So far so good!  Forgot to mention that I’m doing these in sets of five to build anticipation (yeah, it’s KILLING everyone) and to split up the posts.  Who wants to read one gigantic entry?  You’ve got lives to lead!

20.  Freddie Mercury

Arguably the greatest frontman of his era, Freddie Mercury and Queen covered a lot of territory from progressive and hard rock to heavy metal to funk to pop to everything else in between.  Producer Roy Thomas Baker layered approach often created a vocal “wall of sound” that made the band sound much bigger than they actually were, with Freddie handling it with ease.  Even after his unfortunate death, Queen continues to tour with other vocalists (Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert) to keep his spirit and music alive.

Choice cuts:  “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Somebody To Love”, “Keep Yourself Alive”, “Killer Queen”

19.  Peter Gabriel

In comparison to the rest of my favorite vocalists, Peter Gabriel is probably the most unique.  While I mostly favor vocalists with a blues based vibe or certain grit, Gabriel has his own characteristics that make him stand out.  In the early Genesis days he favored playing characters and coming up with voices and certain vocal tics, but in his later years his voice added a smoother element and more expressive and eloquent tones.  Either way this vocal style along with his lyrics add a more picturesque element to his songs.

Choice cuts:  “The Cinema Show”, “Solsbury Hill”, “Don’t Give Up”, “Biko”

18.  Chris Cornell

My first exposure to Soundgarden and Chris Cornell was their album Loud Love, which was a revelation in the latter years of hair metal with its darker overall vibe.  Cornell can belt with the best of them (with a vocal howl reminiscent of early Robert Plant) but has lessened the histrionics over the years in favor of a more rounded approach via his work with Audioslave, solo material, and recent work with Soundgarden.  But make no mistake…  Cornell can still push the needle into the red if the song calls for it.

Choice cuts:  “Jesus Christ Pose”, “Spoonman”, “Like A Stone”, “Black Hole Sun”

17.  Paul Stanley

When I was a kid KISS was it, which is why Paul Stanley appears on this list.  Early KISS was great and the first two live albums, regardless if they are “real” live albums or not, are testament to Stanley’s vocal prowess.  Even in the post makeup years the band had a few good cuts although the meat and potatoes was definitely with the original four:  Gene, Paul, Peter, and Ace.  I don’t listen to much KISS any more but those 70’s albums are imprinted on my DNA and Paul Stanley has quite a bit to do with that.

Choice cuts:  “Strutter”, “Detroit Rock City”, “I Stole Your Love”, “Creatures Of The Night”

16.  Bon Scott/Brian Johnson

Yeah, cheating again here but I have my reasons.  I mentioned KISS was an influence on the younger me but when I got to my teen years I discovered AC\DC as Back In Black was EVERYWHERE in 1980.  Shortly after that I discovered Highway To Hell and both albums (actually 8 tracks!) were in constant rotation.  Brian Johnson’s vocals on his first three albums with the band are absolutely monstrous, and Bon’s vocals are just downright lascivious.  Both are great in their own way and those early albums are full of classics that show off their unique styles.

Choice cuts:  too many!  Let’s go with:  Brian- “Hells Bells”, “For Those About To Rock”; Bon- “Touch Too Much”, “TNT”