# Help me rank male rock vocalists ... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 31, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459 "2010-03-31T15:35:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/1 "2010-03-31T15:35:12Z")
I’m participating in an academic exercise on another board in which 20 drafters select one male rock vocalist. At the end, I am to order the chosen vocalists 1-20 and thusly assign points. It’s obviously a totally subjective exercise, and I’ve applied my own ranking already. What I’m asking the SDMB Cafe Society folks to do is simply point out any way-off rankings – or to make any other thoughtful comments about overall quality of the rankings in general. Keep in mind that any vocalist NOT on this list cannot be added … glaring ommisions can’t be helped. I am tasked to rank these 20 only. So without further ado: 1 Freddie Mercury (Queen) 2 Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) 3 Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) 4 Steve Perry (Journey) 5 Geoff Tate (Queensryche) 6 Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) 7 Rob Halford (Judas Priest) 8 Roger Daltrey (The Who) 9 Burton Cummings (Blood, Sweat, and Tears) 10 Joe Cocker (solo only?) 11 Van Morrison (Them, solo) 12 Prince (The Revolution, The NPG, solo) 13 Jim Morrison (The Doors) 14 Bono (U2) 15 Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) 16 Sammy Hagar (Montrose, solo, Van Halen) 17 Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones) 18 David Lee Roth (Van Halen, solo) 19 Michael Stipe (REM) 20 Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) Thanks in advance for any comments. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/2 "2010-03-31T15:36:59Z")
If it helps lend context, here are the criteria I am charged to apply: > [@](#): > > MALE VOCALIST > > 1. **Iconography/Influence** - Unquestioned status as a rock icon? Spawned legions of imitators? That will be taken into account. > 2. **Virtuosity** - I don’t expect a rock singer to necessarily be able to step on stage at the Met. But the top-25 male lead singers should have taken on material in their careers that challenged them vocally, and they should have been equal to those challenges. > 3. **Feel/Emotion** - Is there something behind simply “hitting the notes”? The difference between reading the phone book and _“I coulda been a contender!”_ > 4. **Defining Sounds** - When you think of this guy’s band, does his voice define the band’s sound? > > NOT PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT: Longevity, iconography of material (IOW, no need to have a bunch of Top 40 singles/albums) > > BIASES AGAINST: Monotone guys. Guys with reputed ability who never put it on display. Guys who have the frontman look & act, but not the vocal chops. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/3 "2010-03-31T15:56:12Z")
Based on your criteria, I’d swap Page and Mercury out for 1 and 2, bring Jim Morrison up a couple of places and push Steve Perry down. Also, it’s pretty amazing to think that no Eagle or Beatle would make the list. I’d probably find some place to squeeze among others Rod Stewart and Steven Tyler into the list. No Elton John, Elvis Presley, Stevie Winwood, Glenn Hughes, Paul Rodgers, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Ronnie James Dio or Eric Burdon? ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/4 "2010-03-31T15:58:17Z")
Only egregious ranking that leaps out is Mick Jagger at #17, nestling between Sammy Hagar (who?) and David Lee Roth. In terms of #1 (most definitely) and #3 (probably) of the criteria you’ve been set, Jagger is in the frame for GOAT, so I think he needs to be higher than 17th spot. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/5 "2010-03-31T16:00:06Z")
1. Steve Perry (Journey) 2. Roger Daltrey (The Who) 3. Freddie Mercury (Queen) 4. Van Morrison (Them, solo) 5. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) 6. Michael Stipe (REM) 7. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) 8. Geoff Tate (Queensryche) 9. Bono (U2) 10. Prince (The Revolution, The NPG, solo) 11. Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) 12. Sammy Hagar (Montrose, solo, Van Halen) 13. Burton Cummings (Blood, Sweat, and Tears) 14. Jim Morrison (The Doors) 15. Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones) 16. Joe Cocker (solo only?) 17. Rob Halford (Judas Priest) 18. Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam) 19. David Lee Roth (Van Halen, solo) 20. Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) Good list. Of all of them, the only ones I actively dislike are the last two. Eddie Vedder I don’t really like but can tolerate. As for vocalists I’d add: Geddy Lee, Scott Weiland, Sting. Weiland in particular is a magnificent and very underrated singer. ETA: And Winwood and Wilson too. How could I forget them. And I didn’t take influence into acocunt. I simply picked who I liked best. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/6 "2010-03-31T16:01:57Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Only egregious ranking that leaps out is Mick Jagger at #17, nestling between Sammy Hagar (who?) and David Lee Roth. > > In terms of #1 (most definitely) and #3 (probably) of the criteria you’ve been set, Jagger is in the frame for GOAT, so I think he needs to be higher than 17th spot. Jagger gets downgraded, IMHO, due to a lack of vocal virtuosity (cf. guys like Mercury and Perry). He’s very good with the other criteria. Maybe I can give him some more credit for his iconography. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/7 "2010-03-31T16:03:04Z")
Careful, all – no vocalists can be added or subtracted. This list of 20 is what I’ve got to rank. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/8 "2010-03-31T16:09:33Z")
