Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson. I also agree with tycoon about Alison Krause. I think Dolly as a beautiful voice. Her songs don't always show it off its best. Linda Ronstadt has great pipes. Neko Case has a fabulous voice.
The early recordings of Roberta Flack - hard to match.
Also love Peggy Lee, Lena Horne, Timi Yuro.
That said, many of my favorite vocalists do not have that beauty, but their other qualities are more than enough to entertain me.
Judy Collins
Joan Baez
Patty Page
Jo Stafford
Buffy Sainte-Marie
Brenda Lee
Dolly Parton
Connie Francis
Ella has always been my favorite. All the others took second place.
Can we throw Minnie Riperton into the mix? A five octave vocal range is pretty hard to beat
Oh, yes, Minnie Riperton gets a nod from me..
Yma Sumac is no slouch either, but I am not sure I think her voice is the most beautiful.. though it's simply amazing to listen to.
I agree Barbra Streisand is up there.
Let's not forget Celine Dion...
actually the two of them have a pretty stunning duet together in Tell Him
Mariah Carey - cheesy, yes but an amazing voice.
osso wrote
Quote:Yma Sumac is no slouch either, but I am not sure I think her voice is the most beautiful.. though it's simply amazing to listen to.
Do you have any links osso or what does she sing? Never heard of her and I'm intrigued.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmCwFaZV9VA&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PiReynHfxE&mode=related&search=
Here's a Sumac link. Wow, she does have a great voice. Unusual.
The first one might be her, but the 2nd one is definitely her.
I've got this CD... it's wild. I don't remember which cuts I like best..
The Ultimate Yma Sumac Collection - a2k Amazon link
I don't have real player and don't use windows, so I can't listen to the amazon link cuts (yet), but a lot of you could..
Phoebe Snow has a wonderful voice too. The world was really deprived of beautiful singing when she chose to give up her career to care for her young daughter with special needs.
She recorded a new album in the last few years but it isn't her best work. She's just not as good in the studio as she is before a live audience.
I can listen to her early music for hours and hours.
Ruth Etting, "Love Me or Leave Me".
http://www.ruthetting.com/
Swimpy wrote:Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson. I also agree with tycoon about Alison Krause. I think Dolly as a beautiful voice. Her songs don't always show it off its best. Linda Ronstadt has great pipes. Neko Case has a fabulous voice.
Yes, both Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson, I agree. Allison Kraus too.
For opera, Montseurat Caballe (sp?) Beautiful voice. Maria Callas for the sheer force, not so much the beauty.
Adriana Caselotti, another personal favorite.
Mini biography
Adriana was born into an operatic family - her father Guido, an immigrant from Italy, taught music in New York City, her mother Maria (from Naples) sang at the Royal Opera, and a sister Louise was a noted opera singer and voice teacher. She was 18 when Walt Disney personally choose her for the voice of Snow White in his first full length animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). He was looking for a fresh and natural voice, and asked her father if any of his students might be suitable, but on hearing Adriana's voice realized his search was over. It was the days of studio contracts and indenture, and Walt wanted to keep the mystery of the Snow White voice, so except for a bit part in The Wizard of Oz (1939) she was in no other film - when Jack Benny wished to have her appear on his radio show, Walt refused - he owned the voice and it could be used nowhere else. Adriana tried opera singing, and invested in real estate and stock market, while living a full life (four husbands, thrice widowed), always active in the publicity surrounding the many re-releases of Snow White.
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The Julie Andrews Hour" (1 episode, 1972)
- Episode dated 22 November 1972 (1972) TV Episode
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) (uncredited) .... Singer at Martini's
... aka Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (USA: complete title)
The Wizard of Oz (1939) (voice) (uncredited) .... Juliet
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) (voice) (uncredited) .... Snow White
The Bride Wore Red (1937) (uncredited) .... First Peasant Girl
Naughty Marietta (1935) (uncredited) .... Dancing Doll
Filmography as: Actress, Soundtrack, Miscellaneous Crew, Self, Archive Footage
Soundtrack - filmography
The Wizard of Oz (1939) (performer: "If I Only Had a Heart")
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) (performer: "I'm Wishing", "With a Smile and a Song", "Whistle While You Work") ("One Song", "Some Day My Prince Will Come")
Lena Horne
LENA HORNE
She made her debut at the Cotton Club at 16, where she learned much from Duke Ellington and other great musicians. She persevered despite prejudice in Hollywood and opposition to her support of civil rights, and became a legend thanks to her talent, beauty and courage. She has appeared in many films, in nightclubs, on TV, and on Broadway, where she won a Tony for her one-woman show. She won a Grammy at the age of 79, and is still performing in her 80s.
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A friend and I had front row center seat tickets for a Horne concert in the 1980s in San Francisco. It was wonderful. She talked to us in the front row. I've never been that close to a performer. It was startling to see her, a beautiful woman, sweating over her entire body toward the end of her performance. We don't realize what hard work it is to be an entertainer.
BBB
ella fitzgerald is a personal fave
from the pop world annie lennox and sinead oconnor
So many incredible voices have been missed:
Aretha Franklin
Gladys Knight
Phoebe Snow (I think someone mentioned her already)
Mary Clayton (remember her?)
Melba Moore
Dinah Washington
Lisa Stansfield
Mavis Staples
Toni Childs
Teena Marie
