Singers whose vocals improved in old age?

[o0Ampy0o]

Age seems to deepen a singing voice. Typically a touring musician's singing voice wears out like a worn sock. The familiar sustained notes are avoided and sometimes masked with elaborate pitch changes.

 

I always thought Jackson Browne's singing voice was smooth and easy to a fault. Like he didn't get a straining element in. To my ears and mind Jackson Browne's voice has improved with age (74 now, 73 in the videos). I think it has more character now. One other singer still going strong is Smokey Robinson (82) but in the video shown it makes a difference that it is Smokey performing and not just someone doing this song with this voice. It would be overdone from another singer.

 

Anyone else whose vocals have improved in old age?

 

 

 

 

 

Smokey making a fan pass out in 2022

 

 

[The Real MC]

The late Greg Lake.  His voice got deeper in the 1990s and he didn't even work at it.

[Docbop]

 

Dianne Reeves I remember her from the late 60's singing at a little Jazz club in Venice CA called The Comeback Inn.  She's still going strong doing concerts all over the world.  

 

 

[Spider76]

Leonard Cohen, of course.

[Mark Zeger]

As much as I adore “River Deep, Mountain High” and considering her huge successes starting with “Private Dancer”, this is my favorite Tina.

 

 

[EricBarker]

Unpopular option, but Geddy Lee.

 

Sure, their early prog stuff was amazing, but Geddy‘s voice not only got richer with age, but he got a lot smarter about how to write for it. He gets a lot of flack for having a high screechy voice, but that mid 80s-00 stuff… he started sounding downright pretty! Of course, I still love the early stuff, but I get why some people don’t like him.

[PianoMan51]

Tony Bennett.

[Montunoman 2]

I like Sinatra’s mature voice to his young voice. Celia Cruz too. More character! 

[Stokely]

As someone who prefers the old screechy Geddy Lee, it's hard to listen to him attempt the old stuff.

As a baritone, my range is pretty much the same now at age 55 as it was when I was 20.  Low D or E is the bottom note and once you get up to a high A or so I'm kind of in trouble (depending on the syllable of course.)  I'm a better singer now due to experience even if maybe (to go against an earlier comment) I've lost a bit of richness in the lower end.   I've noticed that in other older singers, they get a little more reedy sounding, even if their range is lower.   There is a term I believe for this sound or effect, but I can't recall what it is.   I think if you start off as a high tenor maybe that age really cuts into your range.

[marino]

Gary Brooker. Tony Bennett.

 

11 hours ago, The Real MC said:

The late Greg Lake.  His voice got deeper in the 1990s and he didn't even work at it.

 

Urgh, no. Greg's voice got deeper, but onstage, the fact that he didn't exercise his voice showed a lot; sometimes he was horribly out of tune.

 

[Moonglow]

11 hours ago, The Real MC said:

The late Greg Lake.  His voice got deeper in the 1990s and he didn't even work at it.

I have mixed feelings here. His voice did become deeper and richer, which I prefer to the younger Greg Lake, but as with many singers, he lost some of his upper range, which despite lowering songs one-half step, became apparent when he/ELP performed live. I thought his voice sounded great on the Black Moon album, where he largely didn’t go after those high notes.

[TommyRude]

Paul Rodgers

[tonybanksfan]

Don’t think Roger Hodgson’s voice has improved but he has sure maintained it, great singer, great writer and multi instrumentalist.

[Piktor]

Before her medical issues, Joni Mitchell
 

[Ivan May]

Even though he had been battling cancer for many years, I like how deep and gravelly Levon Helm's voice got on some of his later solo albums.

[RABid]

I don't know that she has improved because she was always great, but Gladys Knight has held up well. She still sounds great.

[Baldwin Funster]

Dan McCafferty.  An acquired taste like stinky cheese for sure. His last album was totally unrelated to Nazareth and sounded very neo Scottish but very little in the way of flaws and very emotional. 

[jeffincltnc]

David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Pete Townshend and Anthony Kiedis

[Tracii]

Listening to their new song and watching recent live videos, I'm glad to say James Hetfield. 💥

[stoken6]

Madonna's improved, not through age, but through taking singing lessons for Evita.

 

Cheers, Mike

[Mark Schmieder]

Define old age? I've known for years that a well-treated male voice is often at its best in one's 60's, so I was quite thrilled when my own voice met that test -- it's never been better. But those who screamed in their youth won't benefit. It was my study of opera that taught me how to save my voice. A lot of rock singers do that for the same reason.

