How unusual is Trace Adkins career? He has a deep, gravelly bass voice. He is a very successful solo country artist.
I can’t think of many basses with solo recording careers. Hoyt Axton had a bass voice and recorded a few hits.
The other bass, I recall is the long, bearded guy in The Oakridge Boys. He isn’t the lead singer in that group.
Rock celebrates soaring voices. Tom Scholz in Boston, Steven Tyler in Aerosmith, and Lou Gramm from Foreigner come to mind.
Who am I overlooking? Name some bass singers with solo acts or that sing the lead in a band.
Any genre.
Barry White. Would love to have heard him duet with Barry Gibb.
Brad Roberts of Crash Test Dummies?
I’m musically inept and tone deaf. But, Stan Rogers? Is he a true bass?
Avi Kaplan’s got a solo act now that he left Pentatonix… they couldn’t let him sing the lead all the time because all the women kept getting pregnant.
Yep, Barry White’s bass has been the backdrop for a lot of romance.
He had slipped my mind.
digs
March 21, 2018, 3:10am
7
How 'bout the more modern successor to Barry White’s crown, Gregory Porter ? He just did a tribute album of Nat King Cole tunes… tasty. And bass-y.
Not as big, but Graham Central Station was founded and fronted by Larry Graham, the bass guy from Sly and the Family Stone (who sang “I’m gonna add some botttttom…”). Here’s one example of their live stuff…
I’m not sure if they would officially be classified as “bass” voices, but Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Scott Weiland (R.I.P.) of the Stone Temple Pilots both sang with lower voices than are typically heard in rock music.
Also, Leonard Cohen.
I suppose we should consider Johnny Cash…
J.D. Sumner . His lowest note (G0) wasn’t so much a tone as it was a vibration.
Compared to him, Tennessee Ernie Ford was a boy soprano.
Try country gospel music. Those people love the bass …
Johnny got lower later in his career. He was probably always considered a bass.
Sounds like a Tuvan throat-singing record played at half speed.
Mark Knopfler is rather rumbly.
Paul Robeson. Ole Man River
Melvin Franklin (of The Temptations) Ole Man River
Not to mention the speakers blowing out.
Tom Scholz doesn’t sing. Bradley Delp did, and they’ve used other counter-tenors who could hit operatic-soprano notes since his death.
Ian Curtis of Joy Division wasn’t well known on this side of the pond, but he definitely had a bass voice.
Tom Waits?
Also Big John Wallace when he sang on Mr Tanner by Harry Chapin.
ioioio
March 21, 2018, 4:48am
20
Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers.
Louis Armstrong.