Best African American singer of all time

[brianspencer66]

I was looking at some of the threads here relating to pop music and well have not seen many refrences to African American musicians or singers. I was wondering who you all would consider the greatest African American singer of all time. I do have my favorites such as the great Sam Cooke who started out as a gospel singer and moved over to pop music later in his short lived career. Nat King Cole a great jazz piano player who by mistake just started singing when he had a trio in the 40s. And last but not least the great Ray Charles who started out trying to imitate Cole. Now Im not trying to racialize music but lets face it in the worst and best band threads or best songs of all time threads or best etc lets count how many black artist are mentioned and well for a music African Americans largely helped to created in the first place I see very few mentioned. Anyway who would be your choice as the best second best and third best singers of all time who are African American?

 

[ChosenofMystra]

Ray Charles
Stevie Wonder
Little Richard
Blind Lemon Jefferson
Sammy Davis Jr.
Nat King Cole

Those are but a few of my favorite African-American singers 🙂

 

[red indian]

Excuse me young man!!?? whats that you say about not seeing many references to African Americian music??

Blimey, dont know why I bother sometimes!!

 

[Bugman]

Albert Collins
Muddy Waters
B.B.King
Coco Taylor
Lightin Hopkins

And all the others mentioned,plus many more.

 

[Ayla ny]

BB King and Otis Redding off the top of my head. I listen to them both to the point of driving the people trapped in my car crazy. 😀

 

[Haltickling]

IMO:

- Lionel Ritchie (for his great ballads)
- Barry White (for his great deep voice)
- Louis Armstrong (for his inimitable style)
- Stevie Wonder (for great ballads and piano)
- Bing Crosby (for his Ol' Man River)

But tastes luckily differ, or life would be very boring.

 

[General Zod]

Jackie Wilson

Stevie Wonder

Jimi Hendrix

 

[Frowg]

best?

oooh, toughie

Smokey Robinson
Marvin Gaye
B.B. King
Stevie Wonder
or Louis Armstrong
yes, I said Louis Armstrong

 

[red indian]

Sarah Vaughn

Ella Fitzgerald

Carmen Mcrea

Bessie Smith

Nancy Wilson


Halty, have you ever seen a picture of Bing Crosby?

 

[ChosenofMystra]

IMO:

- Bing Crosby (for his Ol' Man River)

......

Bing Crosby was caucasian dude.


I forgot to add a few more.

Thelonious Monk
Miles Davis
John Coltrane

Ok so they're composers predominately, but I think they deserve special mention all the same.

 

[Bugman]

- Bing Crosby

Uh,Bing was not black...

 

[Ayla ny]

Yes! Louie Armstrong!

And Etta James.

 

[red indian]

Wow! ChosenofMystra!!! you have albums with Trane, Davis, and Monk SINGING?? are they sober? what label are these long lost gems on? you are sitting on a fortune!

 

[ChosenofMystra]

Wow! ChosenofMystra!!! you have albums with Trane, Davis, and Monk SINGING?? are they sober? what label are these long lost gems on? you are sitting on a fortune!

...funny

I specifically stated that I understood they were COMPOSERS, not singers. I just thought they deserved special mention.

 

[Iluv2Btickled]

Lena Horne

 

[steph]

Etta James, Lena Horne, Muddy Waters, BB King, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles for the classics. For our generation, how about Seal?
XOXO

 

[CitY of MicA]

Billie Holliday, Louis Armstrong, or Cassandra Wilson as far as jazz singers go
(but I'm also partial to Johnny Hartman, Dianne Reeves, Abbey Lincoln, and the beat goes on...)

James Brown, for me, takes the prize for any possible thing he could be up for- in this case, the top vocalist in popular music (Al Green for honorable mention in this category)

Phil Lynott gets my nod for R&R (not rest and relaxation ) vocalist... he was great and very original- so different from everyone else.

 

[Dianatklee]

Patti LaBelle

 

[featherfingers]

Oh, man, I was raised on Soul and R&B music. I love nearly every artist everyone has already mentioned, but I've yet to see Al Green's name on any list. Surely you all have heard of him (as usual, I have to be different and post an audio example of his work. Get a hanky; this'll start the tears flowing):
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/9FjtP5hlpb8"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/9FjtP5hlpb8" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

 

[Soulfly]

Nat King Cole

 

[featherfingers]

And Teddy Pendergrass, both as a solo artist and as lead singer for Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes:
<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OABwnKGWok"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-OABwnKGWok" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>

 

[MAJ0718]

If you ask me, I would say some of the ones who started it all....


The Mills Brothers
The Ink Spots
Billie Holliday
Ella Fitzgerald
Nat King Cole
Definitely Sam Cooke
Otis Redding, who inspired....

Aretha Franklin...The Queen Of Soul

And can't forget The Godfather James Brown....
May he Rest in Peace at last!


...and I have many more....

 

[brianspencer66]

Excuse me young man!!?? whats that you say about not seeing many references to African Americian music??

Blimey, dont know why I bother sometimes!!

Ok well perhaps your the exception in your mentions sorry 🙄

 

[brianspencer66]

Does Billy Ocean count?

Questionable choice as hes is from England, but on the right track.

 

[brianspencer66]

IMO:

- Lionel Ritchie (for his great ballads)
- Barry White (for his great deep voice)
- Louis Armstrong (for his inimitable style)
- Stevie Wonder (for great ballads and piano)
- Bing Crosby (for his Ol' Man River)

But tastes luckily differ, or life would be very boring.

Der Bingle? Well though Id prefer Paul Robesons versions of 'Ole Man River" I think Bing could get some honorable mention as he was so influenced by black music and made no bones about who he listened to. In turn I believe he influenced countless african american musicians and singers. Ditto for Sinatra.