How great singers' voices have or have not held up over time

[Synthaholic]

Gino Vannelli still sounds incredible. And although I never liked his voice very much, the lead singer for REO Speedwagon still sounds really good. I forget his name.

[bill5]

 Lot of great additions...

 

  

20 hours ago, David R said:

Sting and Stevie Wonder have held on to their original ranges and sound incredibly healthy. I’m not a Foo Fighters fan really but Dave Grohl still sounds fantastic.

Yeah I saw Sting in concert (video) with Peter Gabriel and he still sounded really good. Gabriel, not so much.

 

4 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

 

Yeah... but the upside of the fact that he never had a great voice is that, all these years later... he still sounds the same. So in that respect, it's held up great!

Frankly I never cared for him or the Stones, but was trying to play nice.   

 

Steve Winwood I've heard it joked has sounded exatly the same since they day he was born lol - his voice is so consistent. I like him and his stuff a lot but tbh wouldn't call him a "great" singer either. 

[ksoper]

Mike Reno at 68 can still sing his ass off.  

[jazzpiano88]

Nina Hagen  (I wish she'd do a project with Donald Fagen)

 

 

[o0Ampy0o]

7 hours ago, IMMusicRulz said:

I certainly think Peter Cetera had a great voice. Yes, I know Peter Cetera isn't well-liked by Chicago fans, but his vocals on songs like Just You and Me, Happy Man and I've Been Searching So Long show off the softer range in his voice. And even though his falsetto could be a bit on the annoying side, he still showcased how powerful his falestto was. To me, Cetera and Terry Kath were the strongest singers in Chicago. Around 1986 was when Cetera's vocal range started to decrease, and I foten wonder if this was a factor in why he left Chicago.

 

 

Interesting. I saw it as wanting more for himself as an artist. He was featured on Chicago songs which became hits. It was his door opening up a possible solo career. He was not likely to see many better moments and took the plunge. He made a name for himself and was a top act for a while. Chicago was seen as an ensemble but the trombone player of all people was the leader and he has an ongoing campaign to set the record straight because people had thought Robert Lamm was the main guy. There are interviews where Lamm is cast as a minor player even though he wrote and sang the big debut hits Chicago is most known for. 

[o0Ampy0o]

6 hours ago, AnotherScott said:

 

Yeah... but the upside of the fact that he never had a great voice is that, all these years later... he still sounds the same. So in that respect, it's held up great!

 

Tom Petty sounded like a combination of Jaggar and Dylan. His voice had not changed. I suspect this description would fit him if he were still alive. 

[Outkaster]

One thing you guys are leaving out is substance abuse.  Seeing that I was in tobacco control for 17 years I did a presentation once on singers that smoked.  That's one thing left out.  People like Sinatra would do vocal things to get around his range being lost.  I saw him at 75, we still was good but not like he was in the 50's.  Eddie Kendrix and Nat King Cole smoked a lot and it ruined their vocal ranges.  Look at videos of them and they were not good later on.  David Ruffin was the same.   I saw it happen with a singer I worked with. 

11 hours ago, o0Ampy0o said:

Interesting. I saw it as wanting more for himself as an artist. He was featured on Chicago songs which became hits. It was his door opening up a possible solo career. He was not likely to see many better moments and took the plunge. He made a name for himself and was a top act for a while. Chicago was seen as an ensemble but the trombone player of all people was the leader and he has an ongoing campaign to set the record straight because people had thought Robert Lamm was the main guy. There are interviews where Lamm is cast as a minor player even though he wrote and sang the big debut hits Chicago is most known for. 

 

Well Peter wanted to tour solo and still do the Chicago thing.  The others were insecure about that and it led to a departure.  The whole thing could have been worked out.

[Motif88]

21 hours ago, The Real MC said:

hello... Dennis sang Lady while James Young and John Curulewski sang harmonies.  John sang that really high harmony, and after John left the band Tommy's audition required him to sing the high harmony that John had sang.

