# Great guitarists who are terrible singers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 15, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685 "2006-02-15T21:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Trillionaire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Trillionaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trillionaire)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/1 "2006-02-15T21:16:49Z")
It seems to me that most contemporary “great” guitarists can also sing _reasonably_ well. I’m thinking of guys like **Slash** , **the Edge** , **Brian May** etc; their singing is nothing special, but they’re at least able to carry a tune, sing backing vocals, and maybe occasionally take a lead vocal on an album track. There’s probably a number of reasons for this - most guitarists probably have pretty good ears to begin with, and a lot of them would have taken singing lessons during their formative years too. But having said that, are there any great guitarists who absolutely STINK as singers? To the point where they don’t even have a working microphone to sing into when they’re on stage, and who would embarrass themselves if they so much as tried to sing karaoke at a dive bar somewhere? I guess that anyone who fits this description is probably well aware of their limitations, and able to hide them from the public. But still, does anyone know of any well known guitarists who are on record as saying they’re terrible singers, or whose bandmates make fun of their lack of abilities, or who have even attempted to sing on stage with disastrous results? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/2 "2006-02-15T21:19:45Z")
I don’t know of any who are totally and utterly unable to sing but I wish that Eric Johnson and Larry Carlton had left the vocal tracks off their solo albums. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/3 "2006-02-15T21:21:41Z")
Kenny Wayne Shepherd ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/4 "2006-02-15T21:22:52Z")
I wouldn’t say he _stank_ but Chet Atkins was no singer, except for the tear-jerker thing about his dad. That was a song more for the content than the quality of its delivery. If I ever heard Duane Allman try to sing, I don’t remember the song, but I seem to recall it was more like a howl. Letting Gregg do the singing was wise. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/5 "2006-02-15T21:34:38Z")
Yngwie Malmsteen pretty much sucks as a singer. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/6 "2006-02-15T21:36:04Z")
John Squire. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/7 "2006-02-15T21:41:30Z")
**Steve Howe** of Yes. Not bad when he’s singing third harmony behind Jon Anderson and Chris Squire, but as a lead singer, oh dear. I heard him sing a solo version of “Roundabout” once that was pretty horrendous. Having said that, I really do like his first solo album, _Beginnings_, a lot, off-key vocals and all. His voice is, shall we say, plaintive. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/8 "2006-02-15T21:49:31Z")
> [@Trillionaire](#): > > It seems to me that most contemporary “great” guitarists can also sing _reasonably_ well. I’m thinking of guys like **Slash** , **the Edge** , **Brian May** etc; their singing is nothing special, but they’re at least able to carry a tune, sing backing vocals, and maybe occasionally take a lead vocal on an album track. > > There’s probably a number of reasons for this - most guitarists probably have pretty good ears to begin with, and a lot of them would have taken singing lessons during their formative years too. > > But having said that, are there any great guitarists who absolutely STINK as singers? To the point where they don’t even have a working microphone to sing into when they’re on stage, and who would embarrass themselves if they so much as tried to sing karaoke at a dive bar somewhere? > > I guess that anyone who fits this description is probably well aware of their limitations, and able to hide them from the public. But still, does anyone know of any well known guitarists who are on record as saying they’re terrible singers, or whose bandmates make fun of their lack of abilities, or who have even attempted to sing on stage with disastrous results? I don’t know if they’re on record, but although I _adore_ both of them, Neil Young & Keith Richards could be considered “acquired tastes” VCNJ~ ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/9 "2006-02-15T22:28:31Z")
“Mister Peppermint Maaaaaannnnn…” Gah. Dick Dale was and is the lead singer for his group. When not blowing, he sucks. Mostly they play sans vocals though so it’s all cool. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/10 "2006-02-15T22:41:25Z")
Leo Kottke. He doesn’t sing often. The one time I heard him, he sounded like a rusty garden gate. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/11 "2006-02-15T22:43:34Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Leo Kottke. He doesn’t sing often. The one time I heard him, he sounded like a rusty garden gate. I’ve got a CD of him singing. I quite like his voice, but it’s an acquired taste. His cover of _Eight Miles High_ is a good example of rusty-gateness. I nominate Jimi Hendrix. Similar reasons to **picunurse**. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/12 "2006-02-15T22:46:19Z")
Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck should never be let anywhere near a microphone. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/13 "2006-02-15T22:51:56Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > If I ever heard Duane Allman try to sing, I don’t remember the song, but I seem to recall it was more like a howl. Letting Gregg do the singing was wise. With the Allman Brothers, Duane occasionally sang a “Dimples,” a John Lee Hooker song. It requires no range of any kind, and he’s alright. If you have the first Anthology of his work, it includes him singing “Goin’ Down Slow,” where he also does okay. Really early in his career, there was other stuff that was less good. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/14 "2006-02-15T22:53:32Z")
Neil Young is not the world’s greatest singer. He should really avoid going out of his limited range. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/15 "2006-02-15T23:05:02Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > With the Allman Brothers, Duane occasionally sang a “Dimples,” a John Lee Hooker song. It requires no range of any kind, and he’s alright. If you have the first Anthology of his work, it includes him singing “Goin’ Down Slow,” where he also does okay. Really early in his career, there was other stuff that was less good. It was “Dimples” I was remembering – painfully. It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to the Anthology records, too, so maybe it’s just an impression that I haven’t reinforced in recent years. Mainly just a reaction to the thread title that made me zoom in on Chet and Duane. There are much better examples in the other posts. ---
**Author:** ![Gordon\_Urquhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/db5fbb/32.png) [@Gordon\_Urquhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gordon_Urquhart)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2006, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/16 "2006-02-15T23:32:11Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Leo Kottke. He doesn’t sing often. The one time I heard him, he sounded like a rusty garden gate. Kottke himself wouldn’t be that generous. I was introduced to his music by someone who handed me a copy of _6 & 12 String Guitar_ and saying that Kottke has described his singing voice as “geese farting into the wind.” ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/17 "2006-02-16T00:13:43Z")
Mark Knopfler would qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/18 "2006-02-16T00:30:27Z")
I simply cannot imagine **Robert Fripp** singing. Urg. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/19 "2006-02-16T00:34:48Z")
Alex Lifeson. Trust me on this. There’s a reason he had guest singers on the ‘Victor’ solo album. ---
**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:** [February 16, 2006, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/20 "2006-02-16T00:36:25Z")
There’s a good reason why Alex Lifeson isn’t the lead singer of Rush. And have you ever heard anything off of Glenn Tipton’s (Judas Priest) solo album? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685.md?page=2)