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The Greatest Male And Female Vocalists (In Your Opinion)

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The simplest premise, who are your top two (or three, we'll have no fighting here) male and female vocalists of all time? There is no such thing as a wrong answer!!!

 

Male

 

Chuck Jackson 

Frank Beverly

 

Female

 

Dee Dee Sharp

Thelma Houston

 

Go!

 

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Featured Replies

          Male       Marvin Gaye

                       Levi Stubbs

 

 

         Female    Gladys Knight

                       Chaka Khan

Since I read his autobiography and listened once again to his material Little Willie John has to be up there.

Female - Duffy  

 

Male - John Newman

 

 

 

 

 

:wicked:

Male

Mr Jackie Wilson

Curtis Mayfield

Female

Maxine Brown

Gladys Knight

I rest my case your honour!

TMIB

Dee Dee Warwick

Milie Jackson

 

 

Eddie Holman

Garnet Mimms

 

Got to have Eddie in there, there aren't many that could do with their voices what he could do with his, I mean to a chap on the street you 'Might' think 'I surrender' was actually two different vocalists... His falsetto was that good wasn't it... oh and 'I'm Not Gonna Give Up' is simply immortal isn't it..

 

Malcolm

Edited by Mal.C.

Jackie Wilson

 

Aretha Franklin

Always a tough one but......

 

David Ruffin

Marvin Junior

 

Gladys Knight

Millie Jackson

 

And feeling guilty for ignoring countless others.

By no means a definitive answer but

 

Teddy Pendergrass

 

Freddie Gorman

 

 

 

Ann Nesby

 

Betty Swann

 

and all of the a fore mentioned artists,we have been blessed in our lifetime and should think ourselves very lucky.

Little Willie John & Big Maybelle great shouts but I'll have to go for...........

 

Walter Jackson..........can't believe he's not been mentioned yet.

Joe Simon

 

 

Baby Washington

Gladys Knight

Roy Hamilton

Jimmy Ricks

Chuck Jackson

sir Ceaser

zz Hill

 

Ella Fitzgerald

Anita baker

Big Maybelle 

Etta James

Edited by Stevie.T

Roy Hamilton

 

Barbara Mason

Edited by grant

Male:

Ray Pollard

Rudy West

Sollie McElroy

Nat King Cole

Willie Winfield

 

Female:

Dee Dee Warwick

Baby Washington

Darlene Love

Barbara Green

Mary Wells

I mentioned Little Willie John. He is far from a favourite singer of mine. I read that no one could or wanted to follow him on stage as they couldn't compare or compete with him. This included Jackie Wilson and James Brown. After reading his autobiography I listened to a fair bit of his music and even though not all too my taste you could see why many did say he was probably the best ever.

One of the most underrated has to be Tommy Tate.

Are some of the above suggestions based on their voice and the quality of it of because they are a favourite?

Edited by chalky

agree Tommy Tate doesn't get mentioned enough, and he should.. I'd need to hear more of Little willie John to make any reasonable comment on him, although from what I have heard he has certainly has a very pure voice, beautiful tones and a little bit of that smoothness Bobby Bland had in abundance..

m

Sam Cooke

Jackie Wilson

 

Gladys Knight

Etta James

Just a few off the top of my head but so hard to narrow it down

 

James Carr

Wilson Pickett

Otis Clay

O.V. Wright  .... not the greatest voice but his phrasing and delivery was superb

Johnnie  Taylor

Spencer Wiggins

 

Aretha Franklin

Frankie Gearing

Millie Jackson

Edited by Dave Turner

Male: 

 

Lee Jones

Jerry Butler

 

Female:

 

Linda Jones

Gladys Knight

Otis Redding

 

David Ruffin

 

 

 

Darlene Love

 

Irma Thomas

Male: 

 

Lee Jones

Jerry Butler

 

Female:

 

Linda Jones

Gladys Knight

 

Lee jones is a good call

 

but for me it would have to be

 

MARVIN JUNIOR

 

HANK DIXON of the Originals ,, so so under rated

 

and third place would be between

 

MARVIN GAYE AND BOBBY WOMACK

 

and for the girls

 

LINDA JONES

 

SHIRLEY BROWN

 

and as mentioned so many times previously

ARETHA

 

plus 100's of others who where as good but hit paydirt

Tough tough call..

