You have likely heard that all music today seems to sound the same. Nothing stands out. Formula driven. Although some of that is true, the same could be said for most any generation of music.
Meanwhile, some artists’ voices are immediately recognizable, singers who were trendsetters — and not on purpose. They blazed their own paths with their own sounds, regardless of what was popular at the time. The following singers come to mind immediately:
Elvis Presley tops my list. The “King of Rock and Roll” may have been known for his provocative dancing on stage, but his voice is one that carried through decades. From “Hound Dog” to “Suspicious Minds” to “In the Ghetto,” you know the voice of the man behind the mic.
Aunt Jean loved Johnny Cash. Mom didn’t. It made for some great debates about music when those two got together. I side with Aunt Jean on this one. To get hooked, all I need to hear are the four words: “Hello, I'm Johnny Cash.” The Man in Black’s deep and calm bass-baritone voice cannot be duplicated. Neither can his themes of moral tribulation, sorrow and redemption. “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire” and “Folsom Prison Blues” are distinctly Cash. When he recorded the Nine Inch Nails song “Hurt,” the song’s writer, Trent Reznor, was so deeply touched that he said his band no longer owns the song. It is all Cash now. Enough said.
I am not a big fan of Barry White’s music, but there is no denying that his bass voice is one of the most definable and recognizable in American history. The two-time Grammy Award winner became known for his romantic songs in the 1970s when crafting his two biggest hits: “Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe” and “You're the First, the Last, My Everything.”
Much of the heavy rock of the 1980s does sound the same, but one voice clearly stands out: Axl Rose, the lead singer for Guns N’ Roses. The raucous rocker has a distinctive and powerful voice with a wide range. He was named one of the greatest singers of all time by Rolling Stone and New Musical Express (NME). Listen to just a few words of “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” and you recognize Axl Rose’s voice instantly.
British musician, singer, songwriter and producer Barry Gibb rose to fame as a member of the Bee Gees. His falsetto is certainly synonymous with the golden era of disco music, which peaked with the success of the “Saturday Night Fever” movie and soundtrack. As noted on smoothradio.com, his voice transformed the Bee Gees “from a folk trio, to soft rock, to straight-up disco divas.” Gibb says the idea of using falsetto came to him in a dream, and he worked the sound into hit songs “Jive Talkin’ ” and “Nights On Broadway.”
I could go on with a laundry list, and I clearly missed some other distinct musical voices, including many female artists. Shoot me a note and let me know which ones would make your list.
Have a wonderful Wednesday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com | 
