My Top 10 Favorite Vocalists of All Time

Lately I've been thinking about who my favorite singers are. Regardless of style, regardless of any instrument they might have played, this list examines one thing and one thing only. And that is, how much do I appreciate the singing talents that these people have gifted the world? The answer is quite a lot! Here is my ranking of my Top 10 favorite singers of all time, regardless of genre. So if you're a classic rocker, doo wop fan, or country fan... you will likely find someone you like on this list. But before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge 10 honorable mentions. These 10 are fantastic singers in their own right.

Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Hayes, Hank Williams, Billy Joel, Amy Winehouse, Johnny Maestro, George Harrison, Dolly Parton, Bon Scott, Elvis Presley, and Conway Twitty. 

All right, now on with the list!

10.) Brian Wilson

Thanks to Pet Sounds, Wilson is known primarily for his compositional work nowadays. Through his mental health struggles, he has perfectly exemplified the tortured artist stereotype. But Brian is a warrior, and though his beautiful falsetto is no longer there, the 80-year old genius himself still is. But in terms of his best songs, we have to examine his early work with The Beach Boys. There are beautiful ballads galore! Some of the greatest songs of all time are among this bunch, including "Surfer Girl", "In My Room", "Don't Worry Baby", and my personal favorite, "The Warmth of the Sun". While Mike Love-led surf rock songs were what was more often played on the radio, Brian Wilson was undoubtedly the true genius of the Beach Boys from the very start. And man could he sing.

The troubled genius talks like a war veteran now, but he's survived his battles.

9.) Meghan Trainor

If one album largely gets you on the list, so be it. 2015's Title completely took 13-year old me by storm. I didn't know great music could still exist! With her retro doo wop style, Trainor took upbeat hits like "Dear Future Husband" and "Lips are Movin" to the charts. But of course, her big #1 breakout hit was "All About That Bass". I will always contend that "All About That Bass" is a fun song about body positivity, never meant to degrade anyone. Anyone who thinks otherwise is reading too much into what is ultimately just a pop song. But as great as Meghan's upbeat dance numbers were, her ballads from that era were even better. If I'd recommend just one song from her, it'd be "Close Your Eyes". Criminally underrated, the song is even better than "Like I'm Gonna Lose You". Now, there is good news for us doo wop MTrain fans. She's releasing an album in October called "Takin' It Back". Evidently, it's exactly what it sounds like! And her first single from the album is certainly promising, you can check it out here. 

Her upcoming album will also discuss her experiences as a new Mom.

8.) Sam Cooke

If you combine commercial success with pure talent, then yes, Sam Cooke is the true king of soul. This man's voice was smooth like butter, yet could also be gutsy and full of passion. "Bring It On Home To Me" is a prime example of this, as he is practically begging his woman to stick with him. While lyrical genius isn't taken into account with this list, he certainly made quite the final mark on the world with "A Change Is Gonna Come". Sam's voice builds in intensity as the song goes along, as he perfectly complements that song's orchestra. Sam's powerful vocals on songs like "Chain Gang" and "Cupid" would later inspire the Persuasions, who spoiler alert... are featured later on this list! Sam was a first-rate tenor that could belt crazy high notes, such as at the end of the lesser-known "Meet Me At Mary's Place".Sam could sing both dance numbers and ballads like no other, and his legend lives on.

He hit #1 with his debut single, "You Send Me".

7.) Willie Winfield

It's only fitting that the greatest 1950s doo wop group has one of the most supremely talented vocalists of all the time. Willie's lead vocals absolutely shine on The Harptones' songs. He performed well into old age, as he is one of the only people on this list I have seen in concert (besides Meghan Trainor). Well, where do I even start with Willie's beautiful leads on Harptones' songs? I suppose we start with "A Sunday Kind of Love", a standard turned into one of the great doo wop songs ever. Both me and the UGHA crowd agree there. "My Memories of You" is another fantastic song, penned by their piano player and arranger Raoul Cita. The whole Harptones cast sings their lines together, but Willie is clearly the shining star. And we must talk about "Life is But a Dream", the Goodfellas wedding song where Willie hits a beautiful high note at the end. Oh, and speaking of songs ending with beautiful high notes, "The Shrine of St. Cecilia" is also worth a listen.

The Harptones should be inducted in the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame!

