1 post tagged “willie nelson”
And the countdown continues...
#80. Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie ruled the airwaves in the 80's with slow ballads like "Say You, Say Me" and "You Are". Those, coming off monster ballads as co-lead singer of The Commodores like "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady". But Richie does have the ability to go beyond the treacly ballad. The Commodores started out as a pretty hardcore funk/R&B band and Richie, believe it or not, can get funky. Of course, to me, he'll always be the guy that sang "All Night Long" for about 2 hours straight during the LA Olympics' closing ceremony in 1984.
Trivia: Lionel Richie's main competition in the love song genre in the 80's was probably Kenny Rogers. Did you know Lionel Richie wrote Rogers' megahit "Lady"?
Listen: Lionel Richie, "You Are"
#79. Kool Moe Dee
Is rapping singing? Maybe not exactly, but it counts as vocals and some people are great at it and some aren't, so I'm making room in my countdown for some of my favorite rap vocalists. (Apologies for missing anyone, since I pretty much stopped listening to rap in the early 90's -- when it started to suck.)
Kool Moe Dee was one of the originators, as a member of The Treacherous Three back in the day. He never made it big, due to unoriginal backing beats and raps that never went much past the bragging taunts of the early MC's, but his voice is still one of the best ever. He has a nice, clear deep booming voice and he could handle the fastest tongue-twisters around.
Listen: Kool Moe Dee, "I Go To Work"
#78. Ray LaMontagne
As I said before, most singer-songwriter folkies have nice but bland voices. New Hampshire's own LaMontagne does not. His voice is rich and genuine, the instrument of a guy who feels the music, not a guy who's been trained to sing it. Another true phone book voice. He excels at down-tempo love songs like "Burn", but he also can set fire to a folk/soul mix like "Trouble" or "You Are The Best Thing".
Listen: Ray LaMontange, "Three More Days"
#77. Brian Wilson (and the rest of The Beach Boys)
The Beach Boys need no introduction. They had no great range, musically speaking, but they were great at what they did and they sang in a style never heard before (and never really since, though you might consider The Bee Gees a modern version). The layered harmonies on every song created a new sound, though the attention to detail may have led to a major breakdown by Wilson, and Wilson's voice is probably one of the most recognizable in pop music history.
Listen: The Beach Boys, "Good Vibrations"
#76. Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison was probably the first guy in Rock 'n Roll to be considered a "singer", as opposed to just a howler or a rocker. His high, ethereal vocals always floated above the background music and really drew the attention of the listener more than the rhythm (a rarity in early rock records).
#75. Little Richard
Speaking of "howlers", next on the list is Little Richard. He was the guy (along with Jerry Lee Lewis) who put the danger into Rock 'n Roll and made the parents run in fear. No one sang blues or country music like that, but Rock 'n Roll was different, and Little Richard was one of the first to realize it. No one could then, or ever has been able to, "wooo" like Richard.
#74. Joe Cocker
As far as I know, Joe Cocker is a pure singer, which is actually pretty rare in the rock era. He never played an instrument and his whole career was based on his interpretations of other peoples' songs. Known a little for his ridiculous gesticulations while singing, but more for his raspy voice and exuberant takes on Beatles classics, it was really Cocker's way of rearranging and, usually, adding more power to a song's vocal lead, that made him great.
More trivia: Did you know Jimmy Page (of Led Zeppelin and ready for the Top 5 if I ever make a list of the Top 100 Guitarists) played lead guitar on Cocker's version of "With A Little Help From My Friends"?
Listen: Joe Cocker, "With A Little Help From My Friends"
#73. Jimmie Rodgers
Did you know there used to be a time when country music required talent and the best songwriters were writing country songs? Hard to believe, I know. But it's true, and Jimmie Rodgers, "The Singing Brakeman", was the first great country talent. A great guitarist and songwriter, but mostly known for his country yodel. Pure and true.
Listen: Jimmie Rodgers, "Blue Yodel #10"
#72. Gladys Knight
Among a list of pop music giants who recorded at Motown in the 60's, Gladys Knight gets lost too often. As soul music was coming of age, Knight and her Pips made some of the greatest music of the time. Knight had a strong voice, technically sound and powerful, with great soul.
Listen: Gladys Knight and The Pips, "I Heard It Through The Grapevine"
#71. Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson doesn't have the strongest voice, doesn't hit all the notes, isn't the fastest guitarist, isn't the best at anything. Except maybe musicality. What Nelson does is use his voice as an instrument and perform with that instrument the best way that fits the song. As an instrument, his voice matches perfectly with the broken old guitar he continues to use. His minimalist style (in singing and guitar-playing) is unique, maybe not to jazz music but certainly to country.
Listen: Willie Nelson, "Georgia On My Mind"
