50 Great Voices-all genres- NPR

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 10 - 12:34 PM

A few:

Jussi Bloerling
Kenneth MacKellar
Vera Lynn
Lolly Anderson
Edith Piaf
Jacques Brel
Enrico Caruso
Lizzie Miles
Lead Belly
All great singers of the past.

I hate lists of this kind; they all end up reflecting popular or panel opinion and the agency (in this case NPR, with a limited listener spectrum).

The names contributed by posters here are just as valid as those which will be on the NPR list.

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 10 May 10 - 01:23 PM

"I hate lists of this kind; they all end up reflecting popular or panel opinion and the agency (in this case NPR, with a limited listener spectrum)."

My suggestion? At this point, forget the "tell NPR who" part of the thread title and just enjoy the intriguing and diverse sampling of vocal artists that they've put together (artists whom they label as "great", not "greatest").

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 10 - 06:44 PM

and a few more

Amalia Rodrigues
Monserrat Figueras
Germaine Montero
Placido Domingo
Johnny Horton

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 10 - 07:22 PM

Cynthia Gooding
Natania Davrath

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 May 10 - 07:50 PM

Orson Welles "I will sell no wine before its time."

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Don Firth
Date: 10 May 10 - 09:03 PM

Years ago, I heard Orson Welles on the Dick Cavett show read a scene from Wind, Sand and Stars, by Antoine de Saint Exupéry. Spellbinding! One of the great speaking voices of all time.

James Earl Jones (the voice of Darth Vader and "This . . . is CNN.") ain't no slouch either.

One of the finest operatic lyric baritones to come down the Pike in many generations is Dmitri Hvorostovsky, here doing a bit of Handel.

Early on, he shot into prominence winning a singing contest in Cardiff, Wales. Here's the winning song, an aria from Verdi's "The Masked Ball," in which his character has just learned that his wife and his best friend are having an affair. They aren't, but he thinks so, and that's enough for the drama to get pretty intense.   Eri Tu! ("So it's You!"). Very young. His hair is still dark.

Here he is again, with his prematurely silver-grey hair and exuding testosterone, as Don Giovanni, trying to put the moves on Renée Fleming, a little cutie-pie who is also one of the great voices around today. "Your apartment or mine? Or that haystack over there looks comfortable."

I'd swap throats with that sucker any day of the week. . . .

Don Firth

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: GUEST,Nelkane Benton
Date: 10 May 10 - 10:40 PM

Without doubt bing Crosby!!

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 10 May 10 - 10:45 PM

Guess- who was born to follow a wandering star?

And would you put him in the top 50 or the last 50.

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Donuel
Date: 10 May 10 - 10:48 PM

story telling voices: Studs Terkle, Jean Sheperd

tenor Pav or Otti

bass Paul Robson

down home natural James Taylor

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 May 10 - 10:53 PM

Don, your voice is very nice also. Has NPR come a knocking? ;-D

I've enjoyed listening to the series and learning about performers I hadn't come across before. In fact, NPR is the single richest source of music information, via All Things Considered and Morning Edition and Fresh Air with Terry Gross in particular. And A Prairie Home Companion.

SRS

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 May 10 - 11:13 PM

I heard the one of Radmilla, today, also. It was beautiful.

Don, thanks for the links. He's easy on the eyes, too! I completely agree with you re' Orson Wells and James Earl Jones.

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Don Firth
Date: 11 May 10 - 01:22 AM

Thanks, for the kind words, Maggie! Nuthin' from NPR yet, but I live in hope. . . .

I get a kick out of the end of the Dmitri/Renée duet where, even though it's a concert situation, he starts to drag her off-stage. I saw a television interview with Renée Fleming; when the interviewer asked her what it's like to work with Dmitri Hvorostovsky, she panted and fanned herself!

####

Some voices are really one-of-a-kind.

What can I say?   More to the point, What can HE say?

Don Firth

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 14 Jun 10 - 11:15 PM

Another update on NPR's list:

17. Enrico Caruso, And Confessions Of An Operaholic
18. Lydia Mendoza: The First Lady Of Tejano
19. Janis Joplin: The Queen Of Rock
20. Sandy Denny: Mercurial Queen Of British Folk Rock

I heard the stories on Lydia Mendoza and Sandy Denny (today's). These are good listening, and there are more audio samples with each story.