 

Lets say...

 

Bettye Lavette

 

 and

 

O V Wright

 

next

 

Linda Jones

 

and

 

Syl Johnson...

 

plus...

 

Aretha

 

and Jerry Butler..

 

happy with that lot.... :hatsoff2: :hatsoff2: :hatsoff2: :hatsoff2: :hatsoff2: :hatsoff2:

Stevie Wonders got to be No1 the test of time

Marvin Gaye

Tammi Terrell

Levi Stubbs

 

Walter Jackson

 

Hazel Martin

 

 

and the ladies...

 

Etta James

 

Sade Adu

 

:hatsoff2: - Kev

David Ruffin & Gladys Knight

PAUL WILLIAMS (TEMPS)

LEVI STUBBS /TOPS

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

ARETHA FRANKLIN

 

 

Great to see a shout for Paul Williams, vastly underrated and criminally under used..

 

for myself....

 

Changes by the minute..... :yes:

david ruffin

etta james

it's down to your own personal choice as it's been said no wrong answer just glad that we've been lucky to hear them all .

Lots of fave singers, many already mentioned as expected, but to pick only 2 all time faves it would be BOBBY WOMACK and MILLIE JACKSON

 

 

Steve

Eddie Levert,Gerald Levert,Teddy P,Marvin Junior,Marvin Gaye,Phillipe Wynne,William  Wee Gee

Howard,Donny Hathaway,Levi Stubbs ,Hank Dixon,sorry forgot C P Spencer etc,etc 

Ladies,Aretha,Margie Joseph,Jean Carn,Mavis Staples.

 

Sorry couldn't help myself.

Edited by phillybuster

By no means a definitive answer but

 

Teddy Pendergrass

 

Freddie Gorman

 

 

 

Ann Nesby

 

Betty Swann

 

and all of the a fore mentioned artists,we have been blessed in our lifetime and should think ourselves very lucky.

Closest of all the posts to my answers Martin. Obviously a man of impeccable taste.

Agree totally with TP, AN & obviously BS & would only replace Freddie Gorman with Al Greene closely followed by Jackie Wilson, David Ruffin & the surprise - Tolbert. Just listen to I Got It & you'll hear what I mean.

Tolbert,Sorry to me, a few tunes don't make him worth a great male singer,but too each their own?

Otis Redding

Marvin Gaye

Arthur Alexander

 

Tammi Terrel

Baby Washington

Betty Everett

Got to be DARRELL BANKS for male artist

Lorraine Ellison female

Bobby Womack, David Ruffin, Marvin Junior, Johnny Carter, C. P. Spencer, Teddy, Lee Jones George Smith (Manhattans)

 

Gladys Knight, Shirley Brown, Linda Jones, Barbara Mason, Aretha, 

 

Kev

Well there's one name that needs no thought at all...

LEVI STUBBS.

His voice is like a tonic to me.

 

Well there's one name that needs no thought at all...

LEVI STUBBS.

His voice is like a tonic to me.

Him and Smokey should have been on the list Paul

 

Kev

 

Men - Bobby Womack, Sam Dees, Wilson Pickett

Women - Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight & Millie Jackson

 

Marooned on a desert island i'd be as happy as a pig in sh**! 

Just a few off the top of my head but so hard to narrow it down

 

James Carr

Wilson Pickett

Otis Clay

O.V. Wright  .... not the greatest voice but his phrasing and delivery was superb

Johnnie  Taylor

Spencer Wiggins

 

Aretha Franklin

Frankie Gearing

Millie Jackson

I'm with you all the way mate

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