I can’t comment on the post 2000 Pumpkins but I’m pretty sure Billy did most if not all the lead duty in their prime years. Every music video or live clip I’ve seen has him soloing. For example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPOv3iyy1qo
Great stuff.
Peter Frampton, with the Herd and Humble Pie, as well as a soloist. Glenn Frey and Joe Walsh of the Eagles share guitar duties and both sing lead vocals on various songs.
Steve Marriott was lead guitarist and lead singer of the Small Faces.
Among trios, there’s Billy Gibbons of ZZtop, Leslie West of Mountain, and Joe Walsh of the James Gang.
Les Claypool technically plays bass. I still say he qualifies as a lead guitarist.
The Roches switch off on lead guitar, and they all sing lead and harmony (with the Roches, harmony often is the lead vocal).
Dave Mason played lead guitar and sang, and usually had a rhythm guitarist.
Neil “The Seventh Python” Innes of the Bonzo Dog Band played lead and sung lead on many of their songs.
Chet Atkins
Vertical Horizon’s Matt Scannell is both lead guitar and lead singer.
Randy Bachman was the lead guitarist of Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and SOMETIMES the lead vocalist.
There’s wasn’t always one clear lead singer or one clear lead guitarist in the Doobie Brothers… but at different times, Patrick Simmons could claim both titles.
In their prime, Chicago had three guys sharing lead vocals. Lead guitarist Terry Kath was one of them- he had the deep, gruff voice featured on songs like “Make Me Smile.”
I’d co-sign on Mick Jones, but I disagree that he wasn’t a prominent vocalist for The Clash. He sang quite a bit, IMO.
Jerry Cantrell from Alice In Chains (at times)
Johnny Marr when he played with The Healers
Noel Gallagher from Oasis (at times)
I have to admit I’m more a radio listener, and have no idea who anyone is, really. So I have a small question: Do any of these guys play lead and sing lead simultaneously? I don’t mean the same song, I mean at the same time. If so, I would love to hear what you think is the best example.
I know that, even when I play piano, I have a lot of trouble playing two different melody lines at once. I’m always playing rhythm while singing, and filling in other lines during rests.
Carl Wilson was lead guitarist for the Beach Boys and also sang lead on some songs.
Carlos Santana sang on his early albums, at least, although there was at least one other singer as well.
I was thinking Al Jardine for the Beach Boys- would he qualify?
Tom Keifer from Cinderella. Totally under-appreciated, IMO.
I thought about Carl but decided he wasn’t the best example, since he didn’t do many lead vocals (and certainly wasn’t a frontman) in the early days, when the Beach Boys were a performing band playing all their own instruments. He really came into his own as a vocalist on less guitary, more studio-oriented tracks like Good Vibrations and God Only Knows.
AKA “Todd’s Stunt Guitarist” (just as Steve Vai served as Zappa’s stunt guitarist).
Leads usually aren’t played much over vocal parts as general rule, just to keep from stepping on them (not full fledged solos, anyway), it’s more about fills and licks during vocal parts, even with a separate guitarist, but there are singer/guitarists who lick quite a bit as they’re singing – SRV, for instance, or Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix did it constantly. He was ridiculous with it.
Dickie Betts w/ the Allman Bros., especially after Duane’s death.
I wonder if Hughie Thomasson of The Outlaws would fit.