The Singer's Forum

[iudas]

Popular music is dominated by high singers. Most male singers are tenors, followed by baritones. There's Johnny Cash who belted out low notes but I consider him to be an average singer, however legendary he may be as an overall artist. But I can't name any really good pop bass singer. Bass doesn't necessarily mean low notes. In opera many parts for bass are quite high, they just require a heavy and deep voice. Where are they in pop? Is there a reason for this absence? :confused:

[LordBTY]

Wouldn't say Johnny Cash is pop, but hey ho, if you're gonna class him as pop:

Barry White

But, like most bass voices, they fit more in soul and RnB.

EDIT: WAIT!
[CENTER]
[YOUTUBE]jw_4CCe-AwA[/YOUTUBE]
[/CENTER]

If not a bass then a very low baritone...

[DevilRaysFan]

As mentioned, Barry White In the 70s, bass player Larry Graham (from "Sly and The Family Stone" and "Graham Central Station") had a few solo hits. He naturally sang in the tenor and bass range. [YOUTUBE]MYycDyAxgb0[/YOUTUBE] and, of course, "Chef" : [YOUTUBE]DqJ7aoy_1O0[/YOUTUBE] The 90s popular radio was chock full of singers that didnt believe in the upper register....especially all the post-grunge bandz that were coming out in assembly-line fashion like Mcdonalds cheeseburgers......... the guy from Crash Test Dummies comes to mind

[MikeyParent]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihUIPlLw2ZE

[liko]

Smash Mouth's lead singer would probably also fall in the bass category; more a bass-baritone.

The classical definitions between bass and baritone really don't vary that much in range. If you compare bass to bass-baritone, the ranges have a lot in common (bass: E2-C4, baritone: F2-F4), and a bass-baritone will be most comfortable with much the same range as the bass. The classical baritone has the range of a bass-baritone but a moderately higher comfortable range. Most composers of contemporary four-part harmony are actually writing SABB; the "tenor" part is often nothing difficult for a practiced baritone voice, and nowhere close to the dizzy heights of an operatic tenor.

[opusthe2nd]

I know you said pop, but couldnt resist: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDZJYCWP9E8

[iudas]

By pop I mean pretty much everything that plays on the radio and is sold on CDs. I still haven't seen any high bass singer, so to speak. You can usually tell authentic basses (in opera) by their distinctive timbre, usually richer than baritones'. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_5bgm9ktfI[/youtube]

[screamindv]

Larry Graham From Sly and Grahm Central Station
Lou Rawls was a baritone / Bass singer
Melvin from the Temptations
Isaac Hayes sand Baritone / bass
bass singer from Orleans (Still the One)
Most singing groups of the 50s and 60s had a bass singer but they were usually singing harmonies.

[rorylawford]

I don't know how famous outside of Canada these guys are, but how about Crash Test Dummies' Brad Roberts ... [YOUTUBE][/YOUTUBE]

[Masklin]

Mark Knopfler, Frank Zappa, Leonard Cohen.

I'm so tired of tenors. Like you said it's almost 100 % tenors in live music today, try to name a man who made it into IDOL without being a tenor for example.

[SingerDude]

Jim Morrison?

[iudas]

I suppose Morrison was a bass-baritone, but hardly a good singer.

[Faust1587]

Morrison was probably a baritone, he could get pretty screechy. Don't know if he is techinically a bass, but Andrew Eldritch of Sisters of Mercy sings in a pretty low voice. More of a pop gothic rock sound.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK4Cd9bS6M4

[Faust1587]

Mark Knopfler, Frank Zappa, Leonard Cohen.

I'm so tired of tenors. Like you said it's almost 100 % tenors in live music today, try to name a man who made it into IDOL without being a tenor for example.

I agree with you for the most part. But really I don't mind tenors that much, it's just the same tenor with the same voice that has no attitude whatsoever. Just that radio friendly, nice guy singing. Its also that certain kind of pop punk voice that I can't stand either.

[LordBTY]

A true bass is rather uncommon. As far as baritones are concerned, it's perfectly plausible for them to sing in a very light mixed voice and fool the listener into thinking he's a tenor.

[iudas]

It depends on what you mean by 'true bass'. What's really uncommon is basses who can sing well, there are only a handful even in opera.

[LordBTY]

I mean a person who's not a baritone or tenor

A person who can still sound loud and rich on F2 without constricting their throats in any way.

I can hit on F2 and just about stretch to an E2, but it's not as pleasant as F3... F2 is more a mumbled throaty sound than a rich resonant tone.

That said, I'm 18... so my voice is still developing.

But back to the original post...

Baritone singing was rather common in 80s (synth)pop... with singers breaking into head voice quite early on the scale and singing with a pseudooperatic tone.

E.G.

Ricky Astley
Erasure
Joy Division
Human League
Dead or Alive
A-Ha

[Mr.baseman]

Most famous Bass Singers have been in Gospal Music, with J. D. Sumner being the most famious.

J. S. Sumner also preformed with Elvis Presley beginning in 1961 unitl Elvis's death.  He was the first base singer in the Geninus records as "Worlds Lowest Base Singer" having hit a note of "0-G".  Going to his website you will get an Idea of the crossover talent from gospal, to Rock N Roll, classical, and Easy Listening to Pop-Mucsic up to 1980's when he died of throat cancer.

There are many other outstanding base singers even today in the gospel groups.

[Mr.baseman]

J. D. Summers of the Stamps Quartet. JD had befrended Elvis when he was a small boy and Elvis repayed him in 1961 by making J.D. Sumners and the Stamps as backup on all of this trous.
J. D. was famous in Gospel music and was the only man ever listed in the Genisus record book until after his death in 1988 at the age if 80.

[davie]

I don't know of many bass singers in pop music other than some of the ones that were already mentioned. But one that comes to mind would be Bing Crosby. I think a true bass might actually be one of the least common voice types out there.