6.) Johnny Cash

Well, I've already written about Johnny Cash quite a bit on this blog, so what else can I say? Well, how about this. You don't know pain until you've heard "Sunday Morning Coming Down". You don't know heartbreak until you've heard his old man rendition of "Give My Love to Rose". Put quite simply, you don't know good country music if you don't know Johnny Cash. His lengthy career had many peaks and valleys, but to me it's three distinct peaks that turned him into the legend he is today. First was the boom chicka boom era of the 50s, the Sun Records era. Johnny sings with zest and happiness, not yet being broken down by life yet. Listen to "Get Rhythm" as a prime example of this. Then, after years of drug abuse, his second peak was the "Folsom Prison" era. This was his absolute peak in my opinion, as his voice was still strong, but more broken down and soulful. There was plenty of cheesiness in the 70s and 80s, including "One Piece at a Time" and "The Chicken in Black". But when he met producer Rick Rubin, his career rebounded at the very end. While his voice was cracked, showing the pain from his many health issues, it still had that distinctive Cash flavor that had been there since the 50s.

Let's not talk about "The Chicken in Black".

5.) Jerry Lawson

This lead singer of the Persuasions truly felt every "Lord have mercy" that he sang. A baritone without a huge range, his gift was the amazing spirit that he sang with. One of his finest performances is on "Don't Know Why I Love You", where he soulfully interjects about being "misused and abused" by his woman, yet "loving her just the same". He could sing beautifully about heavy themes, as seen in other Persuasions masterworks like "Hymn #9" and "Gypsy Woman". But he injected a true sense of brotherhood and camaraderie into some of his very best leads. These include "He Ain't Heavy Medley" and "Lean On Me", with the latter being a fantastic cover of the popular Bill Withers song. Jerry was the heartbeat of the most talented a capella group of all time.

He may have passed in 2019, but the Mortal Man's vocals live on.

4.) Freddie Mercury

Freddie may not be my favorite singer of all time, but he's damn close, and he might be the most naturally gifted singer ever. The goofy-toothed, mustachioed man hit fantastical high notes, all while being backed up harmoniously by his bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor. Nowhere was this more apparent than on "Somebody to Love", my favorite Queen song, a true masterpiece inspired by gospel music. "Love of My Life" shows Freddie handling a tender ballad, with each note showing the pain (and love) he feels. But Freddie was incredibly versatile, and of course he could handle rockers as well. His most famous here are probably the News of the World duo of "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions". But my favorites are probably "Fat Bottomed Girls", and "Princes of the Universe". Of course, I would be remiss without mentioning "Bohemian Rhapsody". With its six distinct sections, Freddie's operatic vocals helped lift the tune to its now-legendary status.

Teef.

3.) Paul McCartney

Much like Brian Wilson, this legendary 60s performer recently turned 80. And much like Wilson, he is also known as a compositional genius. But unlike Wilson, his voice was incredibly versatile, handling everything from Broadway ballads ("Till There Was You") to hard rock ("Helter Skelter"). What Beatles songs are my favorite of his? Well, that's hard to say, because there's so damn many! But if you want one showing off his tender side, the Latin-flavored "And I Love Her" is a good place to start. And if you want a fantastic rocker, the 50s-themed "Oh! Darling" is a great choice (and my favorite song from Abbey Road). Paul had an extensive solo career, which I'll admit I haven't even fully dived into (there's just so many albums!). And while some clearly missed like McCartney II, there were big hits like Band on the Run and especially Ram. Okay, Ram might not have been a hit with the critics then, but they love it now! Paul's 1971 masterpiece included another rockin' lunatic song in the vein of Helter Skelter with "Monkberry Moon Delight". But its best song was "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", a song that's reminiscent of the Abbey Road medley he was a part of. I could go on and on about Paul, so I suppose I have to stop for now. The point is, the man is a living genius.

Still rockin' at 80, y'know?

2.) Joe Russell

The special, perhaps interesting thing about the Persuasions was that their best lead singer wasn't their lead singer. Well, not their main one at least. But when he got a chance, Joe Russell showed off his powerful tenor vocals on some of the best music you'll ever hear. He handles gospel in a way that will make a heathen pray, just listen to "Touch The Hem of His Garment" and especially "When Jesus Comes". He handles upbeat songs fantastically well, singing with zest on "Papa Oom Mow Mow" and "I'll Be Forever Loving You". But his best moment as a lead vocalist may have been when he literally single-handedly carried "To Be Loved". Please do yourself a favor and click that link if you haven't listened to that song yet. Then you'll know. Now, despite the Sweet Man's lack of leads, he still makes his presence felt in the background of so many Persuasions songs, carrying their harmonies to incredible heights.

An underappreciated singer in an underappreciated group.

