# most distinctive singing voice **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 13, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817 "2003-08-13T03:21:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Publius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@Publius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Publius)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/21 "2003-08-13T04:45:37Z")
My hands-down first choice would have been Bob Dylan, but I also find it very easy to recognize Don McLean. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/22 "2003-08-13T04:46:00Z")
I’m glad to see a good response to my OP (nothing more depressing than seeing what you think is a great topic sink like a stone with no replies). But I’m feeling old. About half of the names on your list I’ve never heard of. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/23 "2003-08-13T04:48:51Z")
Macy Gray ---
**Author:** ![martin\_ibn\_martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@martin\_ibn\_martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/martin_ibn_martin)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/24 "2003-08-13T04:59:03Z")
Tom Waites and Ofra Haza ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Star_to_the_Right)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/25 "2003-08-13T05:13:47Z")
Judy Garland ---
**Author:** ![Stinkum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Stinkum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinkum)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/26 "2003-08-13T05:40:35Z")
Elton John ---
**Author:** ![rmbnxs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b9e5f3/32.png) [@rmbnxs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rmbnxs)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/27 "2003-08-13T05:46:29Z")
William Shatner ---
**Author:** ![Dragon\_Phoenix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Dragon\_Phoenix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dragon_Phoenix)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/28 "2003-08-13T05:53:28Z")
Tom Waits, David Sylvian. ---
**Author:** ![aaaaaarrgg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@aaaaaarrgg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aaaaaarrgg)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/29 "2003-08-13T06:06:05Z")
the guy from the b-52’s. although he was generally a talker, not a singer…but still eminem, also not much singing, but he has on occasion. bernadette peters definitely. cher ewan mcgregor, too, actually. nathan lane ---
**Author:** ![Petrichor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@Petrichor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petrichor)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/30 "2003-08-13T06:07:32Z")
Neko Case Kay Hanley from Letters to Cleo Johnny Cash ---
**Author:** ![dimsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/77aa72/32.png) [@dimsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dimsie)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/31 "2003-08-13T06:14:44Z")
Elvis Costello. Of course, my answer to almost everything is Elvis Costello. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/32 "2003-08-13T06:27:06Z")
Billy Joe Armstrong (Greenday) The singer from Mindless Self Indulgence ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/33 "2003-08-13T06:42:47Z")
Toni Childs - as one of our local critics said: “she sounds like she’s singing with a lobster halfway down her throat”. ---
**Author:** ![SkyBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@SkyBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkyBum)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/34 "2003-08-13T07:06:11Z")
Have to agree with **Yeticus Rex** about Ozzy. But it is his _speaking_ voice that really gets me. My dad asked me the other day just what the hell was wrong with him. “Sheets of LSD?” was the only thing I could think of to say. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/35 "2003-08-13T07:13:05Z")
> [@](#): > > the guy from the b-52’s. although he was generally a talker, not a singer…but still Fred Schneider. It’s true, what he does is very distinctive. Which makes me think of Jello Biafra. He sang more than Schneider does, and even though mentioning one brought the other to mind, if you know Jello’s voice, you won’t confuse it with anybody else’s. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/36 "2003-08-13T07:16:36Z")
Geddy Lee with a doubt. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/37 "2003-08-13T07:18:21Z")
You’re all wrong. **Blossom Dearie** She did _Figure Eight_ and _Unpack Your Adjectives_ for Schoolhouse Rock, but she’s also been a cabaret singer for years and years. You hear that voice one time, and you know it for life. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/38 "2003-08-13T07:22:46Z")
Grr, I meant “Geddy Lee without a doubt” ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/39 "2003-08-13T10:44:17Z")
**Peter Hammill** **Iris Dement** ---
**Author:** ![nefertari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@nefertari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nefertari)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2003, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817/40 "2003-08-13T10:57:46Z")
Janis Joplin definately. For the guys, Brain Molko of Placebo. Growl. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/most-distinctive-singing-voice/194817.md?page=3)