I think Jagger is the greatest _front man_ of all time, and one of the greatest rock songwriters. He’s certainly iconographic. It doesn’t _get_ anymore iconographic. You literally put his picture in the dictionary next to “rock star.” he also has the feel and the defining sound criteria. Having said that, his technical vocal prowess is only average. Jagger was never really a virtuoso as a pure singer. It was stage craft, persona and songwriting. I think that Freddie Mercury and Robert Plant are pretty solid choices at the top in terms of meeting all the criteria. I think Axl Rose should be on the list, though, and I’d put Bono higher. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/9 "2010-03-31T16:09:39Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > Also, it’s pretty amazing to think that no Eagle or Beatle would make the list.? All four Beatles were drafted in different categories. > [@lieu](#): > > I’d probably find some place to squeeze among others Rod Stewart and Steven Tyler into the list. No Elton John, Elvis Presley, Stevie Winwood, Glenn Hughes, Paul Rodgers, David Bowie, Brian Wilson, Ronnie James Dio or Eric Burdon? Stewart, John, Presley, Winwood, Bowie, and Wilson were all drafted in different categories. I agree about Rodgers and Dio, especially. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/10 "2010-03-31T16:12:36Z")
And where is Ozzy? And Lemmy? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/11 "2010-03-31T16:13:56Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > I think Jagger is the greatest _front man_ of all time, and one of the greatest rock songwriters. He’s certainly iconographic. It doesn’t _get_ anymore iconographic. You literally put his picture in the ictionary next to “rock star.” he also has the feel and the difining sound. One of the tricky things about this is that these guys aren’t being judged as front men. The quality of their vocal instrument has a lot of sway. That, IMHO, is what vaults Perry up the list. But, yeah, a “front man” ranking would be a lot different (IMHO, Roth would be in the top third somewhere). ---
**Author:** ![Ruby\_Slippers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/94ad74/32.png) [@Ruby\_Slippers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby_Slippers)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/12 "2010-03-31T16:15:29Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > 9 Burton Cummings (Blood, Sweat, and Tears) Nitpick: Burton Cummings was best known as a member of the Canadian rock group The Guess Who. The best known singer with Blood, Sweat and Tears was David Clayton-Thomas. So you might want to challenge this one in order to allow a substitution. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/13 "2010-03-31T16:15:35Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > And where is Ozzy? > > And Lemmy? Both drafted in different categories. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/14 "2010-03-31T16:17:02Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Careful, all – no vocalists can be added or subtracted. This list of 20 is what I’ve got to rank. Ooop… I completely read that wrong. Sorry, I was going off a _can_ be added. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/15 "2010-03-31T16:18:40Z")
> [@Ruby\_Slippers](#): > > Nitpick: Burton Cummings was best known as a member of the Canadian rock group The Guess Who. The best known singer with Blood, Sweat and Tears was David Clayton-Thomas. So you might want to challenge this one in order to allow a substitution. :smack: No, it’s good – the drafter got the Guess Who singer. I just messed up in the OP here :o ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/16 "2010-03-31T16:20:30Z")
> [@Justin\_Credible](#): > > 1. Steve Perry (Journey) > 2. Roger Daltrey (The Who) > 3. Freddie Mercury (Queen) > 4. Van Morrison (Them, solo) > 5. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) Do Daltrey and Van Morrison possess as much virtuosity as the other three in your Top 5? ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/17 "2010-03-31T16:24:04Z")
Burton Cummings sang for The Guess Who not Blood, Sweat and Tears. You’ve got #1 and #2 correct. Mick Jagger and Roger Daltry are probably #3 and #4 based on their icon statuses and influence. Joe Cocker, Steve Perry, Burton Cumings, Geoff Tate, and Bruce Dickinson are all known for their powerful voices. ---
**Author:** ![HeadNinja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b4bc9f/32.png) [@HeadNinja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeadNinja)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/18 "2010-03-31T16:41:13Z")
I’ve enjoyed just about everything Mark Lanegan has done, from Screaming Trees, Queens of the Stone Age, Gutter Twins, and even Sara Boynton’s kid album. He fails at the number 1 criteria. He sold a lot of records, not compared to just about everyone on your list. I can’t think of anyone on the original list that has not moved at least 50 million albums. That said, he has an amazing voice, and he can do anything he wants to with it. Humor, desperation, sorrow. Whatever he wants you to feel he can send it out there. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/19 "2010-03-31T17:07:19Z")
I think Eddie Vedder might lose points for virtuosity, but I do think he spawned a LOT of imitators in the mid-90s. And he also defines the band’s sound and is rife with emotion. So while his vocal stylings can’t match some of the top guys, I might be inclined to move him up a smidge. I agree with Freddy as #1. Not sure if I agree with Steve Perry so far down the list tho…I’m not as familiar with Deep Purple as I am with Journey (ugh, I am a big dork, huh?) ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2010, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459/20 "2010-03-31T18:08:18Z")
I posted this on another thread, but these sort of polls cry out for an add-on to the board software that will allow Instant Run-Off Voting. Allow the users to rank their choices in order, then, when the poll closes, counting the #1 votes. If the users #1 didn’t get a plurality, then their #2 counts as their #1 and so on. Any vBulletin programmers think this is workable? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-rank-male-rock-vocalists/534459.md?page=2)