# Singers whose lifestyle ruined their voice. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 9, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574 "2013-01-09T02:38:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/1 "2013-01-09T02:38:50Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/2 "2013-01-09T02:40:54Z")
Harry Nilsson ---
**Author:** ![tellyworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@tellyworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tellyworth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/3 "2013-01-09T02:45:13Z")
There’s Tom Waits of course, though he manages just fine. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/4 "2013-01-09T04:46:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/5 "2013-01-09T04:50:54Z")
Janis Joplin ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/6 "2013-01-09T05:49:10Z")
Billie Holliday. Her voice on “Lady In Satin” is tragically wasted compared to her hayday in the 'Fourties. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/7 "2013-01-09T06:36:22Z")
Joni Mitchell’s voice similarly seems to have been damaged by a lifetime of smoking. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/8 "2013-01-09T06:49:08Z")
Tone Loc and Bonnie Tyler – except a “ruined” voice _made_ their careers. See #5: > **[7 Physical Mutations That Helped Famous Careers](https://www.cracked.com/article_19588_7-physical-mutations-that-helped-famous-careers.html)** > > We bet every one of you reading this has one weird thing about your body you'd change if you could. Not so fast, though -- as a whole bunch of famous people can tell you, a horrible deformity and/or physical mutilation can be the difference between... ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/9 "2013-01-09T07:27:01Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/10 "2013-01-09T07:47:26Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Joni Mitchell’s voice similarly seems to have been damaged by a lifetime of smoking. 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](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yma_Sumac) was still performing in her 80s. ---
**Author:** ![Mann\_Slaughter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@Mann\_Slaughter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mann_Slaughter)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/11 "2013-01-09T08:10:55Z")
Whitney Houston Not only did her lifestyle (crack addiction) ruin her voice, but it may have played a part in her death as well. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/12 "2013-01-09T08:45:51Z")
> [@Mann\_Slaughter](#): > > Whitney Houston > Not only did her lifestyle (crack addiction) ruin her voice, but it may have played a part in her death as well. She doesn’t do crack! Crack is cheap! Show me the receipts Dianne! Show me the receipts! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/13 "2013-01-09T15:26:43Z")
Bob Dylan is a prime example. Billy Joel is having problems, also. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/14 "2013-01-09T17:23:23Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > 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. You haven’t heard his early stuff. He used to sound like Glenn Frey. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/15 "2013-01-09T17:24:52Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![chargerrich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chargerrich/32/5399_2.png) [@chargerrich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chargerrich)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/16 "2013-01-09T17:47:15Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > 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. Something happened to more than her voice… have you seen pictures of her in the 70s!? today… no so much. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/17 "2013-01-09T17:53:28Z")
> [@chargerrich](#): > > Something happened to more than her voice… have you seen pictures of her in the 70s!? today… no so much. Not that the passage of 35 years would have anything to do with it.:dubious: ---
**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:** [January 9, 2013, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/18 "2013-01-09T18:11:59Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > 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. > [@chargerrich](#): > > Something happened to more than her voice… have you seen pictures of her in the 70s!? today… no so much. 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. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/19 "2013-01-09T18:15:51Z")
I wouldn’t say it ruined his voice, exactly, but here is [Leonard Cohen in 1968](http://youtu.be/ON7-tf0-3Ys?t=1m22s) and [singing the same song 20 years later in 1988.](http://youtu.be/b34_wTJYJQg?t=15s) Cohen is a lifelong smoker (although I believe he did give it up fairly recently). ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2013, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574/20 "2013-01-09T18:56:10Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > 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. > [@chargerrich](#): > > Something happened to more than her voice… have you seen pictures of her in the 70s!? today… no so much. > [@kunilou](#): > > Not that the passage of 35 years would have anything to do with it.:dubious: I remember a local radio station running [this clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6B6CyZHnZU)back in high school, still hilarious! > [@](#): > > Digitally remumbled for stereo inaudibility --this is Stevie Nicks at her most nebulous. Stevie Nicks-“What the hell is she Saying?” available now on Incoherent records and tapes. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/singers-whose-lifestyle-ruined-their-voice/646574.md?page=2)