# Top Male Vocalists -- Pre-Poll follow-up **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132 "2012-01-20T14:42:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/1 "2012-01-20T14:42:39Z")
Judging from some of the comments (including my own) at [Top 200 Male Vocalists](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=639027) which was started yesterday by **Cicero** and which has received 32 replies as I post this, the source list of singers isn’t what most at SDMB would have chosen. Rather than insert this in the ongoing thread, I thought the topic ought to be developed by individual choices followed by a poll of some sort. It might require more than one category since the majority of names in the other list are Rock vocalists. If this notion is something you are interested in as an alternative to commenting further about what’s wrong with that other list, here are some ways to help develop names for an SDMB poll: 1. without regard for musical category, list your Top Ten Male Vocalists 2. using some genre categorizing, list your Top Five by genre 3. something else that allows your favorite male singers to be added to some sort of poll listing Other options for how to get a meaningfule list to vote on would be helpful. My apologies to **Cicero** for responding in this way to his thread. ---
**Author:** ![ministryman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@ministryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ministryman)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/2 "2012-01-20T16:38:34Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Judging from some of the comments (including my own) at [Top 200 Male Vocalists](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=639027) which was started yesterday by **Cicero** and which has received 32 replies as I post this, the source list of singers isn’t what most at SDMB would have chosen. > > Rather than insert this in the ongoing thread, I thought the topic ought to be developed by individual choices followed by a poll of some sort. It might require more than one category since the majority of names in the other list are Rock vocalists. > > If this notion is something you are interested in as an alternative to commenting further about what’s wrong with that other list, here are some ways to help develop names for an SDMB poll: > > 1. without regard for musical category, list your Top Ten Male Vocalists > 2. using some genre categorizing, list your Top Five by genre > 3. something else that allows your favorite male singers to be added to some sort of poll listing > > Other options for how to get a meaningful list to vote on would be helpful. > > My apologies to **Cicero** for responding in this way to his thread. In their prime, in no order: 1. Sinatra 2. Elvis 3. Phillip Bailey 4. Dean Martin 5. Freddie Mercury 6. Steve Perry 7. Teddy Pendergrass 8. Johnny Mathis 9. Prince 10. Barry White ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/3 "2012-01-20T16:50:26Z")
1. John Lennon 2. Smokey Robinson 3. Otis Redding 4. Freddie Mercury 5. Sam Cooke 6. Prince 7. Stevie Wonder 8. Joe Strummer 9. Paul Heaton 10. Brian Wilson ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/4 "2012-01-20T18:34:34Z")
1. Marvin Gaye 2. Smokey Robinson 3. Philip Bailey 4. Prince 5. Gino Vannelli (Seriously - check him out [singing opera](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVpEfA1HRX4&feature=related)) 6. Steve Perry 7. Daryl Hall 8. Freddie Mercury 9. George Michael 10. Chris Isaak My criteria was rock, pop, blues, soul catch-all. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/5 "2012-01-20T19:38:43Z")
Alphabetically: Tony Bennett Nat “King” Cole Bing Crosby Sammy Davis, Jr. Josh Groban Dean Martin Johnny Mathis Mandy Patinkin Frank Sinatra James Taylor Honorary mention: Brian Stokes Mitchell Mel Tormé ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/6 "2012-01-20T19:51:12Z")
The top three are the top three, but after that they’re pretty much at random. 1. Bobby Darin 2. Nat King Cole 3. Jackie Wilson 4. Dr. John 5. Phil Alvin 6. John Pizzarelli 7. Don Everly 8. Lyle Lovett 9. Van Morrison 10. Howard Keel ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/7 "2012-01-20T20:05:17Z")
Well, mine is pretty idiosyncratic and personal: Billy Murray Dan W. Quinn Dean Martin Frank Crumit Al Bowlly Jack Norworth Cliff Edwards Billy Joel Bing Crosby Cab Calloway ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/8 "2012-01-20T20:19:58Z")
1 Elvis Presley 2 Daryl Hall 3 Steve Perry 4 Smokey Robinson 5 Levi Stubbs 6 Lionel Richie 7 Freddie Mercury 8 Prince 9 Marvin Gaye 10 Burton Cummings I may have a slight bias towards the Motown sound… ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/9 "2012-01-20T20:59:44Z")
1. Justin Hayward (Moody Blues) 2. Roy Orbison 3. John Lennon 4. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) 5. Art Garfunkel 6. Luke Kelly (Dubliners) 7. Roger Daltrey (the Who) 8. Greg Lake (King Crimson, ELP) 9. Liam Clancy (The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem) 10. Ronnie James Dio (Rainbow, Black Sabbath) ---
**Author:** ![Laggard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de053/32.png) [@Laggard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laggard)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/10 "2012-01-20T21:51:31Z")
1. Paul Rodgers 2. Steve Perry 3. Ronnie James Dio 4. Bruce Dickinson 5. Rob Halford 6. Mickey Thomas 7. Jeff Pezzati 8. Frank Sinatra 9. Elvis 10. Little Richard ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/11 "2012-01-20T21:55:11Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > 1. Howard Keel How could I have forgotten John Raitt? (yup, Bonnie’s dad) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/12 "2012-01-28T14:12:00Z")
Thanks for the names submitted so far, but it seems a little early to be thinking a poll is in order. We ought to have a better sampling of the SDMB’s choices before asking for votes. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/13 "2012-01-28T17:13:38Z")
Josh Groban x 5 ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-male-vocalists-pre-poll-follow-up/610132/14 "2012-01-28T17:24:24Z")
> [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](#): > > 10 Burton Cummings I am amazed he doesn’t make more “Top 100” lists and the like. Burton’s voice is one of the great all-time instruments in pop / rock. (I saw him this month at the Keswick in Glenside–what a great show.)