Graham Nash and Ann Wilson on Lip-Synching at Live Shows
· Ultimate Classic RockIn recent months, Franki Valli, 90, has raised some concerns. In videos of his live performances, he appeared to miss lyrics and hardly move his lips while singing, prompting allegations of lip-synching.
Valli put out a statement not long after: "I know there has been a lot of stuff on the internet about me lately so I wanted to clear the air. I am blessed to be 90 years old and still be doing what I love to do and as long as I am able, and audiences want to come see me, I am going to be out there performing as I always [sic]. I absolutely love what I do. And I know we put on a great show because our fans are still coming out in force and the show still rocks. ... I get a chuckle from the comments wondering if someone forcing me to go on stage. Nobody has ever made me do anything I didn't want to do."
In a new interview with The Washington Post, Valli again addressed the possibility of him lip-synching: "If I say I'm not, you either believe me or you don't."
Graham Nash and Ann Wilson Aren't Buying It
Some other musicians don't believe Valli, including Graham Nash, who was interviewed for the same Washington Post article.
"Frankie Valli is not singing," he said. "He's just lip-syncing badly to a tape. As a musician, if you're not singing, you shouldn’t be onstage."
Nash, 82, offered up his longtime friend Joni Mitchell as an example of an aging artist utilizing their voice in new ways at live shows, instead of sticking to original notes and arrangements.
"She certainly doesn't have the top-end range that she used to have," he said. "But, at the same time, there is a beauty. What we are getting instead of a top range is incredible phrasing in a lower range."
READ MORE: How Age Forces Rock Singers to Adjust: 'It Happens to All of Us'
Ann Wilson of Heart also provided her reaction and opinion.
"Oh, my God. His face is completely still. He looks like he's not even there. I suppose he's not," she said. "I think that's the moment when you have to decide whether to walk offstage or not. You really have to look at your morals and go, 'Do I just want to go up there and phone it in, give a bulls--- performance because I'm me, or do I take the high road?'"
40. Pat Benatar
Lest anyone doubt Pat Benatar's vocal firepower, look no further than her four consecutive Grammy wins for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, tying her with Sheryl Crow and Tina Turner for the most wins in the now-defunct category. Benatar blends the fire and fury of hard rock with the technical finesse of opera on classics like "Heartbreaker," "Fire and Ice" and "Hell Is for Children," the last of which avoids the pitfalls of so many '80s "social commentary" songs thanks to its airtight arrangement, evocative lyrics and Benatar's bone-chilling screams. Hail to the queen. (Bryan Rolli)
39. Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood joined the Spencer Davis Group at the ripe age of 15, his voice modeled — with expert precision — after the yearning style of Ray Charles. But that band’s early hits ("Gimme Some Lovin’," "Keep on Running") only hinted at the singer’s multitiered talents, which flourished both as a solo artist and member of the ever-evolving Traffic. With the latter, his weathered tenor was the glue anchoring an evolution through psychedelia, jazz-rock, folk and prog — a bit of rugged soul among their flights of fancy. The same trajectory more or less defines his other work, from soft-rock belters like "Higher Love" to the jammy, Latin-tinged blue-eyed soul of "Cigano (For the Gypsies)." (Ryan Reed)
38. Prince
Prince was a musical chameleon. Rock, funk, R&B, pop, soul - no genre, or title, could adequately define him. Still, he has to be included on any list of rock’s greatest singers due to his overwhelming output of incredible material. From the falsetto tones of “Purple Rain” to the emphatic delivery of “Let’s Go Crazy,” Prince could handle any style of song. His voice was distinctive and instantly recognizable. In fact, the only thing that overshadowed his singing was his own musicianship, as Prince’s voice occasionally took a backseat to his own funky rhythms or wailing guitar solos. (Corey Irwin)
37. Van Morrison
Van Morrison is just as comfortable belting in front of a brass section in "Moondance" as he is singing in a delicate falsetto in "Crazy Love." Unlike other singers, who may lean more on a guitar solo or instrumental break, Morrison is aware of the power his voice has as an instrument. Some words are shouted, some are murmured, some are turned into triplets and some jump from one octave to the next. Morrison quit smoking in his later years in an effort to preserve his voice, but there is likely nothing that could take away its inherent soul. (Allison Rapp)
