Singers whose lifestyle ruined their voice.

Cafe Society
1

Right now I’m listening to Marianne Faithfull and I’m struck by how her voice deteriorated over time. Wikipedia attributes it to years of smoking and drug and alcohol abuse as opposed to a medical or other sort of problem. She began with a conventional female pop singer’s voice. On Broken English** her voice is a lot lower and edgier which works with the music. But then I listened to her later albums recorded in the 2000s and it sounds like she’s struggling to even get the words out, especially when she’s trying to hit the high notes.

Are there any other artists who’ve ruined their voices that way? I’m guessing there are plenty, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone who had as dramatic a change in their voice as Marianne Faithfull.

2

Harry Nilsson

3

There’s Tom Waits of course, though he manages just fine.

4

Tom Waits is a great singer, and hasn’t smoked or drunk alcohol since the he got married back in the 80s. So wrong on both counts.

5

Janis Joplin

6

Billie Holliday. Her voice on “Lady In Satin” is tragically wasted compared to her hayday in the 'Fourties.

Stranger

7

Joni Mitchell’s voice similarly seems to have been damaged by a lifetime of smoking.

8

Tone Loc and Bonnie Tyler – except a “ruined” voice made their careers. See #5:

9

Steve Walsh of Kansas was once one of the greatest rock tenors around, belting out complex prog songs live with power and clarity. Come the ‘90’s, and his voice was completely shot, reportedly due to drugs (little wonder if plain ol’ tear and wear was responsible, as well). The album Live at Whisky from 1992 sounds horrific.

10

That’s who I was going to post. From what I understand, she’s been smoking since she was nine! And, more obnoxiously, she’s in total denial that smoking is harmful. It’s destroyed her vocal tone and utterly decimated her lung capacity. Her album a few years back where she covered some of her old hits was tragic. Lines that she had sung with one breath were now broken up into several.

“I’ve looked at life (GASP) from both sides now (GASP)…”

So many singers have destroyed their voices from smoking that people seem to believe that the voice naturally degrades as it gets older. You might lose some of your top range. Yma Sumac was still performing in her 80s.

11

Whitney Houston
Not only did her lifestyle (crack addiction) ruin her voice, but it may have played a part in her death as well.

12

She doesn’t do crack! Crack is cheap! Show me the receipts Dianne! Show me the receipts!

13

Bob Dylan is a prime example. Billy Joel is having problems, also.

14

You haven’t heard his early stuff. He used to sound like Glenn Frey.

15

Something happened to Stevie Nicks’ voice in the 80’s that made it start sounding like the bleating of a she-goat, but I can’t say for sure if it was lifestyle related or not.

16

Something happened to more than her voice… have you seen pictures of her in the 70s!? today… no so much.

17

Not that the passage of 35 years would have anything to do with it.:dubious:

18

I haven’t noticed any significant difference in her vocals pre- and post-80’s. And while of course she doesn’t look like she did 35 years ago (who does??), from the pictures I’ve seen she still looks great for her age.

19

I wouldn’t say it ruined his voice, exactly, but here is Leonard Cohen in 1968 and singing the same song 20 years later in 1988.

Cohen is a lifelong smoker (although I believe he did give it up fairly recently).

20

I remember a local radio station running this clipback in high school, still hilarious!