• Welcome to ASR. There are many reviews of audio hardware and expert members to help answer your questions. Click here to have your audio equipment measured for free!

Top Three Male Rock Vocalists?

Peter Gabriel
Seal
Paul Rodgers Paul Carrack Chris Cornell

sorry number three was tough
 
Steve Perry
Freddy Mercury

I got nothin' for #3

Roy Orbison

Didn't think of Perry or Orbison, but those are also good choices.

Bowie I considered, along with a few others like Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne of ELO, Jagger, Daltrey, Clapton and even Elvis and Little Richard. :) There are few guys in the metal genre I like as well, including Ozzy and Paul Stanley.

Alternative is quite a bit harder. Because you've got legends like Gabriel, Morrissey, Iggy, Bono, and Peter Murphy to contend with. And then a bunch of other good lead performers from the late 80's, 90's and 00's like Cornell, Corgan, Robert Smith of The Cure, Grohl, Cobain, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Scott Weiland of STP, Anthony Kiedis of RHCP, etc.... I also like alot of Perry Farrell's vocals for Jane's Addiction. (And I'm leaving out alot of good artists in the punk genre.)

Of the older alternative types, I'd probably have to go with Bowie, Iggy, and Murphy, I guess. More recent (as in late 1980's-2000's), maybe Farrell, Anthony of RHCP, and Smith. I'm not sure they are the best. But they're the ones I tend to enjoy listening to. I like alot of the others as well, including Weiland's vocals on the STP tracks, and some of Corgan's grittier/whinier Pumpkin stuff. Very hard to choose among these guys though! Which is probably why I chose the easy ones for my top three. :)
 
Last edited:
No one mentioned Peter Frampton, Bob Seger, or Steven Tyler, …Interesting…
 
  • Like
Reactions: ADU
Didn't think of Perry or Orbison, but those are also good choices.

Bowie I considered, along with a few others like Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne of ELO, Jagger, Daltrey, Clapton and even Elvis and Little Richard. :) There are few guys in the metal genre I like as well, including Ozzy and Paul Stanley.

Alternative is quite a bit harder. Because you've got legends like Gabriel, Morrissey, Iggy, Bono, and Peter Murphy to contend with. And then a bunch of other good lead performers from the 90's and 00's like Cornell, Corgan, Robert Smith of The Cure, Grohl, Cobain, Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Scott Weiland of STP, Anthony Kiedis of RHCP, etc.... I also like alot of Perry Farrell's vocals for Jane's Addiction.

Of the older alternative types, I'd probably have go with Bowie, Iggy, and Murphy, I guess. More recent (as in 1990's-2000's), maybe Farrell, Anthony of RHCP, and Smith. I'm not sure they are the best. But they're the ones I tend to enjoy listening to. I like alot of the others as well, including Weiland's vocals on the STP tracks, and some of Corgan's grittier/whinier Pumpkin stuff. Very hard to choose among these guys though! Which is probably why I chose the easy ones for my top three. :)
Burton Cummings of the Guess Who is one who should be mentioned.
No one mentioned Peter Frampton, Bob Seger, or Steven Tyler, …Interesting…

I mean, c'mon :p There are dozens (hundreds) of extremely talented male rock vocalists. Picking only three is very difficult (for me anyway). I considered all of the above mentioned, and more.
 
I have two more lists. Newer vocalists and a bit older.
Daniel Tompkins
Mattis
Matthew Healy

Bruce Soord
Gino Vanelli
Mark Hollis
 
No Maynard James Keenan mentioned yet?
He's gotta be worth two spots at least!

Agree with Maynard, is very high on my list.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ADU
Sheesh..., soo many styles and unique voices to choose from.
  • Freddy Mercury
  • Steve Perry
  • Bryan Ferry
**** Alt. ****
  • Elton John
  • Robert Plant
  • George Micheal
 
  • Like
Reactions: ADU
I mean, c'mon :p There are dozens (hundreds) of extremely talented male rock vocalists. Picking only three is very difficult (for me anyway). I considered all of the above mentioned, and more.
That was the idea,:):)
 
1. Freddie Mercury
2. Freddy Mercury
3. Freddy Mercury

OK, OK, I'll follow the "rules."

Best:
1. Freddy Mercury
2. Robert Plant
3. Rob Halford

Favorite:
1. Johnny Cash
2. Warren Zevon (not a technically great singer but I really like his voice)
3. Sammy Hagar

Ronny James Dio just misses making both lists, and Robbie Williams would be above Plant except I think it would be a stretch to call his music rock.
 
1. Freddie Mercury
2. Freddy Mercury
3. Freddy Mercury

OK, OK, I'll follow the "rules."

Best:
1. Freddy Mercury
2. Robert Plant
3. Rob Halford

Favorite:
1. Johnny Cash
2. Warren Zevon (not a technically great singer but I really like his voice)
3. Sammy Hagar

Ronny James Dio just misses making both lists, and Robbie Williams would be above Plant except I think it would be a stretch to call his music rock.
Oh, Hell. I forgot Meat Loaf. He definitely belongs on one or both lists. This is hard!
 
  • Like
Reactions: ADU
Lemmy, Tom Araya and James Hetfield

and no, I wouldn’t consider James Taylor to be a rock vocalist.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ADU
Back
Top Bottom