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 03:51 PM

Another update on NPR's list:

21. Donny Hathaway: Neglected Heart Of Soul
22. Lauryn Hill: Singer and Rapper
23. Fairuz: Lebanon's Voice Of Hope
24. John McCormack: The Charming Irish Tenor
25. Khaled: The King Of Rai
26. Biggie Smalls: The Voice That Influenced A Generation

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 04:44 PM

One's own preferences in music or drama influence the selection, thus I fail to see that any such lists have any validity.I wouldn't expect anyone to agree with my own list, which changes from time to time.
A few:

Monserrat Figueras
Lollie Anderson
Boris Chaliapin
Alfredo Kraus
Dmitri Hvorostovsky
Maria Callas
Nana Mouskouri
Paul Robson
Joan Baez
Mahalia Jackson
Kenneth McKellar
Edith Piaf
Jussi Bjorling

After listing these, I looked up thread and saw I had a somewhat different list last spring.

Who cares besides me?

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 05:18 PM

Q, my point in point posting this thread now is to point people to the list that NPR ultimately came up with, because their articles are well-written and provide an opportunity to listen to and learn something about a singer or singing genre that you may never have considered, or to maybe learn more about something you do know.

Why post a list if your main point is to grumble about those who make lists??

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Aug 10 - 05:31 PM

Because I do't look at other people's lists.

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 07 Sep 10 - 02:29 PM

Another update on NPR's list:

27. Bjork: A Celestial Voice
28. Twinkie Clark: Riffing On Gospel
29. Irma Thomas: The Soul Queen Of New Orleans
30. Freddie Mercury: Rock 'N' Roll's Humble Showman
31. Yossele Rosenblatt: The Cantor With The Heavenly Voice

~ Becky in Long Beach

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 19 Oct 10 - 10:05 PM

Another update on NPR's list:

32. Carlos Gardel: Argentina's Tango Maestro
33. Robert Plant: Born In England; Made In America
34. Mohammad Reza Shajarian: Protest Through Poetry (Persian classical)
35. Howlin' Wolf: Booming Voice Of The Blues
36. Kitty Wells: The Queen Of Country Music
37. Amalia Rodrigues: The Voice Of Extreme Expression (fado)

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: BrooklynJay
Date: 20 Oct 10 - 12:48 AM

Several earlier posts have mentioned names from various genres that would certainly be on my personal favorites list.

But here are a few that I've admired that I don't think anyone has mentioned:

Glenn Yarbrough
Ronnie Gilbert
Alfred Drake
Howard Keel
Al Jolson

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: mattkeen
Date: 20 Oct 10 - 04:16 AM

Frank Sinatra
Elvis
Jackie Leven
Robert Johnson
Aretha
Chris Wood
May Bradley
Ella

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 11:37 AM

Another update on NPR's list:

38. Celia Cruz: The Voice From Havana, "Queen of Salsa"
39. Buika: The Voice Of Freedom
40. Placido Domingo: The Spellbinding Voice Of A Titan Tenor
41. Chavela Vargas: The Voice Of Triumph, still singing at 91
42. Billie Holiday: Emotional Power Through Song
43. Luther Vandross: The Velvet Voice
44. Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: The Voice Of Hawaii

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 07 Dec 10 - 11:44 AM

A quote from Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, "If you're playing music with somebody that play, and you don't know the song, no play."

Wise words.

:-)

Subject: RE: 50 Great Voices-all genres- tell NPR who
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 10 Jun 11 - 09:27 PM

A final update on NPR's list:

45. Youssou N'Dour: The Voice of Senegal
46. George Jones: The Voice of Heartbreak
47. Camaron De La Isla: The Voice of Flamenco
48. Meredith Monk: A Voice For All Time
49. Dianne Reeves: A Jazz Voice With Pop Sensibilities
50. Montserrat Caballé: A Voice Of Passionate Grandeur

Since they changed the format of their posts at the end of the series, in order to find the last 6 I had to work from the alphabetical list they've got now and check against this thread. Although I did not check every single one, it was nice to see that there was at least some overlap (if not a lot) with Mudcatter nominations. :-)

I know that this project exposed me to some voices that I might not otherwise have heard, as well as giving me some new insights on some that I was acquainted with.

Again, as they explained, this was not a list of "greatest" voices, and in making the selections there was an emphasis on voices that might be "discoveries" for the listening audience, with a particular interest in presenting "the Frank Sinatras and Aretha Franklins in other countries".

No such list can ever be definitive or anything less than contentious, but once the selections are made, and when accompanied as this is by information (and, audio!), it can be at least educational and entertaining.

If I may: one last contribution. ;-)

~ Becky in Tucson