# Best Bass Singers Of All Time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 1, 2011, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000 "2011-03-01T00:56:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/21 "2011-03-01T15:29:01Z")
Ron Raylor, a/k/a [Bleeding Gums Murphy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7xixfoG8Ag) ---
**Author:** ![Yaxche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8dc957/32.png) [@Yaxche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yaxche)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/22 "2011-03-01T16:11:43Z")
Maybe not strictly bass, but definitely sings in the lower registers, and one of my favorite singers in general… Mark Lanegan. [Idle Hands](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEUmdjgW-r0) ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/23 "2011-03-01T16:37:48Z")
While waiting for some of the opera singing Dopers to chime in, I’ll just mention a few basses and baritones I’ve liked listening to: [Samuel Ramey](http://www.samuelramey.com/) (bass), [Raymond Aceto](http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=1233) (bass), [Dmitri Hvorostovsky](http://www.hvorostovsky.com/en/) (baritone), [Joshua Winograde](http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/artist-detail.cfm?id=1267) (bass—though I don’t know if he performs anymore) Does [BRIAN BLESSED!](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BrianBlessed) count? ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/24 "2011-03-01T18:05:52Z")
Mentioned this elsewhere, but these Orthodox singers on Google-Youtube are fairly amazing: **[Russia in Winter](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBOMVLd7wYg)**. BTW, the girl is Keira Knightley, from a Zhivago film if you winder. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/25 "2011-03-01T18:12:43Z")
Thanks so much for this thread; we basses need to wrestle the spotlight from the tenors. And I was totally unaware that Thomas Quasthoff had been a thalidomide baby. What an amazing voice! I’m also a big fan of the basses in Chanticleer. ---
**Author:** ![Philliam](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/philliam/32/3011_2.png) [@Philliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philliam)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/26 "2011-03-01T18:19:15Z")
+1 on Samuel Ramey and for quirky a capella lovers, who better than “Richard Bob” Greene of “The Bobs”? (besides being a killer song-writer) ---
**Author:** ![Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f19dbf/32.png) [@Only\_Mostly\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Only_Mostly_Dead)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/27 "2011-03-01T18:58:36Z")
Current on the country charts: [Josh](http://www.youtube.com/user/JoshTurnerVEVO?feature=chclk#p/u/23/uFz61X2PQTw) [Turner](http://www.youtube.com/user/JoshTurnerVEVO?feature=chclk#p/u/1/IH1Z9DEDqpk) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/28 "2011-03-01T19:22:49Z")
No mention of the late [Jerome “Chef” McElroy,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ew06J05pkk) also known as Isaac Hayes? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/29 "2011-03-01T19:29:11Z")
[Gratuitous Muppet Show link](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnieQ7hUcN8). ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/30 "2011-03-01T21:01:45Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > we basses need to wrestle the spotlight from the tenors. Viva la bassion! ---
**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/31 "2011-03-01T23:00:09Z")
Ivan Rebroff EOS. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6DOUB3O35E](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6DOUB3O35E) ---
**Author:** ![missred](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/missred/32/14096_2.png) [@missred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missred)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/32 "2011-03-02T02:24:54Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > I’m pretty sure that’s Isaac Freeman singing there, who I highly recommend. I bought his album ‘Beautiful Stars,’ which he released shortly after O Brother Where Art Thou brought him into the public eye. It’s gospel, so it might not be everybody’s cup of tea, but he’s a great vocalist no doubt. Odd…the liner notes attribute the music to the Fairfield Four. Whoever it is, he has an awesome bass voice. Another that I like is Harold Reid of the Statler Brothers. Gospel quartet beginnings, like many others, but translated into country music. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiyXx3T3Igc](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiyXx3T3Igc) ---
**Author:** ![apewty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@apewty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apewty)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/33 "2011-04-25T03:46:12Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9dW6wkA-s0) I love this song too. My favorite Christmas song but not by much. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/34 "2011-04-25T05:43:16Z")
How about Larry Hooper on the early 60’s era Lawrence Welk Show? . ---
**Author:** ![colonial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@colonial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/colonial)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/35 "2011-04-25T07:27:33Z")
Louis Armstrong is alone at the top for me. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/36 "2011-04-25T14:13:58Z")
Satchmo isn’t really a “bass singer” in the sense we’re talking about. Unless you mean a different Louis Armstrong… ---
**Author:** ![Billy\_Baroo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/76d3ee/32.png) [@Billy\_Baroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billy_Baroo)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/37 "2011-04-25T14:34:37Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#): > > While waiting for some of the opera singing Dopers to chime in, I’ll just mention a few basses and baritones I’ve liked listening to: [Samuel Ramey](http://www.samuelramey.com/) (bass), [Raymond Aceto](http://www.imgartists.com/?page=artist&id=1233) (bass), [Dmitri Hvorostovsky](http://www.hvorostovsky.com/en/) (baritone), [Joshua Winograde](http://www.laphil.com/philpedia/artist-detail.cfm?id=1267) (bass—though I don’t know if he performs anymore) Died on stage FTW: [Leonard Warren](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Warren) Russian bass: [Nicolai Ghiaurov](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolai_Ghiaurov) ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/38 "2011-04-25T15:35:36Z")
I’ll put up Harold Reid of the [Statler Brothers.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Statler_Brothers) Now, their brand of coffe may not be your cup of tea, but bass is bass. Check him out [here,](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPrDoDmX9fY) at 0:57+. And [here.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qxgbyeDZxQ) ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/39 "2011-04-26T16:07:41Z")
FTW Larry Graham (of Sly and the Family Stone / Graham Central Station) Sings Bass. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYycDyAxgb0](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYycDyAxgb0) Plays Bass. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67CjzOsAGpI&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67CjzOsAGpI&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000/40 "2011-04-26T16:59:21Z")
[Billy Eckstine](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myOxXAKT3lU&feature=related) could get way down there. But not as low as [Arthur Prysock](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd7INoVTvmg). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-bass-singers-of-all-time/573000.md?page=3)