# Lead singers who are bassists. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311 "2007-08-03T18:00:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/1 "2007-08-03T18:00:15Z")
The only ones that immediately spring to mind are: 1. Paul McCartney (debatable, I guess) 2. Roger Waters (also somewhat debatable) 3. Sting (not debatable) Who else is there? Any ideas what would account for the seeming lack of lead singers amongst the bass playing crowd? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/2 "2007-08-03T18:04:16Z")
[QUOTE=KRM] The only ones that immediately spring to mind are: 1. Paul McCartney (debatable, I guess) 2. Roger Waters (also somewhat debatable) 3. Sting (not debatable) Who else is there? Any ideas what would account for the seeming lack of lead singers amongst the bass playing crowd? [/QUOTE] Les Claypool from Primus. I think the people with the personality to want to be a lead singer also like the “coolness” of being a guitar player as well. So they naturally gravitate toward both. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/3 "2007-08-03T18:07:04Z")
Geddy Lee of Rush. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/4 "2007-08-03T18:07:05Z")
Jack Bruce of Cream and Geddy Lee of Rush. Both kick ass bassists. Both mediocre singers. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/5 "2007-08-03T18:07:49Z")
Geddy Lee ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/6 "2007-08-03T18:08:08Z")
There’s Lemmy from Motorhead. ---
**Author:** ![Sean\_Factotum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/50afbb/32.png) [@Sean\_Factotum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sean_Factotum)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/7 "2007-08-03T18:13:10Z")
Why is Paul McCartney “debatable”? He plays bass and sings lead in Wings and in that other band he was in before that. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/8 "2007-08-03T18:15:47Z")
[Let’s list all of the Bass Player Lead Singers in Rock n’ Roll?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=282962) ---
**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:** [August 3, 2007, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/9 "2007-08-03T18:19:31Z")
The thread linked to by **Thudlow** pre-empts most of my suggestions, but I can still add Richard Sinclair (Hatfield & the North, Camel, Caravan). ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/10 "2007-08-03T18:22:16Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] [Let’s list all of the Bass Player Lead Singers in Rock n’ Roll?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=282962) [/QUOTE] Dammit, this is totally different. My thread doesn’t have a question mark at the end of it. In my defense, my search kept timing out. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/11 "2007-08-03T18:23:24Z")
John Doe, when he was in X. ---
**Author:** ![K364](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k364/32/5_2.png) [@K364](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K364)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/12 "2007-08-03T19:18:54Z")
[QUOTE=KRM] The only ones that immediately spring to mind are: 1. Paul McCartney (debatable, I guess) 2. Roger Waters (also somewhat debatable) 3. Sting (not debatable) Who else is there? Any ideas what would account for the seeming lack of lead singers amongst the bass playing crowd? [/QUOTE] KRM - why the “debatable” for Sir Paul? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/13 "2007-08-03T19:23:36Z")
[QUOTE=K364] KRM - why the “debatable” for Sir Paul? Just curious. [/QUOTE] I believe that John Lennon sang about as many songs as Paul. In my mind at least, that would make it debatable that he was “the” lead singer for the Beatles. He is obviously a bassist that can and did sing lead. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/14 "2007-08-03T19:27:23Z")
I’ll second the mention of Steve Kilbey ( **The Church** ) from the old thread. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/15 "2007-08-03T19:39:56Z")
Jon Camp of **Renaissance**. OK, Annie Haslam does most of the vocals, but Jon sang lead on a couple. ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/16 "2007-08-03T19:48:01Z")
[QUOTE=KRM] Who else is there? Any ideas what would account for the seeming lack of lead singers amongst the bass playing crowd? [/QUOTE] I also think that some styles and songs in rock make it difficult rhythmically to play the bass line and sing at the same time. Guitar parts tend to meld with the voice part, plus if there’s another guitarist, the singer can even stop playing for lengths of time and have everything work fine. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2007, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/17 "2007-08-03T19:55:20Z")
Sheryl Crow, Kip Winger, Lemmy, Tom Araya (Slayer). ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/18 "2007-08-03T20:09:56Z")
[QUOTE=KRM] I believe that John Lennon sang about as many songs as Paul. In my mind at least, that would make it debatable that he was “the” lead singer for the Beatles. He is obviously a bassist that can and did sing lead. [/QUOTE] He still plays bass live. Not on all songs, mostly on Beatles songs. Rob Zabrecky from Possum Dixon, and.. didn’t Brian Wilson play bass for the Beach Boys? That guy from Spacehog did, I think, and Jemaine of Flight of the Conchords often plays bass. ---
**Author:** ![I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9fc29f/32.png) [@I\_m\_Ron\_Burgundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_m_Ron_Burgundy)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/19 "2007-08-03T20:11:14Z")
Come to think of it, Brian Wilson didn’t usually sing lead, Mike Love did. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2007, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311/20 "2007-08-03T21:53:07Z")
Bassist Benjamin Orr sang lead on lots of The Cars stuff. Sometimes I mix up whether it’s Orr or Rick Ocasek singing, but I know it’s Orr singing “Drive” and I’m 99% sure that Orr’s sings on “Just What I Needed” and “Let’s Go”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lead-singers-who-are-bassists/414311.md?page=2)