1.) John Lennon

In karate, I learned from my Sensei that kukuru means "heart". No one sang with more kukuru than John Lennon. His was a voice that was uniquely suited for rock 'n roll music. The early Beatles' songs didn't have the same substance that later ones did, mostly talking about love. So what keeps me relistening? Probably the fact that John sings so many of them, and pours his heart and soul into it. Listen to the middle eight of "This Boy" or "No Reply" and tell me otherwise. You can't. In that Beatlemania era where John shared the stage with two other supremely talented vocalists, he still stood tall as the primary singer. "Revolution" is an example of his excellent skills as a pure rock singer (not Revolution 9, I would highly recommend against listening to that). But his versatility meant he excelled even at singing more tender songs, including a ballad to his mother ("Julia"), as well as perhaps his greatest masterpiece of all, "In My Life". His solo career had "Imagine", and that's enough to make it a success by itself. But you also gotta listen to some underrated rockers like "Meat City" and basically his entire Rock 'N Roll album. Whether speaking or singing, John Lennon had a one of a kind voice in this world.

The man, myth, my favorite singer.

Why 1970s Billy Joel is Better Than His 1980s Form

In the mediocre comedy movie Step Brothers, one of the more funny moments was when the Billy Joel cover band "Uptown Girl" played at the wedding. Why's that? Well, that's because they said they do "strictly 80s Joel music". Why they would limit themselves in such a way, I don't know. That's part of how ludicrous the joke is. And that's because 70s Billy Joel is clearly better than 80s Billy Joel. I don't think many would disagree with this assessment. My Dad even joked, "Don't write your master's thesis on this". However, when we crunch the numbers, 80s Billy Joel was clearly more popular commercially.

Billy Joel, before he sold out to a mainstream audience.

And that makes him a bit of a sellout, doesn't it? Let's take a look at his numbers on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. During the 70s, he had five Top 20 hits, a couple songs that cracked #3 ("Just the Way You Are" and "My Life"), and no #1s. Now let's compare that to the glorious 80s. Well, he had sixteen Top 20 hits, nine Top 10s, and three #1s ("It's Still Rock and Roll To Me", "Tell Her About It", and "We Didn't Start The Fire"). Clearly, Billy Joel was quite the popular musician in the 1980s. And that's because his music became more pop-centric, as opposed to the meaningful and artistic music he made in the 70s. But for the sake of argument, let's look at some of Billy Joel's best and most popular 80s material and see how it stacks up.

First, let's look at his best 80s material. For me, that starts with "The Longest Time". Of course, that probably has something to do with my bias as a doo wop fan. But compared to the obvious commercialism of "Uptown Girl", "The Longest Time" is something special. It features a multi-tracked Joel harmonizing with himself in doo wop fashion. All the a capella groups around today do this song, and deservedly so. Then, another great 80s Joel song is "Allentown". Of course, that probably has something to do with my bias as a Lehigh Valley native. But the song about a working class city is quite a solid rocker, and even mentions its lovely local counterpart, Bethlehem. Again, no bias here whatsoever! 

Billy makes quite the interesting effort at looking young in the music video for "The Longest Time".

Okay, now let's look at his popular 80s material. The sellout stuff, and yet... the #1s, the successes. Starting with "It's Still Rock and Roll To Me", this is the best of the #1s. Released in 1980, Billy hadn't completely transitioned out of his 70s form yet. I like the song. But not quite as much as "You May Be Right", the song that was released that same year and only hit #7. That's one of Billy's most aggressive and rocking songs. Anyway, his second #1, "Tell Her About It", was an obvious pop sellout. More obvious that "Uptown Girl". It's a very cheesy song about a guy who's got to tell his crush he likes her. It can pass as a good guilty pleasure song, but nothing more than that. Finally, there's "We Didn't Start The Fire". Oh boy. Some songs, I like more as time goes on. This is the opposite of that. I loved this song back when I was a freshman in high school, and when I heard that my uncle had the entire thing memorized, I decided to do the same thing! But, as much as I appreciate this song being a list of important historical events, it's really a gimmicky song that's devoid of actual meaning.

Now, let's compare that to some of the beautiful material Joel released in the 70s, music full of meaning. His 1977 album The Stranger is one of those rare masterpieces where there isn't a single filler track. I'd argue the worst track on that album is "Get it Right The First Time". That's how good that album is! It contains the beautiful love ballad "Just The Way You Are". Unfortunately, Joel has distanced himself from this song, as he wrote it about his first wife (who he now has hard feelings for). Well, maybe don't marry four times, Billy. But anyway, the album also contains the magnificent "Scenes From an Italian Restaurant". My general rule is, if you're gonna make a song over 7 minutes long, it better be good. This one is beyond good. It combines masterful storytelling, engaging piano melody, and has the Bohemian Rhapsody-esque transition into completely different parts of the song. But it's clearly better than the famous Queen song released a few years prior. The Stranger concludes with the very underrated song "Everybody Has a Dream", a love ballad that can compete with "Just The Way You Are".

