What makes a truly legendary rock singer? Certainly, stage presence and the ability to whip the largest of gatherings into a frenzy are key ingredients, but there’s more to the best male rock singers than that. A rock band has a head start if their frontman has range, power, articulation, and technical control, but to be truly iconic they also need to break boundaries, move us emotionally and possess an indefinable charisma which puts them in a class of their own.
Some of the above can be studied or taught, but a really iconic vocalist is a unique individual who simply can’t be invented. Wherever they stand on expertise, their need to communicate goes above and beyond, and – as we’ll see in a few cases throughout our list of the 100 best male rock singers of all time – being onstage can literally be a case of choosing life or death.
Compiling a list of the best male rock singers is quite a challenge: the beauty and/or power of a great voice impacts on us all on different, highly personal levels. So let us hear your voice if you think we’ve missed someone.
While you’re reading, listen to our Best Male Rock Singers playlist here. In the meantime, uDiscover Music will try to determine the 100 best male rock singers of all time.
100: Mark E Smith
Arguably the most contentious of inclusions in this list of the best male rock singers of all time, The Fall’s late frontman will no doubt polarize opinion here as his band did in life. However, while Smith’s heavy Mancunian accent, cryptic lyrics and idiosyncratic, sing-slurred vocal delivery were anything but textbook, he was a unique individual, and that alone earns him his place here.
Jeff Buckley’s accidental death, at the age of 30, curtailed what should have been a brilliant career. On the only album released during his lifetime, 1994’s spellbinding Grace, he made full use of his four-octave vocal range both on magnificent self-penned original songs (“Dream Brother,” “Last Goodbye”) and haunting covers of James Shelton’s “Lilac Wine,” Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” and Benjamin Britten’s “Corpus Christi Carol” – the latter sung entirely in a high falsetto.
Like his heartland rock rival Bruce Springsteen, Bob Seger wrote impassioned, blue-collar anthems with an across-the-board appeal which he delivered with a raspy voice and a gutsy urgency. With help from evergreen classics such as “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man,” “Night Moves,” and “Turn The Page,” the Detroit-born rock singer-songwriter has moved over 75 million records.
Check out: Night Moves
93: Morrissey
Renowned – and equally reviled – for the mournful dourness of his voice, Morrissey has nonetheless excelled as both lead singer with The Smiths and as a solo star. Deeply influenced by feminism and Mancunian writer/dramatist Shelagh Delaney, as well as glam rock and punk, he had no formal vocal training, but his high baritone has graced show-stopping pop songs ranging from The Smiths’ “This Charming Man’ to solo hits such as “Suedehead” and “Everyday Is Like Sunday.”
Check out: Suedehead
92: Peter Frampton
Formerly associated with Humble Pie and The Herd, Peter Frampton rose to superstar status in the mid-70s when his classic live album Frampton Comes Alive! moved over eight million copies. A commanding singer in his own right, Frampton is perhaps most associated with one of his signature sounds, the talk-box effect (which allows a musician to control an instrument’s sound with their mouth), as showcased on the hit “Show Me The Way.”
Check out: Show Me The Way
91: Geddy Lee
Though few rock fans would argue Rush frontman Geddy Lee is one of rock’s greatest – and most versatile – bassists, his vocal abilities tend to polarise opinion. He sang in a high pitch on the band’s landmark 70s releases such as Caress Of Steel and A Farewell To Kings, but discovered a deeper register that he used to charismatic effect on Rush’s string of early 80s classics such as Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures.
