Favorite Singers (Non-Jazz Variety)

[BruceH]

Neil Patrick Harris

[Noj]

[Brownian Motion]

Blind Willie McTell

Doc Watson

Tony Rice

Iris Dement

Maria Callas

Peter Rowan

Norman Blake

Judy Collins

Leadbelly

I'm forgetting another dozen.

[John L]

The lead singer on this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vTEt0jRDcI

BE SURE TO LISTEN THROUGH TO THE END. The harmony will blow your mind.

I've been planning on starting a separate thread about this -

I spent some time in Bulgaria, and was amazed at how musical a country it is. So many rich musical traditions in a small country - and almost everybody can really sing.

[Matthew]

If I may add a name that has not been mentioned yet: Lefty Frizzell. I'm not really a true C&W fan (in fact, I'm not much a fan), but how can anyone not recognize the tremendous talent of Frizzell; about as pure of a singer as you'll ever find. Great success in his early career, seemingly lost afterwards, but at the end of his life, what great music he was making. It's a strange comparison, but he reminds me of Lester Young in his approach to singing, and also in the fact that as some dismiss Young's later work, so too with Frizzell, but both were major artists at the close of the lives. If you ever get extra money to burn, think about the Frizzell Bear box, it tells the whole story of the wonderful man's artist life.

Edited March 28, 2009 by Matthew

[John L]

So this box also includes his later recordings? I've been looking for them on CD, but have only found the older hits and other songs from that period.

[Matthew]

So this box also includes his later recordings? I've been looking for them on CD, but have only found the older hits and other songs from that period.

The box has everything Frizzell recorded.

[BruceH]

Dude, check out his singing on "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog."

(Also, Lefty was great.)

[Jazzmoose]

If I may add a name that has not been mentioned yet: Lefty Frizzell.

I'll go along with that. I wish some of his music wasn't so "overproduced" (if that's the correct term for adding the saccharine backup singers, etc.), but he shines through that problem.

[Indiana jazz aficiando]

Wonderful lists already......some of mine not already mentioned

- Art Lund

- Bobby Short

- Mabel Mercer

- Susannah McCorkle

- Lena Horne (with Lenny's orch)

- Cleo Laine (sings Sondheim)

- Richard Tauber (died in the camps in WWII)

- Jacqueline Francois

- Greta Keller

- Yves Montand

- Michael Franks

[danasgoodstuff]

Re Lefty

I could go on & on 'bout what a great singer he was, even more so as time went on, 'bout how everything was right on the early records made in Dalla, 'bout gems like "no One to Talk to But the Blues" that even fans seem to overlook, BUT Lefty said it all in "That's the Way Love Goes"...

[tkeith]

I was thinking about singers, and which ones were my favorites. Thought it might make an interesting subject for people to write about. All types of singers are welcome (except jazz) - pop, country, rock, r&b, classical, singers from other cultures, whatever singers are out there.

I'll start it off with five. (Tomorrow it might be five different ones, but this is today).

In alphabetical order:

Sam Cooke

Cesaria Evora

early Dick Gaughan

Merle Haggard

Claude Jeter

I agree with Sam Cooke. My list is heavy on the singer/songwriter genre:

Ellis Paul

James Taylor

Bill Withers

Marvin Gaye

and recently, Ray LaMontagne

but as you say, tomorrow they could be different