Didn't think we were discussing backing vocals, just leads. For the record, you originally stated Tommy Shaw.

[TommyRude]

Cosign on Paul Rodgers.  He's around 60 yrs for this concert, his voice is incredible and just gets better and better.  I'm assuming it's still great today.

 

[D. Gauss]

33 minutes ago, Outkaster said:

One thing you guys are leaving out is substance abuse.   

 

Dunno if that's always a factor. There was a fairly recent interview with Cheap Trick's Robin Zander who was asked (whilst holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and an a cigarette in the other), what his secret to still being able to sing like a super human was.  His answer, as he raised his glass was, "Clean living!" 

IMO he's just now starting to sound a bit ragged on some things, but it was a pretty good almost 50 year run

 

Some of these already mentioned but:

 

Billy Joel's kinda shot (lower keys, plus he has that guy from the Joel tribute band who "ghosts" for him on a lotta of stuff)

McCartney is fairly shot but he had a damn good run.

David Lee Roth, nor the Motley Crue guy can get anywhere near a correct note (not that they were that great to begin with)

Tom Petty kinda stopped doing the high range stuff decades before he died. (extra, late addition utility guy, scott thurston did some heavy lifting i think)

Bowie was great til he got really sick (with the exception of his coked out of his mind, mid 70's shows, where Carlos Alomar would actually be singing and Bowie sort of mouthing along)

Ozzy AFAIK has had someone offstage doubling his lead vocals for years.

Geddy Lees voice was shot at the end

The Jethro Tull guy is toast

I think the def leopard guy may be croaking now, but it's hard to tell, as seems their whole live show comes out of a pro tools playback.

Dylan's still croaking along in his own way

Axl Rose is cringeworthy

Bon Jovi is a mess

Last i heard Al Green, he was still really good but it's been a few years so who knows..

 

 

[TommyRude]

Disagree with the folks saying Mick Jagger is not a good singer???   I think he's a great singer.  With his voice chops, emotion & rhythm he continues to connect with countless millions across the planet.  If that's not a measure of a great singer, I don't know what is.

[TommyRude]

Regarding Ian Anderson, he's got this thing going where he seems to sing everything a beat behind.  It seems intentional to me, almost out of boredom, trying to keep things interesting or something.

[Outkaster]

12 minutes ago, D. Gauss said:

 

Dunno if that's always a factor. There was a fairly recent interview with Cheap Trick's Robin Zander who was asked (whilst holding a glass of whiskey in one hand and an a cigarette in the other), what his secret to still being able to sing like a super human was.  His answer, as he raised his glass was, "Clean living!" 

IMO he's just now starting to sound a bit ragged on some things, but it was a pretty good almost 50 year run

 

Some of these already mentioned but:

 

Billy Joel's kinda shot (lower keys, plus he has that guy from the Joel tribute band who "ghosts" for him on a lotta of stuff)

McCartney is fairly shot but he had a damn good run.

David Lee Roth, nor the Motley Crue guy can get anywhere near a correct note (not that they were that great to begin with)

Tom Petty kinda stopped doing the high range stuff decades before he died. (extra, late addition utility guy, scott thurston did some heavy lifting i think)

Bowie was great til he got really sick (with the exception of his coked out of his mind, mid 70's shows, where Carlos Alomar would actually be singing and Bowie sort of mouthing along)

Ozzy AFAIK has had someone offstage doubling his lead vocals for years.

Geddy Lees voice was shot at the end

The Jethro Tull guy is toast

I think the def leopard guy may be croaking now, but it's hard to tell, as seems their whole live show comes out of a pro tools playback.

Dylan's still croaking along in his own way

Axl Rose is cringeworthy

Bon Jovi is a mess

Last i heard Al Green, he was still really good but it's been a few years so who knows..

 

 

 It's a huge factor for a lot of them sorry.

