# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2018, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/61 "2018-03-22T17:24:36Z")
Is Leon Redbone bass or baritone? ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/62 "2018-03-23T02:28:27Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Uh Boston. > > It’s early. Shouldn’t post before my first mug of coffee. Someone from Kansas on a Journey to Boston might seem like a Foreigner. It’s easy to get them confused. ---
**Author:** ![Kimble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kimble/32/19185_2.png) [@Kimble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimble)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/63 "2018-03-23T02:51:01Z")
Matt Berninger of The National is fairly low (“[Bloodbuzz, Ohio](https://youtu.be/yfySK7CLEEg)”) for the alt-rock crowd, although he had shouty moments (“[Abel](https://youtu.be/P1BjndTZvQY)”) earlier in his career. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/64 "2018-03-23T13:33:02Z")
How about **David Vanian**. Deep, rich voice AND [a crooner](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU756rsvoZc) (song has a 2 minute keyboard intro). My wife had never even heard of the Damned so I took her to a concert recently and she was absolutely entranced by his voice, especially in contrast to the rather upbeat punk numbers he was singing in. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/65 "2018-03-23T13:50:38Z")
I’m reminded of the low-sounding singing of [Hayden](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzQY7yRDil0), though I think he’s technically a baritone. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/66 "2018-03-23T16:08:34Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > John “Bowzer” Bauman of Sha Na Na, who replaced Alan Cooper as the bass singer. Well if we’re mentioning Bowzer then we gotta mention **[Barry Carl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxCzfybdI_c)** of Rockapella fame. Looking at his [Wikipedia entry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Carl) I was surprised to see that Carl not only studied opera at Juilliard but that he’d done so after earning Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in French horn from Julliard as well. (For the bass note payoff, it’s at the end of the song linked to above.) ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/67 "2018-03-23T16:12:42Z")
what about Michael Poulsen, of Volbeat? ---
**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 23, 2018, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/68 "2018-03-23T16:36:16Z")
> [@BlankSlate](#): > > Is Leon Redbone bass or baritone? Baritone, though these days he may be singing bass just because he’s older. Here he is with my buddy Jonathan Dorn. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/GvbVOUTmEHM/maxresdefault.jpg "Seduced") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvbVOUTmEHM) ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/69 "2018-03-23T20:12:30Z")
Really shocked no one has mentioned country artist Josh Turner, who hits notes so low in “Would You Go With Me?” that even I have to think about it when singing along with him (I sing down to C[sub]2[/sub]). And he sings much of the song in the range of G[sub]2[/sub] to G[sub]3[/sub], which is pretty low for a modern pop singer of any genre. [Would You Go With Me?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFz61X2PQTw) (youtube) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/70 "2018-03-23T23:06:20Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > 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. After developing a rather late affection for _very_ early Chicago Transit Authority/Chicago( after dismissing them for decades based on their later radio-saturating MOR output ), I read up on them and apparently they hired tenor Peter Cetera in part for that reason. Founding vocalists Robert Lamm and Terry Kath were both baritones and had a tough time cutting through the horn section like Cetera could. ---
**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 23, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/71 "2018-03-23T23:12:41Z")
I’ve been listening to some of the clips. Deep bass voices, singing the lead part, sounds so different from the typical music I hear. Kind of an acquired taste. ---
**Author:** ![Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de053/32.png) [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackknifed_Juggernaut)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2018, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/72 "2018-03-23T23:41:12Z")
Not sure it qualifies as bass, but David Gahan of Depeche Mode had a very deep voice compared to most of his counterparts in their genre. Also, the lead singer for Urge Overkill. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/73 "2018-03-24T03:05:01Z")
> [@Kimble](#): > > Matt Berninger of The National is fairly low (“[Bloodbuzz, Ohio](https://youtu.be/yfySK7CLEEg)”) for the alt-rock crowd, although he had shouty moments (“[Abel](https://youtu.be/P1BjndTZvQY)”) earlier in his career. This is my favorite and obvious (to me) pick, but being not that familiar with what defines a “bass voice” I looked him up and saw him referred to as being known for his “baritone.” Then I looked at the entry for Non-classical baritones on Wikipedia and the list included almost every rock singer I can think of with a deep voice. So I guess I just assumed that Bass is VERY low and almost no one has it. But if we are talking about a voice like Matt has, he is my favorite singer of recent-ish times and I have a similar voice. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/74 "2018-03-24T03:35:11Z")
> [@ioioio](#): > > Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers. > > Louis Armstrong. Armstrong had a medium-range voice. His gravelly sound might have given the impression it was lower, but he never actually sang low notes. ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/75 "2018-03-24T03:46:17Z")
This is not pop or rock or country, but it’s too much fun not to post. Notice the big guy in the grey t-shirt. (Some Russian guys are singing a song about sitting around drinking, while they sit around and drink. :)) [Vladimir Kruglov, bass](http://youtu.be/jmCGPXoEdig) ---
**Author:** ![DavidwithanR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3bc359/32.png) [@DavidwithanR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidwithanR)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/76 "2018-03-24T05:55:30Z")
My mistake, typing from memory and not thinking - the bass’s name is Mikhail Kruglov, not Vladimir. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2018, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/77 "2018-03-24T12:17:15Z")
You like guys showing vocal range when singing Russian? Allow me to present [Ivan Rebroff](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW2WoCKWlc0)(actually a German) with his 4.5 octaves. ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/78 "2021-01-31T15:11:51Z")
Neil Diamond is a baritone but it seems to me he could carry a vocal bass part quite well. ---
**Author:** ![2\_More\_Bits](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/2_more_bits/32/4148_2.png) [@2\_More\_Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2_More_Bits)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/79 "2021-01-31T17:34:49Z")
JIMMY Ricks. [Free sample](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uriYK4QJcyo) ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2021, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939/80 "2021-01-31T18:22:26Z")
As far as rock ( hard rock ) goes, Glen Danzig comes to mind: ‘Misfits’ and ‘Danzig’. I once heard his singing described as a cross between Jim Morrison and Elvis Presley. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-name-famous-lead-singers-with-a-deep-bass-voice/810939.md?page=5)