I was drug to a concert by the wife this past weekend and came away quite surprised by the range and vocal quality of Bryan Adams. I would not say I am a fan but as an aging 50+ year old, I am familiar with his hits. He actually sounded better today than he did in his hey day (early 80s). On the ride home I started running thru my head some recently attended shows and some upcoming shows and rated the vocal quality.
* Jimmy Hall- He is still a freak of nature! Is it possible that he is a more soulful singer (with greater range) than in the 1970s?
* Bruce Springsteen- given the stress he puts on his voice, I am still impressed by his stamina
* Gregg Allman- stronger every time I see him and his solo gigs seems easier on him
* Warren Haynes- I believe he is a better singer today than in the 1990s. Just no reggae 😉
* Doobie Brothers- caught a show last summer and both singers were still hitting the note
* Tab Benoit- his voice has seasoned over the years
* Tinsley Ellis- I always thought that he was a very underrated vocalist but very biased as i love him!
"It's heavy; lay your burden down" WH
Id have to add..
Steve Winwood
Steven Tyler
Paul Rodgers
Saw Al Green two Summers ago, he can still sing.
Lyle Lovett.
Graham Parker.
Todd Rundgren.
Justin Hayward.
Stevie Wonder
James Taylor
Donald Fagin
Dr. John
Aaron Neville
A lot of these guys aren't hitting the high notes like they used to, but they are still interpreting their music.
Sir Paul
Sir Elton
Nancy Wilson
guys over 55 who still have it
steven tyler
paul rodgers
dee snider (well still has whatever he had lol)
sammy hagar
alice cooper
robin zander
steve winwood
ann wilson
bruce dickinson
i'd say paul mccartney, rob halford, elton john and gregg allman somewhat still have it. keys of songs dropped full steps and voices sound really tired towards the end of sets. gary cherone and almost 55 and still sounds great
After seeing him kill it on tour over the winter . . . Stevie Wonder.
Probably not a lot of stamina, but he was awesome.
A couple of years ago I was dragged by my wife to see Diana Ross, who at the time I believe was 69. It was one of the best performances I've ever seen. 14-piece band (horns, strings, background singers) playing the last show of that particular tour. The band was reading each other's minds, tune after Motown classic tune delivered live, and Diana sounded damn near like she did in 1968. I was amazed.
Art Garfunkel
Paul Simon
James Taylor
Unlike some of the other singers from this era, these guys can still hit most of the higher notes in their range that they hit in their prime.
Others moved things down an octave or two. Listen to Elton sing Rocket Man - still good but not the same. On the other hand, AG sings Bridge Over Troubled Water spot on.
Aretha
Van Morrison...
Jimmy Hall with Jeff Beck Saturday- WOW!!!
Aretha last month, still the Queen
Stevie Wonder in Songs in the Key of Life, still powerful but agree he lacked a little in stamina
Bonnie Raitt... bring her on any time...
I would be borderline about including Gregg... he is still good, but nowhere near the power and growl he used to bring to the stage.
David gilmour
Greg Allman
Col. Bruce Hampton
Al Green
Sir Paul
Ringo
Paul Rodgers
David Johansen
Billy Gibbons
[Edited on 4/21/2015 by GOODVIBRATIONS]
[Edited on 4/21/2015 by GOODVIBRATIONS]
[Edited on 4/21/2015 by GOODVIBRATIONS]
Ann Wilson
Paul Rodgers
there is "still have it" and there are those who still sound like they did when they were 25-30.
Kenny Loggins (as of a live performance 5 years ago) still sounds like he's 27 years old.
Ann Wilson delivers like she did in her youth.
Gregg, McCartney, Plant don't sound like they did when they were younger but bring it in a different way.
Someone listed David Gilmour. He was never a perfect singer, but his voice has straining to hit the high notes for years.
Bruce Dickinson has got great style but he can't do what he could do in 1982. He's turned "not reaching the note" into his style.
I saw Aretha on TV a few months ago and that paled in comparison to 1970 (understandably!)
Mostly, the singers who stuck to mid-ranges age better than those who were hitting high notes when they were 25.
After seeing Sir Paul last fall, I would not put him in this list anymore. His voice was all but shot.
That said, it was still an absolutely fantastic show.
Phil Mogg
Joe Lynn Turner
Glenn Hughes
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
Phil Mogg
Joe Lynn Turner
Glenn Hughes
Everyone has a plan, till you get punched in the face,
I seen Eric Burdon last weekend and he still sounds pretty good!
The weekend before I seen Fleetwood Mac and was pretty amazed with Stevie's voice... Lindsey and Christine sounded great too!
Klaus meine- The Scorpions
Paul Rodgers
Gregg
Ian Astbury-The Cult
Steve winwood
Dave mason
Stevie Wonder, Stevie Wonder, Stevie Wonder. When they did the Grammy tribute to him recently, I enjoyed a lot of the artists paying tribute to Stevie, but when Mr. Wonder hit the stage it was a whole other level. I can see what some folks are saying about stamina, but in terms of being able to hit the notes, the greatest male vocalist of all time is still absolutely delivering the goods.
At that same Stevie tribute, I had to tip my cap to Tony Bennett. I've never been a big fan, but he can still do his thing pretty well for a guy in his 80s.
David Crosby - some of the best vox he has ever done on last year's release "Croz"
Mick Jagger
Elvis Presley
David Crosby - some of the best vox he has ever done on last year's release "Croz"
Mick Jagger
Elvis Presley
agreed i saw CSN live last year. crosbystill has it and nash is pretty good too. mick jagger is ok and elvis has been dead since the 70's lol
Mark Knopfler. He's always sang within a certain register - never reaching way up for those falsettos or high notes. Never been a screamer or otherwise over-emotional in delivery. His newer stuff is decidedly more "adult contemporary" than the music with Dire Straits, but his voice is still about the same. Still plays guitar extremely very well and still writes songs that read like mini-novels.
2nd row center ... October in St. Augustine! I can't wait! 😉
Lemmy
Clapton sounds today, like he did 30-40 years ago.
I actually think his voice sounds completely different, but not in a bad way. It is clear that he has worked very hard on his singing voice.
Billy Joel still has it as well
Looking forward to hearing Ian Gillan this summer.
Paul Rogers still has it.
Tom Petty
Craig Fuller
Gregg
Warren
BRUUUUUCE
Billy Gibbons
Alice
Clapton
Buddy Guy
And then there's the guys that should just call it quits.
Number one on that list has to be Doug Gray.
Sad.
