al green below elvis and like four inferior metal singers? am i missing some incredibly big part of the criteria that does not involve talent or influence or innovation?

One of the most important songs in rock history, really is

For a second I was like 'amen brother', then I read you insulted Geoff Tate, now I'm like gtfo. Geoff Tate was an AMAZING, beautiful, and very talented vocalist, who was very influential. He is, in my opinion, the best of those types of metal singers (not saying you are not entitled to thinking anyone else is better, cause many could easily be, and if you think so fine by me, but he doesn't suck by any means), he has a 'rich' voice, unlike many others that goes further than just the technicality, and including his influence, stands above the crowd and his peers with his vocals. He is an amazing vocalist and I completely disagree with that statement.

Redding can definitely move up, and I see where you find your problem. The idea is influence in ROCK music, not influence in every genre, otherwise, those soul guys would be WAY higher, but in rock in particular, the ones we have at top, including the metal vocalists rightly deserve their place for influence and technical skill above Otis Redding and others, though I love soul, and many of those you listed (Al Green as well) are better vocalists with more feeling and vocal style, sure, but in rock music, they are significantly less influential. When we say 'rock vocalist', we don't mean vocalists that are in the rock genre (which is why you are confused as to why we have soul vocalists as well), it's a list of vocalists that had a large impact on rock music, meaning many soul and R&B guys would not qualify since many had little to no influence on rock music, however, Sam Cooke, Wilson, and Redding did have a huge impact on rock music vocals. Make sense? To put it simply, R&B/soul is not rock, however, some of their vocalists influenced rock, and the development or rock, and those are the ones that would deserve to be on this list, and only artists past the 40's.

List needed some major changes and to be reposted, changes are in bold, so here:

1. Freddie Mercury
2. Robert Plant
3. Elvis Presley
4. Roy Orbison
5. Sam Cooke
6. Jackie Wilson
7. Jeff Buckley
8. Roger Daltrey
9. Ian Gillan
10. Steve Perry
11. Stevie Wonder
12. Rob Halford
13. Bruce Dickinson
14. Ronnie James Dio
15. Little Richard
16. Clyde McPhatter
17. Marvin Gaye
18. Paul McCartney
19. Chris Cornell
20. Paul Rodgers
21. Michael Kiske
22. Eddie Vedder
23. Ray Charles
24. Al Green
25. Michael Jackson
26. James Brown
27. John Lennon
28. Ottis Redding
29. David Coverdale
30. Jim Morrison
31. Axl Rose
32. Brian Wilson
33. Geoff Tate
34. Mike Patton
35. Steven Tyler
36. Brad Delp
37. David Bowie
38. Carl Wilson
39. Rod Stewart
40. Prince
41. Mick Jagger
42. Eric Adams
43. Jon Bon Jovi
44. Bob Dylan
45. Van Morrison
46. Elton John
47. Art Garfunkel
48. Jack Bruce
49. Layne Staley
50. Bono

Any suggestions are fine, MJ I'm not sure what to do with, the 20's had some HUGE adjusting, but I feel it fits much better with the criteria before, feel free to correct me. I also moved Garfunkel, Bowie, and Jagger up because based on criteria each were higher than those ahead before IMO, honestly, I think Bowie is perfect at this placement, maybe could move up even a little more, his Influence is vast, his singing is VERY original and unique, and his skill is vastly underrated, he's damn good

Anyways, totally open to criticism. Let's get this list going again?

EDIT: Looking at the list, the whole 20-30 has some of the best vocalists ever, and are so good, it's hard to place any of them, it's becoming increasingly difficult with every look I take, I'd like to move all of them up, but it's becoming really hard to figure out who goes where :p

Too high.



Too low.

Plus the top 50 needs Paul Stanley, Tom Jones, Lou Gramm, BB King..

Just my 2 cents, a nice list in general!

Of course the line is blurry, but you have to draw it somewhere. Anyway most people in this section of the forum seem to use a different definition of rock than is used for most of the other lists, so just forget what I said.

Honestly, it's pretty much the same as the last list, with some guys moved up, pushing everyone else down, Jeff Buckley's position has not changed, John Lennon was moved down, Prince was moved down, Bowie is fine, I don't know why you would say he's too high. Jagger got moved up like, only 2 spaces, and Dylan got moved down. Redding moved up 3, and the Wilson bros were just thrown in. So yeah, don't know how ALL of them are too high. Coverdale is a mixed bag, I don't think he deserves to be above Redding and Lennon, but the others don't deserve to move up either, Coverdale is a great vocalist, but his influence and popularity are lesser than the previous two, and his originality and uniqueness are much less than Redding and Lennon as well. Idk, as I said, the 20's area is a mixed bag. And if McCartney and Lennon are so high, I don't know why the Wilson brothers wouldn't be around there as well.

sorry for mixing my flagrant trolling of metal with actual musical discussion, i apologize and offer the explanation that i usually dont' discuss music on ddd. i haven't heard shit by tate. moving on though, i think we all agree wilson pickett qualifies as rock n roll? he ought to be represented on the list

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMwhq3tAHRY[/youtube]

I thought Pickett was on the old list, where would you guys have him? And what do you mean along with Wilson timitzii, who should be moved?

I agree they should move up, but where would you put it?

Pickett is a beast. Nuff said

Other singer who were on the other list and no longer are on this list and need to be:
Wilson bros (I agree wiff you pal, hugely influential)
Dan McCafferty (No explaination required)
Richard Manuel from the Band (EXTREMELY emotional singer. Tears of Rage is awesome...)
Peter Cetera (His early work with Chicago was better, mind you, but he was still awesome afterwords. And the ladies love Cetera. So, by default, you have to like Cetera. )

Other people to be added:
Michael Bolton anyone?
Fish!!
Steve Hogarth
Axl's bff, Sebastian Bach
Daniel Gildenlöw
GREG LAKE
Jon Anderson
Steve Winwood
Peter Gabriel
David fucking Gilmour
just to name a few...

The reason I say that is there are so many good ones we still don't have on the list that I thought of today that all deserve top 100 placements, from Cummings and Fogerty to Springsteen and Keenan, there are just so many out there, and by criteria, it will be really hard to add all these people.

Damn! Forgot Cummings! One of my favorites too! But come on dude, Springsteen?? NO. Fish, Steve Hogarth, Michael Bolton, Bach, Gildenlow, Gabriel, and Winwood all thrash Springsteen on vocal talent. I wholeheartly believe the Marillion dudes could make the 90's or 80's. That's where I have them on my list. Bach could be in the 60's. Gildenlow in the 50's at least. Gabriel could easily make top 50, as well as Winwood. Bolton, who has a phenomenal voice, should also be top 50 at least. Springsteen didn't have a great voice but, like Dylan, could make the top 100 purely on influence, which unfortunately kicks much more talented singers (i.e. Fish and Hogarth as you were suggesting...) out of the top 100.