 

In terms of famous singers or those who are particular good at a stylistic lead role (I'm mostly a harmony vocalist, but even my leads have improved in my 60's), I would say the voice is different (and certainly more characterful), but not necessarily better or worse, for those in the rock world that saved their voice vs. wrecking it. In opera, most singers do sound their best in their 60's, and this may continue up into one's 70's but not usually beyond that.

 

Tony Bennett might be an example of someone who continued to improve as they reached centennerian status. 🙂 McCartney did not follow suit, sadly.

 

Some other good examples were mentioned by others above, and I see that Tony Bennett rightfully already received several mentions.

[Mark Schmieder]

So, in Tony Bennett's case, is the secret to his ever-improving voice that he left his heart in San Francisco? Should we all follow suit? If we did, would we win in spades? Or would this just be a game of solitaire, to quote Ian Anderson?

[jerrythek]

For me, while his voice got deeper/perhaps more rich, he couldn't sustain notes any longer, nor get any of those angelic highs. His smoking can't have helped.

 

On 12/10/2022 at 12:15 PM, Moonglow said:

I have mixed feelings here. His voice did become deeper and richer, which I prefer to the younger Greg Lake, but as with many singers, he lost some of his upper range, which despite lowering songs one-half step, became apparent when he/ELP performed live. I thought his voice sounded great on the Black Moon album, where he largely didn’t go after those high notes.

 

[jerrythek]

I would say Paul Barrere/Little Feat. While Lowell was leading the band Paul wasn't even really considered a lead vocalist. But he really came into his own, and made the songs his own.

 

 

 

 

[Baldwin Funster]

Mine. 

I used to totally suck but now I'm about as good as the other passable singers in my area. And I can do it while playing keys or guitar. Too bad it took this long.

[HSS]

I always dug John Lee Hooker's "old bluesman" voice.  He could mutter a word out of key, and it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.  I'd give up my squirrely on-pitch voice for a voice with "character", like JLH's, in a New York second

 

FWIW... I think JLH was born with an old man whiskey-drinking cig-smoking baritone bluesman voice.  It hardly changed over a 30-year period. 

  

Jook Lee Hooker in the 1962:

https://youtu.be/V1xcM3XCvPE

 

John Lee Hooker in 1992:

https://youtu.be/o_6SlT3Yy10

 

 

[Bobbo Fett]

1 hour ago, Jr. Deluxe said:

Mine. 

I used to totally suck but now I'm about as good as the other passable singers in my area. And I can do it while playing keys or guitar. Too bad it took this long.

This is me too....I've always sung (not well) and played piano, and used to catch a ton of sh*t about my voice. After YEARS of working on it, taking voice lessons for a few of them, and daily practice, I've finally gotten to the point where I actually get a compliment here and there about my singing...took me a long time too (I'm 65). Of course, there's always the random, "Hey man, your voice sounds good! I can remember when you used to really suck..."

[o0Ampy0o]

Celine Dion can sing anything and sound amazing. Her singing has not suffered as she has gotten older. Unfortunately she recently revealed she has a rare and incurable neurological disorder, SPS Stiff Person Syndrome. I recall seeing her on all of the awards shows singing the theme from Titanic, My Heart Will Go On. As she did in each performance I believe every time she performs the song she pounds her chest when she sings the "heart" part.

 

She was once a gift awarded to a couple by Oprah for their wedding. Celine sang to them just before they said their vows. She was able to get into the song and deliver yet another emotional performance in what must have been considerably awkward for her to step up and perform as Oprah basically interrupted and took over the ceremony.

 

Singers really have to get into the moment. Every other instrument can be taken on a walk but a singer must feel the moment to overcome every distraction or detractor. She sings with her heart and soul. At times she has appeared to take herself too seriously but you have to forgive her for such a thing because when express your heart and soul in a performance you risk being melodramatic when speaking in between songs. Anything less she would not be as good at singing.

 

Joe Walsh is a guitar virtuoso. He can still sing beautifully although he is strictly accompaniment here.

 

 

[Spider76]

Even if he was always the second fiddle to the obvious awesomeness of Freddie Mervury, I'd mention Roger Taylor (of Queen, not Duran Duran).

He always had a great voice, coarse and very "rock" but also able to hit unbelievably high falsettoes, much higher than Freddie.

Now it's become fuller and rounder, and he's also embracing a more upfront role in the latest "Queen" shows.

I was very pleased with this performance of Under Pressure, where he takes up the main parts.

 

 

 

[vonnor]

From july 2022. That line at 3:20 tho... damn. Back in '82 I said I would give my left ring finger to have that guy's voice. I believe the offer still stands.

 

~ vonnor