36. Janis Joplin
There is singing with passion, and then there is singing with such fervor and urgency that the walls and floor seem to quake. Janis Joplin's mighty mezzo-soprano voice and electric stage presence blew audiences away, embodying elements of the blues and gospel in her performance style, but it wasn't just about singing loud for Joplin, who could also achieve a painfully palpable sense of vulnerability on songs like "A Woman Left Lonely" or "Get It While You Can." It's Joplin's final recording, "Mercedes Benz," recorded just three days before her death at 27, that perhaps best highlights her voice: a gravelly tone with a Texan twinge that was equally as potent a capella as when backed by a rock band. (Rapp)
35. Ronnie James Dio
It’s hard to grasp the idea of replacing Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath. But Ronnie James Dio did it (see: “Heaven and Hell,” “Children of the Sea” and “The Mob Rules”), while also providing the solid vocals that anchored a key period of Rainbow’s history. That would have been plenty to secure his legacy, but Dio wasn’t finished. He broke away from Sabbath in the early ‘80s to launch his own band, notching songs like “Rainbow in the Dark” and “Holy Diver” as catalog classics. Dio was one of the most reliably and stunningly powerful singers of the genre, and he remained close to the top of his craft until his death in 2010. (Matt Wardlaw)
34. Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley's tenor voice reportedly spanned around four octaves, but it's the fragile, ethereal quality to his vocals that sticks with listeners. Listening to Grace, Buckley's only studio album, might be more accurately compared to being hypnotized — Buckley's voice drifts in during the opening track, "Mojo Pin," like a tide, then allows it to build further on the album's title song and, later, in "Corpus Christi Carol," sings almost entirely in falsetto. Buckley's technical skill and breath control was something. So was his ability to harbor an extraordinary amount of emotional sensitivity in a single song. (Rapp)
33. Paul Rodgers
They call Paul Rodgers “The Voice” with good reason. The British singer possessed soul even in Bad Company's more introspective songs like “Silver, Blue & Gold.” But he could vocally strut on powerful tracks “Rock & Roll Fantasy” and “Can’t Get Enough.” Digging deep into the blues in the ‘90s with albums like Muddy Water Blues and the soul of Memphis with 2014’s The Royal Sessions, Rodgers seemed invincible with each new challenge he tackled. Only his stint with Queen in the early '00s seemed a bit misplaced. (Wardlaw)
32. Jeff Lynne
Beyond his production credits, a knack for arrangement and multi-instrumental musicianship, Jeff Lynne has also proven himself one of the best vocalists in rock with a range comparable to Roy Orbison's. In Electric Light Orchestra's "Eldorado," the strength and operatic spectacle of Lynne's voice is an undeniable force. And in the classic "Mr. Blue Sky" he bobs between falsetto vocal lines with ease. (Rapp)
31. Tina Turner
There’s a reason Tina Turner was crowned ‘The Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.’ Armed with a powerful set of pipes, the singer blazed a career envied by the rest of us mere mortals. Early highlights came during her partnership with husband Ike Turner, but Tina really busted out when she became a solo artist. If you’re questioning her rock credentials put on 1975’s Acid Queen. Side 1 featured Turner covering songs by the Rolling Stones, the Who and Led Zeppelin. Few singers could do such material justice. Turner’s powerhouse vocals outshone the originals. A legendary performer who influenced generations of singers, Turner’s voice remains one of the most extraordinary in music. (Irwin)
30. George Harrison
George Harrison’s gentle vocals on “Isn’t It a Pity” are a sublime example of the understated way he could put a thought across in a way that would hang in the air as the song slowly took root in the subconscious. Underutilized in the Beatles, he would still find ways to expand his creative palette, which only deepened as he dug into solo work. The hopeful optimism heard in “Any Road” from his 2002 swan song, Brainwashed, is a reminder of how much positivity he brought to music with his songs. (Wardlaw)
29. Sammy Hagar
From his humble beginnings as the iron-lunged frontman for Montrose to his perch atop the hard-rock heap as the mouthpiece for Van Halen, Sammy Hagar has remained one of the strongest and most consistent singers in hard rock. His raspy, bluesy vocals helped briefly position Montrose as America's answer to Led Zeppelin and added some much-needed grit to solo AOR anthems like "I Can't Drive 55" and "There's Only One Way to Rock." And while Hagar might have lacked David Lee Roth's ridiculously over-the-top showmanship, he made up for it with sheer vocal prowess, turning the indelible chorus to Van Halen's "Dreams" — "Higher! Higher!" — into both a declaration of love and a personal exhortation to push his pipes to the limit. (Rolli)
