Lots of rock and roll singers have used this type of voice. One of the most prominent, but not nearly the first, was Axl Rose. Other prominent rockers who used it are Robert Plant, Bon Scott, and Brian Johnson. Who was the first to use this voice style, at least to make it famous?
I would suggest Roger Daltrey of the Who made it famous, or codified it as the big voice rock sound.
Other candidates, maybe Little Richard or Sceamin Jay Hawkins?
Good choice! Google actually suggests Little Richard… I hadn’t thought of him, but I think he might be another good choice.
EDIT: Ninja’d by your edit!
Sorry, I’m on my phone and struggling a little to type.
I think Daltrey is the reason it became such a thing in Rock, but not first.
Man, you can go all the way back to Louis Jordan for examples of that voice. He was essentially mimicking the shrill notes of his sax.
Is Daltrey really high-pitched, though? He’s a solid, rock and roll screamer, no doubt. Sammy Hagar went to the same school. That high-pitched, nasal shrieking practiced by the likes of Axl Rose, Geddy Lee and whoever sings AC/DC songs seems like a different style. One that might lead one to shove knitting needles in one’s ears, but that’s besides the point
Yeah, I wouldn’t put Daltrey in this category either. Sure, belted out a scream on occasion, but it wasn’t a regular part of his screaming.
Robert Plant was heavily influenced by blues artists and Janis Joplin.
Angus Young of AC/DC;
“I’m sick to death of talking about how we’ve released 11 identical albums. In fact, we have released 12 completely identical albums.” -Angus Young
What I meant was, it wasn’t a regular part of his singing. That’s what happens when I post before coffee.
I’ve heard it said: Ann Wilson learned to sing from Robert Plant, who learned it from Janis Joplin, who learned it from Bessie Smith.
Yeah, that lineage sounds about right. And each has inspired countless copycats.