It's one of the greatest albums I've ever heard. A definite pick for my upcoming radio show.

We also must talk about Joel's 1976 album Turnstiles, a commercial dud, but now looked upon as one of his best works. It's a clear candidate for my upcoming radio show, Graeme's Awesome Albums. It features the criminally underrated song "James", both now and then. When released, it didn't even crack the Top 100. And now, it doesn't even have a Wikipedia page... well, it looks like I have a job to do! Anyway, "James" is about Billy's friend who pursued an education, while Billy went out on the road. He's worried about how his friend is doing now. It's a beautiful song, and a rarity in the cannon of popular music. Most guys choose to write songs with a girl's name in it. Rarely do you find a singer write a sensitive song about his male friend, though. But as good as "James" is, Billy's true masterpiece from Turnstiles was "Miami 2017 (Seen The Lights Go Out on Broadway)". The dystopian song begins and ends with an intriguing piano line, and Billy's backing band puts in an excellent performance on this one. Though it wasn't even considered as a single, it's one of the best songs in his catalogue now. And Billy has used it for emotional performances, such as when he played it after 9/11.

Each of the people on the "Turnstiles" cover represent a character in one of the songs.

And we can't talk about 70s Billy Joel without talking about "Piano Man". Though it's a bit overplayed now, it's undeniably a classic song with first-class storytelling. It shows the lived experiences of Joel, who at the time he wrote and sung the song, clearly wasn't a commercial sellout. Instead, he was the starving artist type, playing to his regular crowd at the bar. He was truly the "Piano Man" then. But in the 1980s, Billy distanced himself from the "Piano Man" image. He went for something more mainstream, something less artistic and powerful. His 80s music, though still solid, paled in comparison to what he released in the 70s. If The Beatles were my favorite artist of the 60s, Billy Joel was my favorite artist of the 70s. And that's obviously very high praise. But towards the end of his commercial career, it's safe to say that Billy went to extremes.

7 Albums to Check Out This Summer

I have been listening to a lot of albums I haven't yet heard before this Summer. This research is inspired by my upcoming radio show for Moravian, which will be called "Graeme's Awesome Albums". So, here are 7 of the best I have heard so far this summer. These are definitely albums that have a fair shot of being played on my upcoming show, so you just might hear them if you tune in one night!

1.) Back to Black by Amy Winehouse (2006)

The first album I listened to this Summer, I was excited to kick off with one of the most critically acclaimed artists of this century. And I must say, her music deserves all the acclaim! The one song I knew before was "Rehab", the opener of the album. It's a catchy song, but knowing that Amy would die five years later from alcohol abuse, it now sounds like a desperate cry for help. The next song is just as solid, as "You Know I'm No Good" talks about her relationship drama in a candid way. Another highlight of the album was "Tears Dry On Their Own", which heavily samples from "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". But as you might be able to tell, this song wasn't as happy as the Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell classic. And "Wake Up Alone" is influenced by the 1950s with its chord progression. The whole album has a retro feel, as did Amy's looks at the time. With that eye makeup, she was heavily influenced by Ronnie Spector of the Ronnettes. When Amy passed, one of the last good artists from this era went away, too.

I got this album on vinyl. On the album sleeve, Amy also credits the Shangri-Las as an influence.

2.) Thriller by Michael Jackson (1982)

Matching his singing talent with equally awesome (if not better) dancing, Jackson was an 80s icon. And this album was a big reason why. "Thriller" is a Halloween-time classic, so yeah... this album could definitely be one I play around Halloween on the show! "Billie Jean" is another Jacko classic, with over 1 billion streams on Spotify. "The Girl Is Mine" is a cheesy duet with Paul McCartney. Yes it's ridiculous, but it's also two musical geniuses collaborating, and they both put in a great vocal performance (pay special attention to Paul's deep low note in the middle of the song!). "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" is a great, danceable song. But my favorite song on the album is "Beat It". That's a song I compulsively dance to, and I absolutely dig the Eddie Van Halen guitar solo. Plus, the chorus is incredibly catchy. "Beat It" is an MTV-era masterpiece.

This guy could freaking dance.