28. Sebastian Bach
Sebastian Bach's juvenile antics during Skid Row's heyday almost overshadowed his otherworldly vocals. Almost. Truth is, no amount of debauchery or controversy could eclipse Bach's showstopping, melismatic vocal runs on power ballads like "I Remember You" or "18 and Life," or his piercing screams on full-fledged metal anthems like "Monkey Business" and "Slave to the Grind." Bach wrung the utmost drama out of every note he sang, elevating even the frothiest pop-metal tunes to an elite class. You'd be hard-pressed to find any vocal performance — regardless of genre or decade — more gut-wrenching than his anguished screams at the end of Slave to the Grind closer "Wasted Time." (Rolli)
27. Bruce Dickinson
Along with Rob Halford and Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson's stratospheric vocals have become practically synonymous with heavy metal. The singer evokes an air-raid siren on anthemic tracks like "Run to the Hills" and "Aces High," and he channels a lifetime's worth of agony, ecstasy and horror into his hair-raising scream on "The Number of the Beast." Moreover, Dickinson interpreted Paul Di'Anno-era Maiden songs as his own, applying his operatic screams to concert staples like "Wrathchild," "Running Free" and "Iron Maiden." The singer adopted a slightly deeper timbre and more pronounced vibrato in later years, lending a magisterial quality to latter-day epics like "Blood Brothers," "Hell on Earth" and his 18-minute solo composition "Empire of the Clouds." (Rolli)
26. Phil Collins
It’s hilarious to think that Phil Collins, the man responsible for the melismatic runs of "Sussudio" and the almighty roar of Genesis’ "Mama," didn’t aspire to singing superstardom. But back when he joined that band in 1970, his chops were focused solely behind the drum set. After the exit of Peter Gabriel four years later, Collins graduated from occasional backing vocals to a more daunting gig: fronting one of the world’s most revered prog-rock bands — and he grew more natural in that role with each passing album, adding expressive performances to both fists-in-the-air rockers ("Squonk") and tender ballads ("Follow You Follow Me"). He also extended his stylistic range as a solo artist, often singing in an earnest style that drew on his love of Motown and contemporary R&B. (Reed)
25. Sly Stone
There's a little bit of everything in Sly Stone's voice — gospel, R&B, rock, jazz, pop, folk and psychedelia — making him one of the most versatile talents of his generation. Stone, who could jump from a low tenor line to a penetrating high note in a matter of moments, sang in an effortless fashion, expertly arranging songs so that the instrumentation could still shine along with his voice. A cornerstone of funk music, Stone would inspire the likes of Rick James, George Clinton, Prince, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, among others. (Rapp)
24. Bon Scott
Though he was the voice of one of rock’s most legendary acts, Bon Scott sometimes gets overlooked. After all, AC/DC’s biggest commercial success came after their early singer’s death in 1980. And, considering Brian Johnson has been at the helm ever since, singing on 11 of the band’s studio albums, most AC/DC fans think of him as the band’s classic-lineup singer. Still, there’s no diminishing the powerful impact Scott had on the group, which he joined in 1974. It was Scott who helped the band develop their style, a heavy-handed, meat and potatoes brand of hard rock. With a distinctive, gravelly voice, coupled with a dynamic stage presence, Scott helped AC/DC rise from a local pub band to Australia’s most exciting export. His final album, 1979’s Highway to Hell, remains hard-rock canon, the release that launched AC/DC to the worldwide stage. (Irwin)
23. Steven Tyler
You don't earn the nickname "Demon of Screamin'" by accident. Steven Tyler teased his signature, glass-shattering scream on Aerosmith's self-titled debut with the epochal power ballad "Dream On," but he wouldn't fully develop it until the band's fourth LP, Rocks, which boasts thundering, proto-metal infernos like "Back in the Saddle" and "Nobody's Fault." As Aerosmith cemented their miraculous comeback in the late '80s and early '90s, Tyler continued to reach new vocal heights, his raspy falsetto and cat-in-heat screams seemingly impervious to years of drug addiction and the laws of aging. Whatever biohacking is at play on Tyler's ageless voice, we want it, too. (Rolli)
