The most iconic voices in Music

[BigBlueGuru]

These artists had multiple hits and in the business for years. The thing that sets them apart to me is their amazing voices.

1. Stven Tyler ---- Dude could do things with his voice nobody else can.
2. Stevie Nicks -- Just an amazing voice that as soon as you hear her sing you know exactly who it is.
3. Tom Keifer ---- Same as Stevie Nicks
4. Keith Whitley - Died way to soon but for about 5 years tore up the country charts.

Of all the singers I listed the one thing all of them also have in common is they have so much raw emotion in their voice they literally can make you feel the song as you lived it. Truly amazing.

 

[Phil_The_Music2]

Porky Pig singing Blue Christmas brings me to tears every time.

 

[WildcatfaninOhio]

Janis Joplin
Sam Cooke
Aretha Franklin
Otis Redding

 

[Catman100]

You can probably go back farther than 50 years to find iconic.

Frank Sinatra
Nat King Cole
Johnny Mathis

 

[Blueisbest]

Freddie Mercury

 

[Dore95]

I wonder if there is anyone in the entire world besides the OP who would put Tom Keifer (lead singer of Cinderella) on a short list of the “most iconic voices in music?”

 

[entropy13]

 

[FirewithFire]

Mariah Carey - Five octaves, easily hit whistle register, and great timbre.
Whitney Huston - Three octaves, no vibrato, emotive singer.
Celine Dione - Power.
Tom Petty - Always know it's him. lol

 

[Catman100]

I wonder if there is anyone in the entire world besides the OP who would put Tom Keifer (lead singer of Cinderella) on a short list of the “most iconic voices in music?”

I believe I read there was some 49 year old in Bangladesh that had Tom Keifer in his top 5.

 

[kyboy1998_rivals34276]

I wonder if there is anyone in the entire world besides the OP who would put Tom Keifer (lead singer of Cinderella) on a short list of the “most iconic voices in music?”

Tom Keifer would be in my top ten. I wouldn’t have included him on a list because of backlash.

He’s incredible really though.

 

[ukalum1988]

Karen Carpenter

Roger Daltrey

George Jones

 

[PhDcat2018]

Elvis
Patsy Cline
Bing Crosby

 

[rick64]

Steve Perry
Linda Ronstadt
Elvis Presley

 

[PhDcat2018]

James brown

 

[Catfan in Tn.]

Bob Dylan

 

[sefus12]

Freddie Mercury

Any list that doesn’t include Mercury is simply wrong.

 

[TucsonCat]

Cindy Lauper
Mariah Carey
Whitney Houston
Debbie Harry

 

[Get Buckets]

2. Stevie Nicks -- Just an amazing voice that as soon as you hear her sing you know exactly who it is.

A Billy goat? She wasn’t even the best female singer in her band.

 

[Phil_The_Music2]

A Billy goat? She wasn’t even the best female singer in her band.

Eddie Vedder is the Goat.

 

[cole854]

The topic was "iconic".......most of these mentioned are hardly that. Perhaps unique or distinguishable would be better.

 

[gamecockcat]

Aretha - I could stop right there

Steve Perry from Journey
Karen Carpenter
Johnny Cash
John Denver
Willie Nelson

You knew exactly who was singing whenever any of these opened their mouth

 

[UK 82]

If we're talking iconic then you'd have to include Judy Garland just for Over the Rainbow alone.

 

[Ryan Lemonds Hair]

None of you have Taylor Swift in your top 5 list? Bunch of haters.

On a serious side Etta James is one of the best and most underrated singers of all time IMO. Also, I love Stapleton but he stole the music from her song I'd rather go blind for his version of Tennessee Whisky.

 

[FargenBastich]

Brad Delp

 

[SWFLwildcat06]

Eddie Vedder is the Goat.

No. He’s not even the best of the Seattle guys.

Cornell
Staley


Vedder

 

[Tskware]

None of you have Taylor Swift in your top 5 list? Bunch of haters.