[TommyRude]

On 4/15/2023 at 9:12 PM, MathOfInsects said:

Maybe we can focus on the first list? It feels crummy to use a whole thread on a music site to crap on other musicians.

Part of me agrees with you, but the other part feels that sometimes this can spark a healthy debate, i.e. asking 'why' folks think this person is good/bad, challenge positions, etc.  BUT, try to do it in a civil way!  It's interesting to understand why voices stay great, or go downhill. 

 

It might be interesting to ask the same question on keyboard skills, have they held up or gotten worse, and why?

 

 

[Montunoman 2]

I like Sinatra best in his 50’s -60’s much than his youthful days. 
 

Elton voice is different as an older man, but not “ worse” Maybe some would say darker, richer. 
 

No shame in lowering the key. I always liked String, but with the Police he pushed his voice to the max. I think it would sound cool to lower the keys on some of those songs. 
 

I went to a Barry Manilow concert a few years ago. He sounded good, but my musician friend was sure it was a combination of live and prerecorded singing, which I assume is pretty common now. 
 

I think Aretha’s did just fine in her later years, and we’ve all probably seen the recent Gaga/Bennett show. Despite having Alzheimer’s and well into 90’s, I’d say he did quite well. 

[Montunoman 2]

Also it’s interesting to hear how people’s speaking voice can change over time. Terry Gross on NPR “ Fresh Air” had a very high pitched speaking when she started in the 70’s. I like her voice much more now. I’m not sure  if her voice naturally changed or she got coaching. 

[D. Gauss]

28 minutes ago, Outkaster said:

 It's a huge factor for a lot of them sorry.

Cheers for not getting the joke.

[D. Gauss]

18 minutes ago, Montunoman 2 said:

Also it’s interesting to hear how people’s speaking voice can change over time. Terry Gross on NPR “ Fresh Air” had a very high pitched speaking when she started in the 70’s. I like her voice much more now. I’m not sure  if her voice naturally changed or she got coaching. 

Or perhaps it was a change in her diet

[MathOfInsects]

27 minutes ago, TommyRude said:

Part of me agrees with you, but the other part feels that sometimes this can spark a healthy debate, i.e. asking 'why' folks think this person is good/bad, challenge positions, etc.  BUT, try to do it in a civil way!  It's interesting to understand why voices stay great, or go downhill. 

 

It might be interesting to ask the same question on keyboard skills, have they held up or gotten worse, and why?

 

 

As a philosophical question it’s fine, particularly if structured as a, “How to avoid…” kind of thing. Individual opinions about individual artists feel fine too, we can’t all like everyone. It is just the act of creating a whole thread whose point is to invite us, en masse, to crap on our colleagues, that hits me wrong. It feels more like what people on the “outside” would do. It most definitely does not feel like a good use of this unique resource we have here.

[MathOfInsects]

Honestly, they should all be lowering the keys. I think it’s mostly pride at a certain point.

 

I forget who it was, but I remember seeing someone in concert introduce the singer who would be “helping with the high notes.” Whenever any of those were required, the spotlight would shift to that singer. The audience ate it up and that guy was treated like a rock star. It would be great if we could be this open about the process as a matter of course. Just bring a “high note guy” as part of the band, like a relief pitcher* in the line-up.

 

*My original analogy was DH but it falls apart upon examination, since way to ruin the NL, baseball.

[Ivan May]

I’m not sure if many people here like Renaissance, but their lead singer Annie Hallam still has a wide range in her voice. If you listen to their most recent album, Grandine I’ll Vento, released in 2013, she is still capable of hitting the high notes.

 

 I always liked Annie Haslam as a singer, and I think it’s cool that she has a five octave vocal range. Without her, Renaissance would have been a faceless band.

[Cliffk]

17 hours ago, Shamanzarek said:

Maurice White also has Parkinson's but is still able to sing well.

You mean the one from Earth, Wind and Fire, who died?