22. Thom Yorke
Thom Yorke has guided Radiohead chiefly with his brain, masterminding the band’s shifts from sensitive post-grunge (Pablo Honey) into textured art-rock (OK Computer), experimental beat music (Kid A) and seemingly every other sonic space. But they wouldn’t have been crowned rock royalty without that voice, an untouchable instrument that’s undergone a similar evolution over the decades. Few, if any, singers can handle the blissful falsetto and snared snarl of "Creep" — and fewer are willing to stifle their own prettiness for the sake of adventure, evidenced by the pitch-corrected alien processing of "Pulk/Pull Revolving Doors" and the punky snarl of "Bodysnatchers." (Reed)
21. Gregg Allman
Listening to Gregg Allman, there was always a sense that he’d been at it for one too many nights. But the raw emotion he was able to communicate, often with an appropriately weary vocal, was palpable. It didn’t matter if he was deep within his own words, as was the case with the Allman Brothers staple “Whipping Post,” or those of another (Jackson Browne’s “These Days”), he always made you believe every second of his struggle. While there may be better singers when it comes to technical skills, few were as authentic and real as Allman. (Wardlaw)
20. Bob Dylan
Plenty has been said and written about the singing voice of Bob Dylan, which has racked up a consistent reputation of criticism over the years for its nasality and unintelligibility. Some lament that Dylan "can't sing" when, in fact, the opposite is true. Dylan's voice contains within it a dry but dexterous timbre that is immediately recognizable and is at once conversational and consistent in its phrasing. Even in his elder age, as his voice began to take on a darker, more seductive tone, Dylan's voice is still every bit as essential to the impact of his songs as his lauded lyrics. There is no mistaking the singer when a Dylan song from any era begins to play. (Rapp)
19. Rob Halford
The theatricality of Halford’s vocals and lyrical phrasing are versatile in the way he's applied them. His voice is dramatic yet exuberant and confident in songs like 1976’s “Victim of Changes”; Priest classics like “Living After Midnight” and “Heading Out to the Highway” are straight-up macho road rock in his command. “The Ripper” found Halford becoming sinister with his approach. Cue up any Judas Priest classic, and you'll hear why Halford remains the “Metal God.” (Wardlaw)
18. Jon Anderson
Jon Anderson makes it easy to get lost in the story. Take the earnest and hopeful travel guide he plays in Yes’ sprawling take of Simon & Garfunkel’s “America.” Known as Napoleon within the band's circle, Anderson could be a commanding presence (check out “The Gates of Delirium” or “Heart of the Sunrise”). His words can be dismissed as flowery or cosmic, but his knack for gripping lyrical climaxes rarely doesn't thrill. You can spend the rest of your days trying to figure out what some of his Yes songs mean, but it’s a compelling journey all the way. (Wardlaw)
17. Tom Petty
A cool undertone runs through Tom Petty's voice, immediately putting listeners at ease. The Florida-born singer's Southern drawl comes out from time to time, and there are moments where it sounds like he's a little behind the beat, never rushing to get to the next part. There's little showmanship in Petty's singing style, apart from the occasional rock 'n' roll scream, but that's the point. If there's one rock voice that embodies the ideals of Americana music, Petty's may have been it. (Rapp)
16. Stevie Nicks
Where would Fleetwood Mac’s legacy be without Stevie Nicks? The band certainly had success before the singer’s arrival, but it paled in comparison to what the lineup featuring Nicks was able to achieve. The songstress’s California hippie style was a contrast to Fleetwood Mac’s early blues-rock sound, but the balance of these two worlds brought out the band’s greatest work. Onstage, Nicks was a mystical presence, a whirling, dancing, enchanting frontwoman able to put audiences under her spell. Blessed with an emotive, powerful and distinctive voice, Nicks was instantly recognizable every time she took the mic. Few singers in rock history – male or female – have been so distinctive. (Irwin)
15. Linda Ronstadt
Randy Newman once called Linda Ronstadt “Mighty Mouse” because of the power of her voice. Immensely talented, she proved she could use her singing skills in a number of ways. There's a torch singer quality in her cover of Eagles' “Desperado,” but she also treated songs with tougher and more sultry readings, depending on what the mood called for. “Sometimes, I love the song so much that I keep it on the record and I shouldn’t have sung it,” she told UCR regarding “Desperado.” “[But] I have to sing it or I’m going to be awake at night.” (Wardlaw)