For current singers, Adele is about 20 times better vocalist than TS, but TS has about 20 times the money, go figure (although Adele is hardly hurting for cash either)

Glad someone mentioned Whitney Houston, would have been at or near top of my list.

 

[gamecockcat]

For many of the more recent artists, I can't be sure which ones are really good and which ones are Auto-tuned. Many have stated that live performances for many artists are anything but 'live', utilizing prerecorded tapes of instruments, vocals, horns, etc. In this day and age, you never really know who's the bad *** and who is a product of the machine.

 

[cole854]

For many of the more recent artists, I can't be sure which ones are really good and which ones are Auto-tuned. Many have stated that live performances for many artists are anything but 'live', utilizing prerecorded tapes of instruments, vocals, horns, etc. In this day and age, you never really know who's the bad *** and who is a product of the machine.

Good point and very true. You're not likely to find a Bobby Hatfield in today's new era.

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

No list of the greatest voices is valid if it doesn't have George Jones in the Top 5 (and him being the first country singer listed)

Yeah, he had an IQ of 72 (documented), a 1000 dollar a day yayo habit, and a pet chicken (that was imaginary), but those pipes were virtually perfect.

Showing my age here, but Tom Jones had a ridiculous voice (probably still does) as well

 

[blubo]

roy orbison
jay black (jay and the americans)

 

[megablue]

Janis Joplin
Tom Keifer
Bob Dylan
Stevie Nicks
Duffy
Ozzy
Robin Zander
Peter Garrett
Smokey Robinson
Barry White
Al Green
Willie Nelson
Cyndi Lauper
Jack White
Robert Plant
Isaac Hayes
... to name a few off the top of my head

 

[Ryan Lemonds Hair]

For current singers, Adele is about 20 times better vocalist than TS, but TS has about 20 times the money, go figure (although Adele is hardly hurting for cash either)

Glad someone mentioned Whitney Houston, would have been at or near top of my list.

Adele with her throat problems was 20 times better than TS.

No list of the greatest voices is valid if it doesn't have George Jones in the Top 5 (and him being the first country singer listed)

Yeah, he had an IQ of 72 (documented), a 1000 dollar a day yayo habit, and a pet chicken (that was imaginary), but those pipes were virtually perfect.

Showing my age here, but Tom Jones had a ridiculous voice (probably still does) as well

Don Williams also had one of the smoothest voices in country music IMO.

 

[entropy13]

Eddie Vedder is the Goat.

When he sings, he sounds like he's straining to pass an especially stubborn turd.

 

[catsfanbgky]

Ones not mentioned : Little metal, pop, country, R&B, Rap
Don Dokken (He could flat sing)
Sebastian Bach - Skid Row. (best vocalist in metal) But he was one crazy, violent MFer. Once chased David Bowie down Sunset Strip trying to kill him.
Michael Jackson
The Weekend
Usher
Neo
Alicia Keys
George Strait
Mark Wills (very good singer and underrated country singer.) His voice was very good.
Tupac
Nelly

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

Mad respect for Bob Dylan, but listing him amongst the greatest voices of all time, well... I can't go there.

 

[HymanKaplan_rivals48997]

Ian Gillan, Deep Purple

 

[megablue]

Mad respect for Bob Dylan, but listing him amongst the greatest voices of all time, well... I can't go there.

I get you, for sure. I guess I misinterpreted the meaning of iconic to mean unique/different/distinguishing … fwiw.

 

[megablue]

When he sings, he sounds like he's straining to pass an especially stubborn turd.

He may have been better-suited to front Greta Van Fleet than Pearl Jammed …

 

[Strokin_Bandit]

Marvin Gaye's isolated vocal track on "I Heard it Through The Grapevine" is perfection. That's a pretty iconic voice that hasn't been mentioned yet.

 

[80 Proof]

Waylon MF Jennings