# Classically good singers in rock/punk **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 28, 2003, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377 "2003-01-28T01:02:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/41 "2003-01-31T07:02:37Z")
What about Brad Delp of Boston? I’m not really any judge of voice quality, but I’ve tried to sing along with him, and it’s only on my very best days that I can approximate what he does, at least on the records. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_Casualty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@TV\_Casualty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_Casualty)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/42 "2003-01-31T07:06:06Z")
Mike Patton from Faith No More/Mr. Bungle has an amazing range. ---
**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:** [January 31, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/43 "2003-01-31T07:24:23Z")
Believe it or not, **Screamin’ Jay Hawkins** was classically trained, and wanted to be an opera singer. ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/44 "2003-01-31T07:40:18Z")
Re Gwen Stefani, she’s a fine singer for her band, but her voice is rather forced. She doesn’t sing well so much as she performs well. Although, she has that really pretty line at the end of the acoustic version of “Underneath it All,” so I could be wrong. Angie Hart of Frente! is my pick. ---
**Author:** ![Frida\_s\_Boss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/49beb7/32.png) [@Frida\_s\_Boss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frida_s_Boss)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/45 "2003-01-31T14:49:03Z")
I don’t know about her trying to hard after following shanai…at least gwin sang her song… did you see when shania actually quit moving her lips along with the recording, shamless ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/46 "2003-01-31T17:25:43Z")
Eva Cassidy was amazing. And even if the twang annoys the heck out of me, the Dixie Chicks actually have some talent. But Aaron Neville will always give me chills! ---
**Author:** ![SaxFace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@SaxFace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaxFace)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/47 "2003-01-31T19:53:32Z")
**Nina Hagen** , hands down. Blows everyone out of the water. You may not like her, but her range and talent is unparallel. All of the voices on “Nunsexmonkrock” are hers. Unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![greenphan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c37758/32.png) [@greenphan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenphan)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/48 "2003-01-31T20:20:55Z")
Hmmm, reading all of this causes an unwholesome desire within me: Jello Biafra singing “Rigoletto”. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/49 "2003-01-31T23:18:05Z")
I’m embarrassed to admit this, because I never listen to country singers. But when I heard **Faith Hill** do the Star-Spangled Banner live I sat up and took notice. She has a real set of pipes, and does a version of the anthem that is pop-motown and a little country. If you don’t mind low resolution sound and the cheesy background orchestration, here’s a link to the recording from an ultra-cheesy website [http://www.mirc-colors.com/julystarfaith.html](http://www.mirc-colors.com/julystarfaith.html) ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/50 "2003-01-31T23:56:42Z")
Lisa Gerrard from **Dead Can Dance** can do some seriously spooky shit with her voice, as can Kate Bush. Best pipes in honest-to-god punk? I’d have to nominate Lee Ving from **Fear**. And…just because I wanted to see her name mentioned twice in this thread… **Johnette Napolitano**. ---
**Author:** ![NutWrench](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nutwrench/32/20193_2.png) [@NutWrench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NutWrench)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/51 "2003-02-01T01:04:21Z")
Another vote here for Freddie Mercury. Man, he had a terrific voice. ---
**Author:** ![Ave\_Minerva](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f0a364/32.png) [@Ave\_Minerva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ave_Minerva)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/52 "2003-02-01T01:17:17Z")
Another vote for Nina Hagen. I saw her live in San Fran back in '82 and she was amazing. Her vocal range is unbelievable. ---
**Author:** ![lexi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lexi/32/6806_2.png) [@lexi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexi)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/53 "2003-02-01T01:24:42Z")
Lee Ving is great for pure punk - but I’d have to HR from Bad Brains before 1990. ---
**Author:** ![Bindrah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@Bindrah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bindrah)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/54 "2003-02-01T06:21:22Z")
yeah, hr…he could hit the highs at intervals…whay about bloodclot from the crom-mags…show you no mercy at all…yes, pretty good eh? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Sexchange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@Dr.Sexchange](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Sexchange)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/55 "2003-02-01T19:52:32Z")
**Captain Beefheart** apparantly has a 4 and a half octave range. And, in my own personal opinion, **Danzig** has a pretty good unconventional voice. ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/56 "2003-02-01T20:49:33Z")
Although Kate Bush has already been mentioned, she was actually classically/operatically trained and you can really tell on something like “Wuthering Heights” or “Jig of Life”. And Jon Anderson did all the voices on “We Have Heaven” which cover a great range. ---
**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:** [February 1, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/57 "2003-02-01T21:02:59Z")
I’m glad to see some support for Freddie Mercury here. I always thought he had a wonderful voice and was “classically good,” but I always had to wonder if I thought he was classically good because of his operatic sections in Bohemian Rhapsody. But I guess they were able to do those operatic sections because he was such a great singer, ya know? ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/58 "2003-02-01T21:22:44Z")
Freddie did a late-in-his-life solo album called “The Great Pretender” and on it is a track called “Exercises in Free Love” which is nothing more than Freddie wailing up and down the scales to musical accompaniment (and I am certain I spelled that wrong.) Anyhow, it’s an astonishing piece of vocal music and very admirably shows off his vocal acrobatics. ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377/59 "2003-02-01T23:31:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by WordMan \* > \*\*Chris Cornell of AudioSlave and Soundgarden (aka: “The Throat”) is a genetic freak who could sing anything he wanted to if he put his mind to it - his voice is in the Michael Jordan category - just head and shoulders above his peers. > \*\* I think I would be doubtful of this, had I not seen Soundgarden in concert. I always thought Chris had a great voice, but I was actually amazed at his voice live. He’s the musician I refer to when asked who sounds better live. I’d heard people say this before about musicians, but always assumed it was because of the interactive experience more than anything else. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/classically-good-singers-in-rock-punk/151377.md?page=2)