14. Peter Gabriel
Many prog rock bands are deficient in soul, but Genesis never had that problem. From day one, they were blessed with a malleable lead voice that sounded earthy and rich, even when it was bleating quirky conceptual tales about genetic control and lambs lying down on Broadway. Peter Gabriel was naturally a star attraction, drawing headlines with his outlandish costumes and stage theatrics. But his robust singing helped Genesis cross over from a cult band into something grander, even propelling Gabriel’s solo career after he left the lineup in 1975. Whether testifying to personal freedom in a delectable yelp ("Solsbury Hill") or belting mystical visions in a sandpaper-raw tone ("Red Rain"), Gabriel’s voice has always seemed to channel deep wisdom outside our reach. (Reed)
13. Roy Orbison
Roy Orbison's incredible voice must have been challenging for the best recording engineers. His three-octave range gave him the ability to travel effortlessly from deep baritone to piercing falsetto. Certain songs, like 1989’s “California Blue” could sound deceptively upbeat at the outset, an example of his talents for capturing layers of sadness in a song. “In Dreams” traces the path of his grief from twilight to the hard reality of the morning after. The Texas singer was a true original who was a huge influence to future generations of artists across multiple genres. His impact continues to be felt. (Wardlaw)
12. Elton John
A picture of Elton John should be in the dictionary next to the word showman. From his outgoing personality to his exuberant energy, everything about John demands attention. It’s that engrossing persona, coupled with a phenomenal voice that makes him one of the greatest rock singers of all time. The charisma was evident long before the flashy costumes and sold-out stadiums. Armed with just a piano and his voice (along with a couple of backing musicians), John famously wowed the audience who squeezed into the Troubadour during his first visit to the States in 1970. All these years later he remains a singular talent, and one of the world’s most beloved musicians. (Irwin)
11. Ann Wilson
As Heart's main singer, Ann Wilson holds a place as one of the greatest female vocalists in the history of rock 'n' roll. It’s not just that she's pitch-perfect or that she possesses operatic range; what makes Wilson so phenomenal is her ability to do everything – from belting out banshee cries to singing vulnerable, emotional songs – while making it all look effortless. (Irwin)
10. Axl Rose
Axl Rose will always be primarily (and rightfully) associated with his bloodcurdling banshee wail. You know the one: It beckons you to roll around in the mud with him in "Welcome to the Jungle," it asks you where to go in "Sweet Child O' Mine" and it demands to know "what the fuck is going OOOONNNNNN" in "Coma." That feral alleycat screech is just one of many voices in Rose's five-octave arsenal, along with the sleazy, Midwestern drawl and arresting baritone. But it's the one that everyone comes back to, and it's the one that makes him a once-in-a-generation talent. (Rolli)
9. John Lennon
There are so many layers to the legend of John Lennon that it becomes difficult to separate them. We’ll try to focus on Lennon the vocalist here, compartmentalizing from Lennon the songwriter, Lennon the activist, etc. As a singer, Lennon delivered lead vocals on a long list of Beatles classics, including “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Eight Days a Week,” “Ticket to Ride,” “Help!,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and “All You Need Is Love.” There's a character to Lennon's voice that allowed him to showcase raw emotions at times, while he still maintained enough sweetness to capably handle ballads. Of course, there was more to the Beatles than just Lennon, but the group would have never become the greatest in history without him. Even though his technical skills may rank below others on this list, his impact is second to none. (Irwin)
8. Chris Cornell
Grunge’s leading man may have been Kurt Cobain, but its most powerful voice was Chris Cornell. The Soundgarden singer delivered some of the most emotive vocals in rock history, able to express pain, rage, sorrow and celebration within the same song (and sometimes in the same note). During an era when so many singers tried to copy Cobain’s anguished growl, Cornell was a distinctive force. Need further proof? Axl Rose, Ronnie James Dio, Eddie Vedder and Alice Cooper – all icons in their own right – have called Cornell rock’s greatest vocalist. (Irwin)
7. David Bowie
