# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/21 "2006-02-16T00:44:13Z")
I don’t recall Robin Trower singing on any of his albums, probably a reason for that. BTW, I saw Kenny Wayne Sheppard play last summer and he sang a couple songs. He wasn’t as good as the regular singer but not horrible either. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/22 "2006-02-16T00:53:58Z")
J Mascis is quite the acquired taste, vocally. ---
**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 16, 2006, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/23 "2006-02-16T01:08:36Z")
> [@River Hippie](#): > > I don’t recall Robin Trower singing on any of his albums, probably a reason for that. I haven’t seen him live since the '70s (when the vocals were handled by the late, great, whiskey-throated James Dewar), but I gather he does a lot of his own vocals nowadays. He did the occasional lead vocal in his Procol Harum days, such as “Wish Me Well,” “Poor Mohammed,” and a few others. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/24 "2006-02-16T01:41:47Z")
There’s a reason Eddie Van Halen put up with David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar. ---
**Author:** ![Mayo\_Speaks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mayo\_Speaks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayo_Speaks)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/25 "2006-02-16T01:54:49Z")
> [@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. > \ I wouldn’t charcterize **The Edge’s** singing as “nothing special.” Edge has a great voice, and an even better falsetto. He’s been the singer during my favrorite part of my favorite song on each of the last U2 albums. (“Miracle Drug” and “Stuck in a Moment”) And Van Diemen’s Land is a great song in spite of its uninspired lyrics because Edge sings it so beautifully. Maybe this is just me defending U2 against all affronts, real or imaginary, but I think that Edge is one of the best singers in rock and roll today. But hey, to each his/her own. Happy Orthodox Jewish man! ;j ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/26 "2006-02-16T02:02:40Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > “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. I came in here to mention Dick Dale too! He’s one of my top two or three favorite guitarists of all time, but MAN does that guy sing badly! My brother and I have an inside joke, that whenever we hear any kind of inept singing, we’ll sing to each other, “Mister Peppermint Maaaaan!” I’ll also second Eric Johnson, and add Joe Satriani. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/27 "2006-02-16T02:06:19Z")
> [@fishbicycle](#): > > Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck should never be let anywhere near a microphone. The last time I saw Jeff, I don’t think he said 2 words to the crowd, and the closest he came to “singing” was using the Talk Box (aka: mouth bag 😃 ). ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/28 "2006-02-16T02:16:24Z")
Andy Summers. Well, it depends. There’s a Police B-side called “Someone To Talk To” that actually is quite good, but “Mother” is dire. I liked Andy Taylor’s work with Duran Duran and Power Station, but he can’t sing. PS did a cover of “Harvest For The World” which was decent, only because Robert Palmer balanced out his screeching. ---
**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 16, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/29 "2006-02-16T02:27:48Z")
> [@Kilvert's Pagan](#): > > I simply cannot imagine **Robert Fripp** singing. Urg. Fripp’s latest CD, _Love Cannot Bear_, has him “singing” through a vocoder on one track. ---
**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 16, 2006, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/30 "2006-02-16T02:41:52Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Fripp’s latest CD, _Love Cannot Bear_, has him “singing” through a vocoder on one track. Just curious, if you are not a great or even passable singer and you use a vocoder, would it make a difference? ---
**Author:** ![Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Ass\_For\_A\_Hat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ass_For_A_Hat)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/31 "2006-02-16T02:44:00Z")
Robbie Robertson ---
**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, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/32 "2006-02-16T02:53:24Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > Fripp’s latest CD, _Love Cannot Bear_, has him “singing” through a vocoder on one track. Hi Biffy! Yikes. … I haven’t picked this up yet, although I plan on it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/33 "2006-02-16T03:35:58Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Leo Kottke. He doesn’t sing often. The one time I heard him, he sounded like a rusty garden gate. No, he sounds like geese farting on a muggy day. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/34 "2006-02-16T03:57:25Z")
Roger Waters, though a bass player rather than a guitarist, and not even a good bass player really, definitely not a good singer. ---
**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 16, 2006, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/35 "2006-02-16T04:47:47Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Just curious, if you are not a great or even passable singer and you use a vocoder, would it make a difference? Well, you don’t have to worry about singing in tune, as the keyboard controls the pitch of the output signal. And of course it doesn’t matter if you’re Smokey Robinson or Johnny Rotten to start with; anybody singing through a vocoder ends up sounding like Mister Machine. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/36 "2006-02-16T06:40:50Z")
Carlos Santana doesn’t usually have a mic, just the PRS and a Mesa Boogie amp. I think in a few concert videos I’ve actually seen him singing some backup, but I can’t recall his voice alone in anything. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Goob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c77e96/32.png) [@Mr.Goob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Goob)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/37 "2006-02-16T14:01:42Z")
This is herasy to some, I nominate Bob Dylan. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/38 "2006-02-16T14:07:00Z")
> [@Mr. Goob](#): > > This is herasy to some, I nominate Bob Dylan. I thought we were going for _great_ guitarists. Bob holds one, but is he great? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/39 "2006-02-16T14:15:57Z")
> [@Mr. Goob](#): > > This is herasy to some, I nominate Bob Dylan. That was my first thought, but then I remembered “Lay Lady Lay.” Say what you will about either his guitar or singing talents, the man can write a song. ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685/40 "2006-02-16T14:19:34Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I thought we were going for _great_ guitarists. Bob holds one, but is he great? In terms of technical prowess, no. In terms of songwriting and inspiring wannabe bards to pick up a guitar, he’s probably second only to the Beatles. Or maybe the Beatles are second to him. Neil Young is in the same vein. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-guitarists-who-are-terrible-singers/344685.md?page=3)