3.) Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel (1970)

While Paul Simon was the genius who wrote the songs, Art Garfunkel did have the better voice in my opinion. And it's Garfunkel's beautiful high tenor that's heard on the opening title track, a true highlight of the album. The "sail on silver girl" section where he harmonizes with Simon has a perfect transition, eventually leading to an epic and climactic ending. I'm a sucker for songs that start off soft and gradually build up in energy, and that's exactly what this is. But as great as "Bridge" is, it still might not be the best song on this album. "The Boxer" tells of the hard-knock life of someone who is "just a poor boy", though his story's seldom told. "Cecilia" and "Baby Driver" rid me of the notion that this album would just be slow and depressing songs. The latter is especially exciting in my opinion. The duo also covers the great Everly Brothers' song "Bye Bye Love", and with their fantastic harmonies, they do the song justice.

Yes, I've been told I have Art Garfunkel hair.

4.) Johnny Cash with His Hot and Blue Guitar! (1957)

If you're a fan of Johnny Cash's early material at Sun Records, this is the album for you. As his first album, it's a compilation of many of the songs he had recorded up to this point, as the concept of the LP was still very new at the time. Classics I have already discussed, like "I Walk The Line" and "Folsom Prison Blues" are on the album. But this isn't simply a greatest hits compilation, as there's plenty of underrated gems on here, too. "I Heard That Lonesome Whistle" is a fantastic cover of the already great Hank Williams song. "Cry! Cry! Cry!", which was Cash's first ever release, is on this album. But one of the surprising highlights for me was the fantastic opener, "Rock Island Line". The first half of the song is simple Cash narration, until the song "picks up a little bit of steam" and goes into a minute of absolute frenzied overdrive. In this frenzy, Cash sings some rare high notes. What an exciting song that one is.

The first of 97 albums released!

5.) From Elvis in Memphis by Elvis Presley (1969)

In this album, Elvis marries country and gospel music into one cohesive masterwork. He covers old country classics, like "It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin" and "I'm Movin' On". They are better than the originals, because... it's Elvis singing! "Power of My Love" is a particularly strong track, as even fat Elvis was known for his sex appeal. In the song, Elvis sings "Break it, burn it, drag it all down. Twist it, turn it, you can't tear it down". That reminds me of those annoying "Bop It" toys I had as a kid! Anyway, the true masterpieces the album are known for include "In The Ghetto" and "Suspicious Minds" (the latter of which is technically a bonus track). But I'm counting it, as "Suspicious Minds" happens to be my all time favorite Elvis song. Another bonus track that struck me was the gut-wrenching "Don't Cry Daddy", as that one is a true tear jerker.

The King was at the peak of his career when he recorded this classic album.

6.) Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs by Marty Robbins (1959)

Well, you can't talk about this album without talking about its two well-known masterpieces. "Big Iron" is the opener, and is particularly popular nowadays due to online meme culture appropriating the song. But at its heart, "Big Iron" is a fantastic and exciting storytelling song. It tells of an outlaw named Texas Red, the sharpest shooter in town! That is, until he meets the ranger with a big iron on his hip. But "Big Iron" doesn't quite match the genius of "El Paso", which I wrote about last week in my death discs article. Other underrated songs on the album include "They're Hanging Me Tonight", which tells of the narrator being put on death row after he shot his cheating woman. Also notable are the upbeat singalong "A Hundred and Sixty Acres", and the pretty song "In The Valley". 

Well, since I showed the actual album cover last week, here's one of the many meme covers from online.

7.) Talking Book by Stevie Wonder (1972)

While researching albums to look up, this one popped up on many all time "greatest albums" lists. Well, I had to see what the hype was about. I found there was already a couple songs I knew, including "You Are The Sunshine of My Life". What a fitting opener that is, as it feels like it is the beginning. It's a beautifully upbeat song. "You and I" is a pretty love ballad, reminiscent of "Oh My Love" by John Lennon. The funky sensation that is "Superstition" is of course arguably Stevie's most well-known song. "Big Brother" is a politically focused song that was inspired by the novel "1984". But the song that blew me away off the first listen was "Blame It On The Sun", a haunting song that talks of lost love. In it, the narrator blames losing his love on the Sun, but knows he's really to blame. If there's any song from this list I encourage you to look up, it's that one. What an underrated gem that is. 

Seriously, check out "Blame It On The Sun".

Well, those have been some of my favorite albums I have looked at this Summer. There are plenty of others I will soon listen to, including "Glass Houses" by Billy Joel, "Pearl" by Janis Joplin, "Green River" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Cloud Nine" by The Temptations, and "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" by David Bowie. So, stay tuned for a possible part two of this list, with 7 more albums I have enjoyed from the summer!