[Montunoman 2]

29 minutes ago, MathOfInsects said:

Honestly, they should all be lowering the keys. I think it’s mostly pride at a certain point.

 

I forget who it was, but I remember seeing someone in concert introduce the singer who would be “helping with the high notes.” Whenever any of those were required, the spotlight would shift to that singer. The audience ate it up and that guy was treated like a rock star. It would be great if we could be this open about the process as a matter of course. Just bring a “high note guy” as part of the band, like a relief pitcher* in the line-up.

 

*My original analogy was DH but it falls apart upon examination, since way to ruin the NL, baseball.

I’ve heard Elton has given props to his backup singers for helping him with the notes he doesn’t feel comfortable with. 

[bill5]

2 hours ago, MathOfInsects said:

As a philosophical question it’s fine, particularly if structured as a, “How to avoid…” kind of thing. Individual opinions about individual artists feel fine too, we can’t all like everyone. It is just the act of creating a whole thread whose point is to invite us, en masse, to crap on our colleagues, that hits me wrong. 

Except that wasn't the point of the thread at all. It was to discuss great singers whose voices one feels have or have not held up well over time. Obviously some have and some have not, but which is which and how much is subjective and debatable, hence the opportunity for discussion. It is IMO no crime to point out some have not, nor is it about "crapping on" anyone. Anyone who finds such discussion upsetting needn't read the thread. 

[timwat]

Tony Bennett often cited his longevity to being taught Bel Canto method early in his career.

[Steve Nathan]

Odd to me that so many equate highest note capability with greatest.  I don't know that Tony Bennet can hit the same top notes today as he could in his 20s, but that imho has zero to do with what makes a great singer.  Maybe Tom Jones can still hit the same note, but I couldn't care less.  He's as good a singer today as he was 40 years ago.  I look at taste, pitch, style, control, nuance, feel, emotion, etc.  Singing, like playing is not an athletic competition, it's art. All that matters to me is does it move me emotionally. Period!

[Bill H.]

19 hours ago, jarrell said:

 Steve Winwood

 

The first person who came to mind when I saw this thread. Still hits high "A"s strongly, and occasionally high "B"s without the crutch of heavy vibrato - which older singers often apply to compensate for loss of range and precise control of their vocal cords. I used to envy Winwood when I was a teen, and still do today. 

[MathOfInsects]

10 minutes ago, Steve Nathan said:

Odd to me that so many equate highest note capability with greatest.  I don't know that Tony Bennet can hit the same top notes today as he could in his 20s, but that imho has zero to do with what makes a great singer.  Maybe Tom Jones can still hit the same note, but I couldn't care less.  He's as good a singer today as he was 40 years ago.  I look at taste, pitch, style, control, nuance, feel, emotion, etc.  Singing, like playing is not an athletic competition, it's art. All that matters to me is does it move me emotionally. Period!

Some folks' late-career recordings, like Johnny Cash or even Bonnie Raitt, are my favorite vocal performances by them. I like hearing the weariness...

[Bill H.]

26 minutes ago, Steve Nathan said:

Odd to me that so many equate highest note capability with greatest.  I don't know that Tony Bennet can hit the same top notes today as he could in his 20s, but that imho has zero to do with what makes a great singer.  Maybe Tom Jones can still hit the same note, but I couldn't care less.  He's as good a singer today as he was 40 years ago.  I look at taste, pitch, style, control, nuance, feel, emotion, etc.  Singing, like playing is not an athletic competition, it's art. All that matters to me is does it move me emotionally. Period!

I can definitely agree, but at the same time there's a certain "Wow!" factor involved when an artist can pull off the repertoire of their youth today. 

[Lou Gehrig Charles]

16 hours ago, ksoper said:

Mike Reno at 68 can still sing his ass off.  

 

+2  And that's despite all the pounds he's put on.

 

And Mickey Thomas.  Last I've heard from his sounds like it could have been recorded 40 years ago...