# Bands that you didn't realize had two singers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [September 21, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616 "2019-09-21T16:31:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/1 "2019-09-21T16:31:04Z")
Because they have been in the news recently with the death of Ric Ocasek – The Cars. I knew Benjamin Orr sang “Drive” but I always thought that was a one-off. It was years before I found out that he sang lead as much or more than Ric. And of course now when I listen to their music it’s easy to pick out who is who, but for years I just always assumed Ocasek was their only singer. Back when I first started listening to Pink Floyd I just assumed that Roger Waters handled all the vocals. I remember my brother listening to David Gilmour’s first solo album one day and I made some comment about how did he get Waters to sing on it, and my brother just kind of rolled his eyes and said “That’s not Waters, it’s Gilmour.” And again, once the light bulb came on, it was easy to hear the difference, it just never occurred to me before. So what bands did you listen to for years before finally discovering that it wasn’t the same singer on all the vocals? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/2 "2019-09-21T16:36:48Z")
They don’t have the body of work like your two examples, but Stealers Wheel back in their heyday had two lead singers that sounded quite similar. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/3 "2019-09-21T16:54:31Z")
I don’t have my own example, just want to point out that besides their two main singers, Rick Wright also often sang lead vocals for Pink Floyd (and Nick Mason “sang” lead on “One Of These Days”, with the help of a little studio trickery :)). ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/4 "2019-09-21T16:59:27Z")
> [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](#): > > They don’t have the body of work like your two examples, but Stealers Wheel back in their heyday had two lead singers that sounded quite similar. You mean it wasn’t just Gerry Rafferty? See, I didn’t know that either! > [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I don’t have my own example, just want to point out that besides their two main singers, Rick Wright also often sang lead vocals for Pink Floyd (and Nick Mason “sang” lead on “One Of These Days”, with the help of a little studio trickery :)). I know, right? I picked up a copy of Rick Wright’s “Wet Dream” in a used record store years ago and, similar to how I thought Waters sang on Gilmour’s solo album, I thought Gilmour was singing on Wright’s! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/5 "2019-09-21T17:08:34Z")
I don’t think there was ever a time I thought there was only one singer, but it took me awhile before I could hear the difference between XTC’s Andy Patridge and Colin Moulding. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/6 "2019-09-21T19:06:09Z")
I wasn’t aware that Phil Collins sang For Absent Friends for Genesis on Nursery Cryme. I think he was listed on Selling England by the Pound as doing vocals for More Fool Me. I don’t think Peter Gabriel is on either track at all. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/7 "2019-09-21T19:08:52Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I don’t have my own example, just want to point out that besides their two main singers, Rick Wright also often sang lead vocals for Pink Floyd (and Nick Mason “sang” lead on “One Of These Days”, with the help of a little studio trickery :)). Plus Syd Barrett on the early stuff, all 5 of them sing on A Saucerful Of Secrets - Mason on Corporal Clegg. People who’ve only heard singles or compilations might not realise that Keith Richards has one or two lead vocals on most Rolling Stones albums. I’m sure there’s a lot of bands where another member does the occasional lead vocal. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/8 "2019-09-21T19:41:33Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > Plus Syd Barrett on the early stuff, all 5 of them sing on A Saucerful Of Secrets - Mason on Corporal Clegg. Knew about Syd of course, but didn’t know that it’s Mason on Corporal Clegg. > [@](#): > > People who’ve only heard singles or compilations might not realise that Keith Richards has one or two lead vocals on most Rolling Stones albums. I’m sure there’s a lot of bands where another member does the occasional lead vocal. “Happy” even was a single (and I’m sure that it’s on one of the gazillion compilations). Though you really can’t confuse Keith’s vocals with Mick’s. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/9 "2019-09-21T19:46:18Z")
Late Velvet Underground Lou Reed and Doug Yule both sang. This was not long before Reed left the group, so that didn’t last long. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/10 "2019-09-21T19:59:28Z")
