# Great Lead Singers Who Were Overshadowed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 10, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219 "2020-01-10T14:34:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/21 "2020-01-10T21:17:14Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I was thinking of James Dewar (Robin Trower). And so was I, but you beat me to it. For the best Robin Trower albums he IS the voice of Robin Trower. In my pre-internet days I loved _Bridge of Sighs_. I took awhile before I actually realized that Robin doesn’t sing. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/22 "2020-01-10T21:19:07Z")
OK, got it. Gram Parsons - or, in band terms, the Grievous Angels. The lead singer, Gram, who I think \*was \*a great singer, was completely overshadowed by his backup singer, Emmylou Harris. And, BTW, another claim to [the most rock’n’roll death of all time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Gram_Parsons), albeit largely because of the events following his actual death. j ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/23 "2020-01-10T22:34:20Z")
> [@Treppenwitz](#): > > OK, got it. Gram Parsons - or, in band terms, the Grievous Angels. The lead singer, Gram, who I think \*was \*a great singer, was completely overshadowed by his backup singer, Emmylou Harris. This is just so wrong. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/24 "2020-01-11T02:12:07Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > Eddie Van Halen with Sammy Hagar? > > Thats probably wrong. Not to mention Eddie Van Halen with Gary Cherone for the three year Cherone was the “lead singer” for Van Halen. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/25 "2020-01-11T14:51:36Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Not to mention Eddie Van Halen with Gary Cherone for the three year Cherone was the “lead singer” for Van Halen. Great example. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/26 "2020-01-11T16:16:43Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Not to mention Eddie Van Halen with Gary Cherone for the three year Cherone was the “lead singer” for Van Halen. If we’re going with established bands who temporarily replaced the singer, then I’d select Motley Crue when they picked John Corabi to replace Vince Neil for a few years. But I’d consider those to be temporary singers rather than the bands real singer. Vince Neil was always the front face of Motley Crue. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/27 "2020-01-11T16:36:38Z")
Nobody puts on a Steely Dan album just to hear Donald Fagan’s voice. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/28 "2020-01-11T16:46:49Z")
Gerry Rafferty comes to mind. Does anyone remember his vocal in _Baker Street_? Probably not nearly as many people as those who instantly recognize that saxophone solo. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/29 "2020-01-11T17:02:35Z")
Perhaps not completely overshadowed, but Johnny Marr and Noel Gallagher are often more credited for the success of their bands over their lead singing counterparts, Morrissey and Liam G. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/30 "2020-01-11T17:15:16Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I always thought Pete Townshend overshadowed Roger Daltry in The Who. Pete leaped about, armwhirled his chords, smashed guitars, and ang half the songs. Roger had…a tambourine. So did Mike Love. Based on videos I’ve seen of the Beach Boys performing, Mike Love doesn’t quite know what to do with himself during songs that he doesn’t sing, and he ends up just standing around awkwardly. I’m not sure whether I’d call him The Lead Singer, but he is the frontman, bantering with the audience and introducing the songs during live performances. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/31 "2020-01-11T17:41:43Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > So did Mike Love. > > Based on videos I’ve seen of the Beach Boys performing, Mike Love doesn’t quite know what to do with himself during songs that he doesn’t sing, and he ends up just standing around awkwardly. . But not looking nearly as much like dead wood as Davy Jones or Marc Volman. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/32 "2020-01-11T17:47:30Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I always thought Pete Townshend overshadowed Roger Daltry in The Who. Pete leaped about, armwhirled his chords, smashed guitars, and ang half the songs. Roger had…a tambourine. There’s a reason that air-tambourining and tambourine-face never became rock tropes. Yeah, he’s the first name to come to mind when I think of the Who. But I may be sort of weird, as my next two names would be Moon and Entwistle before I got to Daltry. I don’t know why, but he’s always the one I most have trouble remembering. I mean, he was a great singer and certainly I should know his name immediately, but my brain has it on the bottom of the stack. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/33 "2020-01-11T17:57:37Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I always thought Pete Townshend overshadowed Roger Daltry in The Who. Pete leaped about, armwhirled his chords, smashed guitars, and ang half the songs. Roger had…a tambourine. There’s a reason that air-tambourining and tambourine-face never became rock tropes. However, Daltry was known for spinning his microphone around like a lariat. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/34 "2020-01-11T18:31:56Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > However, Daltry was known for spinning his microphone around like a lariat. I was expecting the cable to quit working in the middle of a song or the mic to fly off the connector and bean someone in the audience. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/35 "2020-01-11T18:46:56Z")
The Doobie Brother’s first lead singer, co-founder Tom Johnston fell ill in the mid-70s, causing the band to find a replacement singer until Tom got better. Tom got better, but never regained his position as lead singer as his replacement, Michael McDonald (then with Steely Dan) made the band far more popular, with Tom leaving the Doobies in 1976, 77. ---
**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:** [January 11, 2020, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/36 "2020-01-11T18:57:27Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > I always thought Pete Townshend overshadowed Roger Daltry in The Who. _"As soon as Keith joined the band we became four people vying for the audience’s attention. And I have to say that in the end Keith and I won over Roger and John. John just never bothered to join the fight, and Roger … Roger just lost, really "_– Pete Townshend ---
**Author:** ![atimnie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atimnie/32/11_2.png) [@atimnie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/atimnie)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/37 "2020-01-16T21:45:31Z")
_Nobody puts on a Steely Dan album just to hear Donald Fagan’s voice._ Wrong. I might be in the minority, but Steely Dan just wouldn’t be worth listening to without Fagen. ---
**Author:** ![MortSahlFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@MortSahlFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MortSahlFan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2020, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/38 "2020-01-16T23:14:18Z")
> [@atimnie](#): > > _Nobody puts on a Steely Dan album just to hear Donald Fagan’s voice._ > Wrong. I might be in the minority, but Steely Dan just wouldn’t be worth listening to without Fagen. I agree… His vocals have attitude along with those great lyrics. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/39 "2020-01-17T04:00:47Z")
Grace Slick live with\* Jefferson Airplane\*. I thought I’d be able to her her wail on \*White Rabbit \*and _Somebody to Love_, but the jamming, especially between Jorma and Jack is overwhelming. Great guitarists, but not what I listen to \*Jefferson Airplane \*for. She manages to hold her on on _Volunteers_ and _Wooden Ships_ though. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2020, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219/40 "2020-01-17T04:10:42Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > But not looking nearly as much like dead wood as Davy Jones or Marc Volman. ? I saw The Turtles in 1967, and Flo & Eddie in 1974, and Mark was anything but dead wood. (Of course I don’t know about the million and six other times he performed live with The Turtles and/or Howard Kaylan.) I agree that he looks lost on 60’s miming TV appearances. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-lead-singers-who-were-overshadowed/846219.md?page=3)