Time to break into the Top Ten!

10.  Chris Robinson

The Black Crowes were a much needed shot in the arm when they debuted in the mid-90s with their fresh take on an old sound.  Sure, the intro disc had its throwback to classics like The Faces, Rod Stewart, and early Stones but subsequent discs caused the band to branch out even further, allowing Chris Robinson to stretch out even more as a singer.  Robinson is his own stylist, especially when it comes to performing their material live-  he’ll keep the same general flow of the vocal but throw in a few twists and improvisations similar to the old soul and R&B artists like Otis Redding or Wilson Pickett.  However Robinson has more of a blues shouter in him than either of those artists, although nowadays he’s settled into a more laid back hippy groove as far as his solo material is concerned.

Choice cuts:  “Hard To Handle”, “She Talks To Angels”, “Descending”, “Black Moon Creeping”

9.  John Bush

John Bush is a relative unknown in comparison to a number of singers in my top 25, but he’s certainly no slouch.  Bush’s main band has been Armored Saint, but for a few years in the 90’s and early 00’s he was a member of thrash titans Anthrax (replacing the great Joey Belladonna).  The guy has a lot of what I look for in a heavy vocalist:  passion, power, grit, and the ability to switch from a raspy roar to a bluesier belt and then back.  Bush and the Saint are semi-retired but will put out a disc every few years and will take a month’s worth of dates here and there.  Also, he’s added his pipes to a number of Burger King commercials over the past few years as well (go to YouTube and look for his “wake up with the king” commercials, but try not to get too freaked out!)

Choice cuts:  “March Of The Saint”, “Last Train Home”, “Only”, “Raising Fear”

8.  Rob Halford

Make no mistake about it, Judas Priest’s main man is a HUGE influence on the metal world.  Rob Halford is the Metal God and is a great vocalist with great range and power.  As a band, Priest has moved from all out heavy metal to more commercial fare to operatic styles to some ballad material and Halford handles all with ease.  It’s amazing that he’s still going at it for almost 40 years and that the band continues to put out material and tour behind it.  Halford has also ventured into other heavier (and somewhat lighter) territory outside of Priest:  more groove metal with Fight, industrial with Two, and back to more classic metal fare with his solo band Halford.  Ol’ Rob even put out a disc of Christmas tunes a few years ago!  A man with many imitators but very few can pull off what he can do.

Choice cuts:  “Victim Of Changes”, “Painkiller”, “Nailed To The Gun”, “Electric Eye”

7.  Ronnie James Dio

This may be unpopular opinion in the eyes of some music fans, but I’ll take the Dio led Black Sabbath over the Ozzy led version any day.  Oz is good in his own right, but Ronnie James Dio is in another league as far as pure power and emotion is concerned.  Dio came to popularity with the Richie Blackmore led Rainbow, where he finally got the chance to cast spells about demons, wizards, and rainbows on top of delivering a passionate vocal.  However once Sabbath came calling (and later in his solo material) things became a bit more evil so out came the devil horns along with a bit more aggressive vocal delivery, pretty much putting everyone on warning to “lookout” for the dark things that lurk around every corner.  Unfortunately, Ronnie James Dio passed away five years ago due to stomach cancer.  RIP to a fantastic singer.

Choice cuts:  “Gates Of Babylon”, “Heaven And Hell”, “Holy Diver”, “Die Young”

6.  Ian Gillan

Possibly THE greatest screamer in his prime, Ian Gillan is still going strong into his late 60s.  Known mostly as the lead vocalist of Deep Purple, Gillan was also a member of Black Sabbath for one album and has also put out many solo albums as well.  He definitely was the right tonic at the time for Purple as they were looking to move into heavier territory and Gillan’s vocal punch could easily stand toe to toe with Richie Blackmore’s guitar and Jon Lord’s Hammond organ.  After butting heads with Blackmore, Gillan left for a solo career before returning to the band in the mid-80s, leaving again in the 90s, but returning for good shortly thereafter.  The guy has definitely covered hard rock and heavy metal but has also dipped his toe in operatic fare (singing with Luciano Pavarotti) and even a stab at Jamaican tinged music in his solo material.  A fine, fine, vocalist.

Choice cuts:  “Smoke On The Water”, “Child In Time”, “Disturbing The Priest”, “Bluesy Blue Sea”