# Who's the worst famous singer? Who really sucks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 9, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235 "2005-08-09T04:04:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/1 "2005-08-09T04:04:52Z")
Some of the names that leap readily to mind: Bob Dylan Billy Corgan Kurt Cobain Scott Stapp Jim Morrison I’ll probably think of more later… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/2 "2005-08-09T04:07:16Z")
Dave Matthews Missy Elliot ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/3 "2005-08-09T04:07:47Z")
Good Egg - you do mean besides Brittney Spears, don’t you? (Why does anyone refer to her as a “singer” anyway). ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/4 "2005-08-09T04:15:22Z")
> [@well he's back](#): > > Good Egg - you do mean besides Brittney Spears, don’t you? (Why does anyone refer to her as a “singer” anyway). Britney Spears sings crap songs but her voice is OK. I agree with Bob Dylan - he doesn’t have the world’s best singing voice. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/5 "2005-08-09T04:19:55Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > I agree with Bob Dylan - he doesn’t have the world’s best singing voice. And as bad as his voice is, his harmonica playing is even worse. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/6 "2005-08-09T04:26:47Z")
[Tiny Tim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Tim) Besides having the worst voice, he was the ugliest famous singer also. Baby Jesus cried when he sang. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/7 "2005-08-09T04:44:57Z")
I haven’t heard her sing, but there’s indirect evidence for Jean Seberg. I mean, how bad do you have to be when you’re in a musical with Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin and yours is the only voice that gets dubbed? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/8 "2005-08-09T04:47:03Z")
Another vote for Dylan. Jim Carroll (his voice sours milk that’s still in the glands) It’s probably just me, but James Brown (love his music, love his dancing, his voice drives me nuts) Yoko Ono He’s dead now, but Anthony “what kind of fool YAAAAAAAAAAAAAM Iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii” Newley ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/9 "2005-08-09T04:48:42Z")
> [@Robot Arm](#): > > I haven’t heard her sing, but there’s indirect evidence for Jean Seberg. I mean, how bad do you have to be when you’re in a musical with Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin and yours is the only voice that gets dubbed? [Lee Marvin voice]IIIII… waaass… boorrrrn… underrrr…a wandrrrrrrr’nnn starrrrr[/Lee Marvin voice] ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/10 "2005-08-09T04:54:43Z")
I have to disagree on Kurt Cobain. I think he had a wonderfully melodic and haunting voice. I’ve always though that Vince Neil sucks pretty hard. Ashlee Simpson was exposed on SNL but maybe those lip-synching pop tarts go without saying? ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/11 "2005-08-09T04:55:49Z")
The obvious answer, **Lou Reed**. And a close followup for **Gordon Gano** of the Violent Femmes. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/12 "2005-08-09T04:58:01Z")
Neal Young Tom Petty The 1985 Chicago Bears Biz Markee ---
**Author:** ![acadian\_driftwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba9def/32.png) [@acadian\_driftwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/acadian_driftwood)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/13 "2005-08-09T05:46:12Z")
**Yoko Ono** is my too-obvious choice. As for people who allegedly possess musical talent: **Alanis Morissette** **Kris Kristofferson** - fine songwriter, but really tuneless voice **Jennifer Lopez** - only can pass as a singer with a whole range of studio tricks - does she even perform “live”? **Paula Abdul** - another singer with a thin, studio enhanced voice, and she judges “talent,” what a joke. There are many others that are way overrated. ---
**Author:** ![Oregon\_sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/50afbb/32.png) [@Oregon\_sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oregon_sunshine)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/14 "2005-08-09T05:57:31Z")
Nobody’s said CELINE DION yet. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/15 "2005-08-09T05:59:05Z")
> [@ggurl](#): > > Nobody’s said CELINE DION yet. We 'ave a winnah. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/16 "2005-08-09T06:05:01Z")
> [@DarkSideoftheFloyd](#): > > We 'ave a winnah. Ridiculous. You may hate Celine Dion - I sure do - but it’s preposterous to say she can’t sing. She can certainly carry a tune and has great control and projection. Paula Abdul, I thought, was a pretty logial choice; she never really could sing, and what you hear in her songs was very heavily fixed up electronically to sound good. Jennifer Lopez is the same thing. Avril Lavigne is an infamously inept singer live whose voice sounds mysteriously fixed up in recordings. Bob Dylan, say no more. A choice I’d throw out that hadn’t been picked yet is ghe guy who heads up Green Day. Jesus. ---
**Author:** ![lhovis73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@lhovis73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lhovis73)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/17 "2005-08-09T06:06:27Z")
My vote goes to Eddie Vedder…his voice bugs me in itself, but he’s also guilty of establishing a style of singing that every male rock star and his brother has emulated since roughly 1992… ---
**Author:** ![buns3000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c89c15/32.png) [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/18 "2005-08-09T06:09:37Z")
Bob Dylan Neil Young Johnny Cash The Spice Girls Mick Jagger Lou Reed Iggy Pop ---
**Author:** ![lhovis73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@lhovis73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lhovis73)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/19 "2005-08-09T06:11:43Z")
> [@buns3000](#): > > Bob Dylan > Neil Young > Johnny Cash > The Spice Girls > Mick Jagger > Lou Reed > Iggy Pop With the obvious exception of the Spice Girls, you’ve just listed all of my heroes…are you trying to hurt me? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2005, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235/20 "2005-08-09T06:29:06Z")
Englebert Humperdinck always struck me as a pretty crappy singer. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whos-the-worst-famous-singer-who-really-sucks/316235.md?page=2)