I didn’t realize until some time in the early 90s that AC/DC had had two different lead singers. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/11 "2019-09-21T20:15:14Z")
> [@P-man](#): > > Late Velvet Underground Lou Reed and Doug Yule both sang. This was not long before Reed left the group, so that didn’t last long. Though it wasn’t hard to miss because Yule was the first in Velvet Underground who could really sing ;). ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/12 "2019-09-21T20:20:53Z")
> [@Hampshire](#): > > I didn’t realize until some time in the early 90s that AC/DC had had two different lead singers. Three, actually, but none at the same time. They started with a guy named Dave Evans. They even tried a ballad with him that clearly shows that he was the wrong guy for the band (sorry, can’t find the link to that strange song, but I saw them perform it on a TV show in a youtube clip some years ago) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/13 "2019-09-21T20:27:18Z")
It was awhile before I realized the Dave Davies also sang for the Kinks. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/14 "2019-09-21T20:38:58Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > It was awhile before I realized the Dave Davies also sang for the Kinks. Some of Dave’s songs he did with the Kinks were released as singles under the solo moniker “Dave Davies”, but also appeared on regular Kinks albums, like “Death Of A Clown” and “Susannah’s Still Alive”. It’s a bit of an anomaly. ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/15 "2019-09-21T21:23:42Z")
How about some I still don’t know if they had one or multiple lead singers? Box Tops Four Tops Spinners (I’m pretty sure they have more than one) Stylistics O’Jays To me, these are a sound more than band members. Levi Stubbs is the only person I can name from any of these groups and I like them all. I should look up lead singers, unless someone wants to volunteer the information. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2019, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/16 "2019-09-21T21:54:01Z")
Bachman Turner Overdrive Randy Bachman is often considered BTO’s front man. But, Fred Turner on bass sings lead on many of their hits. > **[Fred Turner (musician)](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Turner_(musician))** > > Charles Frederick Turner (born October 16, 1943) is a Canadian rock bassist, vocalist and songwriter, and was a founding member of the 1970s rock band Bachman–Turner Overdrive (B.T.O.). He is credited on most B.T.O. albums as "C.F. Turner". > Fred Turner played in over a dozen bands in and around Winnipeg during his early adult years, his first vocal recordings being with the group Pink Plumm, which released one independent single titled "Along Came Pride". Based upon advice Randy Bachman rece... Turner is the lead vocalist on many of Bachman–Turner Overdrive’s most popular tracks, including “Roll On Down the Highway,” “Let It Ride,” “Blue Collar,” “Four Wheel Drive,” “Not Fragile” and “Take It Like a Man.” His songwriting credits include “Gimme Your Money Please,” “Blue Collar,” “Not Fragile,” “Take It Like a Man” (with Blair Thornton), “Let it Ride” (with Randy Bachman) and “Roll On Down the Highway” (with Robbie Bachman). ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/17 "2019-09-23T17:49:39Z")
It was embarrassingly long before discovering that Freddie Mercury didn’t’ sing all of Queen’s leads. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/18 "2019-09-23T17:56:09Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > It was embarrassingly long before discovering that Freddie Mercury didn’t’ sing all of Queen’s leads. This was exactly what I was going to post, too; even more embarrassing since I’ve considered myself a Queen fan since the late 1970s. :smack: Both Brian May and Roger Tayor sung lead on a number of Queen songs (though the hits were pretty much all Freddie on lead). ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/19 "2019-09-23T17:56:50Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > It was embarrassingly long before discovering that Freddie Mercury didn’t’ sing all of Queen’s leads. The recent movie really ruined one of my favorite trivia challenges, which was to get someone to guess who hit that really high note in “Bohemian Rhapsody,” then let them choose between Freddie, Roger, or Brian. Most folks can see a trick question like that from a mile away, but few of them will pick the drummer, so you usually get them to pick Brian. ---
**Author:** ![lost4life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c4cdca/32.png) [@lost4life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lost4life)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616/20 "2019-09-23T19:57:47Z")
The Clash. Joe Strummer and Mick Jones. Strummer is the assumed vocalist, but Jones did his fair share, including a few hits. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-that-you-didnt-realize-had-two-singers/840616.md?page=2)