Who is yer favourite male folk singer?

Subject: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,Baz
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 12:27 PM

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping to pick yer collective brain if I may. I'm looking for suggestions for really good male folk singers. I'm not so much interested in such things as 'do they play the guitar really well' or 'do they have good songs' or 'have they done a lot for the tradition' - all I want to know is, in your opinion, who has a really good VOICE - and why?

Cheers all,
Baz.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Snuffy
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 12:34 PM

Phil Tanner

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: The King
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 12:36 PM

Dave Kenningham - he has a certain authenticity when singing. He is true to the traditional style as set out by our medievel minstrels hundreds of years ago. I love him.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 12:51 PM

Three very good ones of recent vintage are Patrick Wictor, Joe Jencks, and Freebo.

if you are talking about oldtimers I would say Gordon Bok, John McCutcheon, and Bill Staines.

                                              SOL

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,Murray MacLeod
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 01:06 PM

Paul Brady.

I have never heard a folksinger with a better voice.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Bill D
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 01:17 PM

'good' is such a subjective term. It can mean 'mellow' or 'clear' or 'powerful' or 'resonant'..etc...

but Ed Trickett has a fine voice...as do many of those already noted.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,Terry McDonald
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 01:18 PM

I have - John Tams.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,Henrik W.
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 01:48 PM

I would have gone for Davy Steele - a fantastic singer, a natural - but sadly he is not with us anymore.

Instead it will be a close call between two other giants - Dick Gaughan and Christy Moore.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 01:50 PM

Martyn Wyndham-Read and Dave Fletcher.

Rhiannon

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 01:56 PM

Christy Moore.

I always liked the late Peter Bellamy.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 01:56 PM

What Rhiannon said, plus Pete Coe, because they have great voices, deliver traditional and "traditional style" contemporary songs beautifully and with humour, and know where their traditional songs come from (ie the source singers) - without being precious or pompous about it. Pete Coe has been known to do a mean impression of Marlene Dietrich falling in love again, too!

Kitty

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,Tunesmith
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 02:34 PM

I'd go for Vin Garbutt, but because he's such a funny man, the greatness of his singing could be overlooked. Some of my other favourites e.g. Nic Jones and Martin Carthy have a singing style that has been "manufactured", but - to my ears - Vin sings without any such affectations. Wonderful stuff. I,too,love Paul Brady's Irish folk voice, but I'm not happy with his affected "rock" voice.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Shaneo
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 02:41 PM

Mine would be Tommy Byrne of The Wolfe Tones , but his voice has changed so much over the years , have a listen to him sing For Ireland I'd Not Tell Her Name this was recorded in 1972 .
Another would be Brian Roebuck , who is not so well know , but the power of his voice reminds me Of Luke Kelly.
Have a listen to him sing Four Green Fields
. As you see ,I love slow songs sang with a powerful voice.


[it's my own site]

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Alice
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 02:44 PM

My favorites keep changing, but Archie Fisher was the first one that came to my mind.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Leadbelly
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 02:49 PM

The one and only Tom Paxton....

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Jean(eanjay)
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 02:56 PM

Shaneo, I really enjoyed listening to those links - thanks.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: George Papavgeris
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 02:59 PM

Martyn Wyndahm-Read, Dave Fletcher, Pete Coe, John Kirkpatrick, John Thompson and Jim Causley.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: kendall
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 03:02 PM

Depends on my mood.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,Santa
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 03:39 PM

Steve Tiltson - this week.

Roy Harris, though he's retired now.

The late and very lamented Big Pete Rodger of the Taverners.

I can't think of any male singers that really stand out on the voice alone - doubtless this is my failing rather than theirs. Dave Burland, perhaps?

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: patriot1314
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 03:40 PM

Stan Rogers....... By a mile

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: BusyBee Paul
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 03:42 PM

Duncan McFarlane (oops, I'm showing my bias again!).

