I’m watching Beyonce Knowles shake just about everything she’s got on SNL, and was wondering if she was not attractive, would we even know who she was? Surely there are several performers who, in the absence of any real talent, have ridden their attractiveness to the heights of fame. I’m not limiting this obvious generalization to just female performers, but for the purpose of this thread, I would like to limit it to singers.
What singers would be popular, sight unseen?
Natalie Maines (I don’t care what she SAID, she can SING)
Alicia Keys
Bette Midler
Christina Aguilera
Alanis Morrisette
On the other side:
I don’t think Brittney Spears would have been so popular without her attractiveness, I think her voice lacks quality.
Hmmm…not many males come to mind on either side, as they aren’t usually judged as harshly (unless they are labeled “gay”).
I don’t think any of them would be popular. What record label is going to take a chance on someone who has a face that could stop a clock? Ugly doesn’t sell CDs.
Looks are everything when it comes to performing. For every one Bette Midler type you see, there are probably 5 singers out there running around who can sing Bette under a table but will never see the light of day because they don’t have the look. Fair? No. But that’s just how it works.
While Tom Cruise and Keanu Reeves have done some pieces of quality work, I doubt they would have gotten their initial breaks were it not for their looks.
Oops, sorry. I missed the part about limiting it to singers.
Sam Cooke
Nat King Cole
Grace Slick
Ann Murray
Elvis Presley
Cafe Society
Uh… There are a LOT of unattractive singers AND musicians out there that have made it big. (Is Mcjagger is retirement yet?) SP?
Actually, I think that Bette Midler is NOT that attractive ~shrugs~ But she has a nice tone to her voice.
I agree that a majority of singers out there are “easy on the eyes”, but I would not say ALL.
Though very striking, Barbra Streisand was not known for her great beauty. I think she has sold a few CDs here and there.
Jeff Buckley
Janis Joplin, rest her soul.
Some people here have interesting definitions of attractive. 
Bette Midler? Barbra Streisand? I like Janis Joplin, but I’ve never heard anybody call her a great beauty either. I suppose Mick Jagger may have been attractive as a younger man, but these days he looks like the Old Man of the Mountain (used to).
I think some people here are misunderstanding the question
I second that!!
I don’t know about popular, but how about that blind Italian who sings so beatifully… I have 3 of his CD albums, but the name escapes me for the moment (sorry, I’m old!!!)
That would be Andrea Bocelli.
And this is why Video Killed the Radio Star. Before MTV you often didn’t know what singers looked like. Not that live performances didn’t happen or tv spots, but it wasn’t the visual exposure of the MTV world. There are many bands I loved that I have never seen. And I didn’t give a damn what they looked like. What was important was their sound, their musicianship, their vocal abilities, etc. I feel like an old fart, but I really hate what MTV did to the music world.