# Can You name Famous lead singers with a deep bass voice? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [March 21, 2018, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939 "2018-03-21T02:58:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/41 "2018-03-21T16:03:30Z")
The late, great, gone-too-soon one and only [Burl Strevel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5IwQVL2whU) from the Blue Ridge Quartet–with that incredible bass voice from vocal chords that had spent years marinating in cigarettes and whiskey. Also [Tim Riley](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WsUO6M6SrY) from Gold City hits some low notes. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/42 "2018-03-21T18:16:12Z")
[Peter Murphy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Cy7B9x0qk), solo artist and lead singer of Bauhaus. Some of his stuff got ridiculously low. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/43 "2018-03-21T18:37:08Z")
Winona Judd has a deep voice. She did an acoustic set and I couldn’t believe her range. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/44 "2018-03-21T18:50:03Z")
Tim Foust from Home Free. He goes LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/45 "2018-03-21T19:02:41Z")
Odetta. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/46 "2018-03-21T19:37:07Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The other bass, I recall is the long, bearded guy in The Oakridge Boys. He isn’t the lead singer in that group. Derek Smalls? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/BXk_3-f3Xjk/maxresdefault.jpg "It Don't Get Old - Derek Smalls") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXk_3-f3Xjk) Just not a lot of low voices in rock music for the same reason all the big female stars are screechers: The demand is for high voices. You have to go to other genres to get basses. Yes, this is a bit of a hijack, but how often do we talk about bass singers? Richard Sterban. And man, ain’t no question. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qK-9eIF2yI) NOBODY sang as low as JD Sumner. Except perhaps for Thurl Ravenscroft: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DGLL2-z2hnE/maxresdefault.jpg "Battle Hymn Of The Republic Thurl Ravenscroft") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGLL2-z2hnE) Yes, you have heard that voice before. (Tony the Tiger, The Grinch) This is just for fun … on all sides. In jazz, it was Billy Eckstine, Mr. X! When it wasn't Herb Jeffries (who also made cowboy movies, Google "The Bronze Buckaroo"!) And finally, my personal favorite, Johnny Hartman: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/w1T3s5QY-WI/hqdefault.jpg "Johnny Hartman - The Nearness Of You") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1T3s5QY-WI) ---
**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:** [March 21, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/47 "2018-03-21T19:52:09Z")
The bearded guy in the Oak Ridge Boys is William Golden. He’s listed as a baritone but sure sounds like a bass singer to me. He goes way do there. The Oak Ridge Boys were all clean cut guys except for Golden. He sure stood out. > **[William Lee Golden](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lee_Golden)** > > William Lee Golden (born January 12, 1939) is an American country music singer. Between 1965 and 1987, and again since December 1995, he has been the baritone singer in the country vocal group The Oak Ridge Boys. > Golden joined The Oak Ridge Boys (then a Southern gospel music group) in 1965. Golden is widely known for his waist-length beard and hair, and has become one of the most recognizable faces in the entertainment industry. Golden was voted out of The Oak Ridge Boys in 1987, as the other ... [https://pbs.twimg.com/profile\_images/954053272427552768/2-\_FzzCq.jpg](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/954053272427552768/2-_FzzCq.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@The\_Dope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dope)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/48 "2018-03-21T19:53:55Z")
Peter steele type o negative! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/49 "2018-03-21T20:04:03Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > The bearded guy in the Oak Ridge Boys is William Golden. > > He’s listed as a baritone but sure sounds like a bass singer to me. He goes way do there. [Richard Sterban goes lower.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qK-9eIF2yI#t=1m54s) ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/50 "2018-03-21T20:07:37Z")
Who was the cat that sang with Olivia Newton John? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/51 "2018-03-21T20:09:34Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > Richard Sterban. And man, ain’t no question. > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qK-9eIF2yI](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qK-9eIF2yI) Heh. We found the same video. > [@](#): > > Thurl Ravenscroft: > > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGLL2-z2hnE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGLL2-z2hnE) > > Yes, you have heard that voice before. (Tony the Tiger, The Grinch) And [Snoopy, Come Home](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vzEgV5qJdc#t=28s). ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/52 "2018-03-21T20:30:26Z")
I’m officially disappointed in the Dope if I’m the first one after \>50 posts to mention **Mark Lanegan**. ETA: Wait, I guess I don’t have the ears or music-geekness to distinguish baritone and bass, but dude’s got a seriously deep voice, is what I’m saying. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2018, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/53 "2018-03-21T23:45:45Z")
High voices proliferate in rock because they can be heard over the band. Rock instruments are louder than in country and other genres, and generally occupy spectrum in the mid range and below. So singers like Robert Plant or Steve Perry complement the rock sound nicely. Johnny Cash or Barry White would sound muddy. If you want to make a country cover of a rock song, turn down the band, add an acoustic rhythm guitar, get a singer with a deep voice and a drawl, and you got a cross-over hit:\* “Ah cain’t GAIT no, sat-ees-FAC-shun”.\* ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/54 "2018-03-22T00:26:20Z")
Thurl ravencroft…Mr Grinch. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/55 "2018-03-22T02:00:51Z")
Mick Jagger could get pretty low, e.g. in “She Smiled Sweetly,” a gem from _Between the Buttons_ (recorded late ‘66). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/56 "2018-03-22T02:23:42Z")
If we are extending to baritones, I would suggest Waylon Jennings and in rock, Jim Morrison, Robbie Robertson, Warren Zevon, Lou Reed. For bass singers, all I got is Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/57 "2018-03-22T03:10:44Z")
Till Lindemann of Rammstein. Some say he’s a true bass. Others say he’s really more of a low baritone. I say I don’t care! 🙂 [Rammstein - Sonne (Official Video) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StZcUAPRRac) (Sonne - Mostly safe for work) [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ruwem](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ruwem) (Kokain - my favorite. This is the best quality sound I could find right now) One thing I like about German bands is that the male vocalists tend to have voices on the lower side. A couple of (non-bass) examples from bands that are very popular in Germany, but not in the United States: [Die Ärzte "Lied vom Scheitern" - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQDI-8YfzWQ) (Die Ärzte “Lied vom Scheitern”) [Oomph! - Augen auf (Video-Clip) - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuLPJg2gwjQ) (Oomph! “Augen Auf”) ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/58 "2018-03-22T03:39:35Z")
[Turley Richards](https://youtu.be/lkl9Z7gkRk8?t=178) had a 5-octave range (lowest at 2:57 [here](https://youtu.be/lkl9Z7gkRk8?t=178)), but it’s more the passion he brought to a song than the “special effects” of his range. I find that when someone says “Can you believe how low/high they can sing?”, it usually means I’ll be unimpressed by the music (I mean, imagine Thurl Ravencroft duetting with Minnie Ripperton… not much fun). ---
**Author:** ![Noel\_Prosequi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b19c9b/32.png) [@Noel\_Prosequi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noel_Prosequi)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/59 "2018-03-22T09:21:49Z")
Have we all lost that lovin’ feeling for [Long John Baldry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8wQxs0M_1Q) and the [Righteous Brothers](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOnYY9Mw2Fg)? Maybe the Rightouses aren’t strict basses, but LJB is pretty close. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/60 "2018-03-22T16:52:24Z")
> [@Noel\_Prosequi](#): > > Have we all lost that lovin’ feeling for [Long John Baldry](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8wQxs0M_1Q) Does Boogie Woogie music count? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939.md?page=4)