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: dj bass
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 03:52 PM

Ian Bruce

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 03:58 PM

Tony Rose. No question.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: RoyH (Burl)
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 04:07 PM

Hi Santa,
Thank you for mentioning Big Pete. I knew him well and liked him immensely. He was a great singer and a man full of good humour, sadly missed
Thank you also for naming me. Quite a surprise. Yes, I have retired from full-time touring but still do the occasional gig though there are certain times and distances I can't make. I just played the Court Sessions club in London, a club I recommend highly, and thoroughly enjoyed it. So much so that I'm now ready to do a few more. So, if anyone is interested in an evening with 'a singer of the old school' as I was once described (I took it as a compliment)then do please get in touch. A pm will do fine. Burl/Roy H

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Alice
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 04:21 PM

also Ian Tyson

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Beer
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 04:28 PM

Johnm Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Ray Materick and David Massengill.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Polly Squeezebox
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 04:31 PM

Mike Nicholson - maybe not the typical 'folk voice', but it does it for me every time.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,Chris Murray
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 04:38 PM

Martin Carthy.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Captain Ginger
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 04:39 PM

Ian Bruce, Lester Simpson, John Tams, Don Shepherd; terrific voices, all of them.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: North/South Annie
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:22 PM

Ian Bruce, Jim McAdams, Mike Nicholson - voices that reach the parts other voices cannot reach!

Annie

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: CET
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:29 PM

I find John Prine to be an enormously effective singer, and I could listen to him for hours, but I would never accuse him of having a good voice. There are plenty of other performers whom I admire, but I don't consider to have great voices. Really fine voices are not very common in folk music, but there are some. Among them I would list Stan Rogers, of course, Sean Keane, Ian Tyson, the lead singer of Old Blind Dogs (I'm having a brain meltdown and I'm not sure of his name - Jim Malcolm, I think. Please correct me if I'm wrong), Dan McKinnon from Nova Scotia (a fabulous strong baritone voice) and George Papavgeris.

Edmund

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Bert
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:37 PM

Lots of good folk singers, but for GOOD VOICE I'd say Oliver McElhone, without question.

Good Poet - Gordon Lightfoot
Good Songwriter - Tom Paxton
Good Entertainer - Seamus Kennedy or MudcatMike
Good Kids entertainer - Linda Hutchings
Good Dolly bird - any of the Mudcat darlings.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Bert
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:39 PM

Ooops, sorry it says Male, I forgot.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: oldhippie
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:46 PM

Best in concert, Oscar Brand.

To listen to, Tom Paxton.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: jiva
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 05:54 PM

Allan Taylor - wonderfully crafted songs, warm and powerful voice.

jiva
www.jiva.co.uk

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Bert
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 06:08 PM

Oscar Brand is great for old songs and bawdy songs but his voice, while OK., is not great.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Mike Miller
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 06:11 PM

My choice as a great voice would be Glen Yarborough, one of the original Limelighters. For those who don't remember him, it was Glen Yarborough who sang the one line that made him a wealthy man, "Things go better with Coke".
But my favorite folk singer, by far, was Harry Belafonte. I liked his politics, too, but I thought that Burl Ives was a terrific singer, too, except when he sang for the HUAC.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 06:12 PM

Allan Taylor too. Great voice, writes great songs......Really love his "Standing at the Door"

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Folk Form # 1
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 06:22 PM

Bob Davenport. When are Topic gonna release his early albums?

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: SINSULL
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 06:31 PM

Captain Kendall Morse.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Joe_F
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 08:19 PM

Ewan MacColl. However, sex is irrelevant.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: SouthernCelt
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 08:26 PM

Ian Tyson, Gordon Lightfoot, Pat Sky, and our own Jed Marum.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: kendall
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 08:29 PM

I think our own Harvey Andrews is right up there.
I won't mention any of my close friends...they know who they are.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Deckman
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 08:34 PM

ALL OF THE ABOVE ...and many more! Bob

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Alice
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 08:38 PM

Ah, yes, Harry Belafonte, another great voice.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: kendall
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 08:41 PM

In my opinion, the greatest voice of all time was Paul Robeson

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: Mike Miller
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 09:11 PM

My God, I find myself agreeing with Kendall. Paul Robeson was, in addition to his scholastic, athletic, political, theatrical and social accomplishments, one of the all-time great bass-baritone voices. (Hammerstein and Kern wrote "Ol' Man River" for Robeson but he was unavailable for the Broadway production of Show Boat. He, always, included it in his concerts). After he, returned from Russia, he lived out his years here, in Philadelphia. He was such a great singer that, when he starred in the motion picture. "King Solomon's Mines", he sang a few numbers.

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Apr 07 - 10:50 PM

Tom Russell
Dick Gaughan
Harry Manx

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: mrdux
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 01:27 AM

Fred Neill

Subject: RE: Who is yer favourite male folk singer?
From: GUEST,celticblues5
Date: 23 Apr 07 - 02:03 AM

Gordon Bok, Rod Paterson (Jock Tamson's Bairns), Stan Rogers