David Bowie once admitted he wasn't "particularly fond" of his voice. He considered himself a songwriter first and a singer second. But it's difficult to imagine Bowie's music, which ranged from spectacularly glamorous to disarmingly existential, without that voice. Though technically untrained, Bowie's voice was as crucial to his persona as his wardrobe choices. It exuded confidence and revealed his more tender side. Isolate his vocals and you'll hear every ounce of passion Bowie pumped into his recordings — like on "Five Years," where his voice, nearly at its breaking point by the end, paints the doomed picture as much as the lyrics do. (Rapp)
6. Joni Mitchell
Listen to one part of a Joni Mitchell song and you'll hear one voice; listen to another part and you'll hear a different one. Mitchell's ability to effortlessly bounce back and forth between a lovely, lilting soprano and a rich, sturdy alto is hypnotizing in classics like "A Case of You," "You Turn Me On I'm a Radio," "Both Sides, Now" and "Help Me." Paired with wily melodies that few could replicate, Mitchell's emotive, articulate and versatile voice served her well through her earlier folk years and later jazz-speckled albums. (Rapp)
5. Steve Perry
Steve Perry’s love for old-school soul singers is evident from his Journey debut in the late '70s. But he could also square off with the most powerful rock singers of the ‘80s, anchoring band staples like “Don’t Stop Believin’” and “Ask the Lonely” with a voice that soared into the stratosphere. Perry was the perfect vehicle for collaborators Neal Schon and Jonathan Cain, offering seemingly limitless possibilities for the songs they penned together. The result is a catalog of work that remains bulletproof to this day. (Wardlaw)
4. Mick Jagger
When Mick Jagger was a teenager, a collision on the basketball court caused him to deeply bite his tongue, allegedly shifting his previously posh enunciation into something much more gritty and gravelly, perfectly suited for singing the blues. It's still likely that Jagger would go on to possess one of the most recognizable voices in music — gutsy and sexy, wild and unbridled. Jagger has screamed, yelped, wailed and moaned his way through the Rolling Stones' music since the early '60s, effectively establishing himself as the gold standard for rock singers. (Rapp)
3. Paul McCartney
Before he became the most successful musician of all time, Paul McCartney was a master imitator and diligent student, aping the ecstatic falsetto shrieks of Little Richard and the sensuous snarl of Elvis Presley when he was barely a teenager. McCartney wails with youthful abandon on early Beatles rockers like "I Saw Her Standing There" and "I'm Down," and he delivers impossibly high harmonies with surgical precision on Lennon-led numbers like "Ticket to Ride" to "Don't Let Me Down." McCartney's vocal acrobatics didn't stop with the Beatles either: From his lusty howls on Wings' "Call Me Back Again" to his unadorned croon on 2005's "Anyway," he never stopped finding new, inventive ways to use his greatest instrument. (Rolli)
2. Robert Plant
Live footage from Led Zeppelin's early days shows Robert Plant gripping the microphone stand with two hands and convulsing his entire body as he unleashes his orgiastic shrieks. It's a testament to the passion the singer put into his performances, resulting in some of the most magnetic and virtuosic vocal deliveries in rock history. "Whole Lotta Love," "Immigrant Song," "Rock and Roll" — the list goes on. When he wasn't unleashing his earth-shaking howl, Plant proved a studious disciple of bluesmen like Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf, channeling heartbreak and insatiable lust in equal measure on songs like "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Since I've Been Loving You." Aside from his own timeless catalog, Plant's influence can be heard in countless other world-class singers, from Steven Tyler to Ann Wilson to Freddie Mercury. (Rolli)
1. Freddie Mercury
Every rock singer – fairly or not – has been compared to Freddie Mercury. None has come close to matching his vocal ability, stage presence and bravado. From a technical standpoint, the Queen singer was blessed with fantastic range, allowing him to go from deep baritone to soaring tenor with ease. With power and vibrato, Mercury’s style was closer to an opera singer than his fellow rock stars. His voice was so impactful that scientists have actually studied what made it special. All of this alone would be enough to secure the highest place on our list, but Mercury's presence pushes him to the top. It’s said that when great singers are on, they "own the stage." Prime Freddie Mercury looked like he owned the whole world. Strength, swagger, charisma - he had it all in droves. Even in a collection of musical powerhouses such as this, Mercury stands above them all. (Irwin)