowd that liked Journey. Then this cover band I was in during High School wanted to play " Pound Cake" . So I bought the "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" album and like it. The moved toward the 90s. I lost track of Van Halen after than. I have owned all of the pre- 1984 albums at some point. "Fair Warning " is still may favorite. During my heavy drug days , they were more of cocaine at the beach sound track. But much like their music I can only do so much sun. c. But it was normally guitar players who put them on. Musically the were not dark enough for me. Yet to his credit on "Fair Warning" you can here how he blends elements of funk and jazz into his own signature sound.
My favorite metal guitarists like Trey from Morbid Angel cite Eddie as an influence. Bands that I am into who are influenced by his playing also include Alice in Chains, Pantera, Queensryche, Adam Jones, Motley Crue, and Skid Row. I might have grown away from their music as party music no longer resonates with me and when I am in the mood for that kind of thing I tend to put AC/DC. But I am listening to "Fair Warning" as I write this. His tone is unmistakeable. He has a very tangible fire to his playing. I think he played off the chemistry between him and the original line up and what they created together is a moment in time we could never go back to. I am not going to say he has left a void for me, since I rarely listen to them, but their music does transport me to a place in time. It was a place in time where I enjoyed music for different reasons than the ones I enjoy them for today. Sure he might have groomed a generations of shredder's but after giving " Fair Warning" another listen , you can hear he is not just throwing notes at your ears to see what sticks, but he is telling another part of the song's story. That is what they failed to imitate. There will always be the same fire when ever I press play to "Fair Warning" .
