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Frontmen Of Rock


Rock N' Rollin' Man

Frontman of Rock  

239 members have voted

  1. 1. Who is the greatest Frontman of Rock of all time?

    • Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones)
      17
    • Jim Morrison (The Doors)
      9
    • Alice Cooper
      0
    • Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
      0
    • Bon Scott (AC/DC)
      1
    • Roger Daltrey (The Who)
      3
    • Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
      0
    • David Lee Roth (Van Halen)
      0
    • Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
      192
    • Other
      17
  2. 2. If Robert, who would be second?

    • David Lee Roth (Van Halen)
      12
    • Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
      16
    • Roger Daltrey (The Who)
      31
    • Bon Scott (AC/DC)
      11
    • Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden)
      8
    • Alice Cooper
      3
    • Jim Morrison (The Doors)
      40
    • Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones)
      52
    • Other
      63


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My top 10 as far as being great front men / entertainers ... not best singer

No singer / guitarists included

Elvis

Mick Jagger

Robert Plant

David Bowie

Freddie Mercury

Roger Daltrey

Steven Tyler

Bono

Ozzy Osbourne

David Lee Roth

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I have to go with the Gallagher Bros from Oasis, not because I like their music, not because either can sing for shit, simply because with Oasis you get two for the price of one. That is a concert and boxing match all in one show! Just imagine for a second how the 77' tour would have gone off if everytime Jimmy screwed up a solo, Plant would have marched over and beat his skinny ass! That would have been some sell out JFK shit right there AND I guarantee Jimmy would have gotten his act together right quick with a 6'1" athletic Plant firmly placing snakeskin boot up Page's backside.

:hysterical::hysterical:

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My top 10 as far as being great front men / entertainers ... not best singer

No singer / guitarists included

Elvis

Mick Jagger

Robert Plant

David Bowie

Freddie Mercury

Roger Daltrey

Steven Tyler

Bono

Ozzy Osbourne

David Lee Roth

So when Elvis, Mercury, Bono, Jagger, Plant, Bowie and Daltrey strapped on a guitar or sat behind a piano on stage, they were automatically not front men. Gotcha

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another one of my all time favorite singers is fomer KISS lead guitarist, Ace Frehley

Did you see Ace on Celebrity Ghost Stories? He seems like a nice guy but dumb as hell, I mean, really dumb. Though I liked his vocals on Back in a NY Groove I would not trust his judgement around a warthog.

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So when Elvis, Mercury, Bono, Jagger, Plant, Bowie and Daltrey strapped on a guitar or sat behind a piano on stage, they were automatically not front men. Gotcha

no.. What are you in the mood to pick a fight or something?

I didn't include someone like Geddy Lee or Sting because they play an instrument all of the time.

Elvis, Mercury, Bono, Jagger, Plant, Bowie and Daltrey are singers fist and foremost,

They're usually up front with just a microphone.. Is Robert Plant known as a guitarist? No? didn't think so!

Even if I did include singer / guitarists my list wouldn't change..have a nice day..

And by your criteria (that I just read) Kurt Cobain is an excellent choice... to each his own... get it?

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Elvis

Dean Martin

Frank Sinatra

Paul Rodgers

Joe Cocker

Phil Moog

Layne Staley

Alvin Lee

Keith Relf

You know, I should delete all my selections, because I don't like the meaning of "Frontmen" by the music world, and society in general. IMO, when I attend a concert, I'm there for the music, and to watch the musicianship/interplay between all members of the band. Not the constant plea for peace - or the discussion of politics - or fire being spewed out of ones mouth - or running up and down the entire stage - or back flips off the drum riser!

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no.. What are you in the mood to pick a fight or something?

I didn't include someone like Geddy Lee or Sting because they play an instrument all of the time.

Elvis, Mercury, Bono, Jagger, Plant, Bowie and Daltrey are singers fist and foremost,

They're usually up front with just a microphone.. Is Robert Plant known as a guitarist? No? didn't think so!

Even if I did include singer / guitarists my list wouldn't change..have a nice day..

And by your criteria (that I just read) Kurt Cobain is an excellent choice... to each his own... get it?

Pick a fight...did I personally attack you? I am merely saying that I don't agree with your characterisation of front man. If we look at the dictionary definition of front man

1: a person serving as a front or figurehead

2: Music A leading singer with a group.
I don't see anything about playing an instrument precluding one from being considered a front man. I think we have a cliched idea of what a front man is, someone else mentioned "running up and down the entire stage....back flips off the drum riser" the David Lee Roth type is the cliche we have in our minds, but to me, if you are in a band, and are the lead singer/focal point - you are the front man whether you like it or not. But In the end, it's just semantics.
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My top 10 as far as being great front men / entertainers ... not best singer

No singer / guitarists included

Elvis

Mick Jagger

Robert Plant

David Bowie

Freddie Mercury

Roger Daltrey

Steven Tyler

Bono

Ozzy Osbourne

David Lee Roth

So when Elvis, Mercury, Bono, Jagger, Plant, Bowie and Daltrey strapped on a guitar or sat behind a piano on stage, they were automatically not front men. Gotcha

Pick a fight...did I personally attack you? I am merely saying that I don't agree with your characterisation of front man. If we look at the dictionary definition of front man

1: a person serving as a front or figurehead

2: Music A leading singer with a group.
I don't see anything about playing an instrument precluding one from being considered a front man. I think we have a cliched idea of what a front man is, someone else mentioned "running up and down the entire stage....back flips off the drum riser" the David Lee Roth type is the cliche we have in our minds, but to me, if you are in a band, and are the lead singer/focal point - you are the front man whether you like it or not. But In the end, it's just semantics.

Come on. You don't think your 1st reply came off as rude? It did to me.

You're right.. A frontman can be someone that sings lead and plays an instrument full time.

I never said they weren't. I just didn't use that criteria for MY selections...

... and not one of the selections to vote for are that type of frontmen either..

Personally, I'd rather a singer play an instrument so the band can jam without worrying about them having nothing to do ...

The band I'm currently in play no instrumentals because of this..

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I never had the chance to see and hear him live, but from the footage I have seen and heard, Bon Scott would be my 2nd choice, he wasn't the greatest singer, but he had attitude, a unique voice, and worked a crowd. I have always liked Bon, the rough power based voice reminds me of big block American V8 engine in a good way.

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Freddie Mercury all the way, followed by...BARRY MANALOOOOOOWWWWW, HELLOOO!!!

But seriously...Freddie was the best IMO followed by either Elvis or Jim Morrison with Robert a close third. BTW, the reason I picked Morrison was because I love poets, and drunken poets even more. He was the Bukowski of rock but with a much shorter shelf life.

Almost forgot, honorable mention goes to Liberace. The man was a brilliant showman as are Englebert & Tom Jones.

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I didn’t notice the “other” option, after giving this more thought - the greatest front man that has ever been as far as I’m concerned was Frank Sinatra. It really began with him. He joked with the crowd, got into trouble from time to time, worked a stage, and had a very unique voice, and has stood the test of time. Frank Sinatra!

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My faves (not in any particular order) are:

Robert Plant

Freddie Mercury

Bruce Dickinson

Ronnie James Dio

Rob Halford

Bon Scott (unique voice, but it fit with ACDC's sound perfectly)

I determined mine based on vocal ability/talent, stage presence and uniqueness.

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Indeed!

How come no Freddie Mercury on that list?? dry.gif

I would have ranked Freddie Mercury #1, Mick Jagger #2, and Robert Plant #3.

Mercury was not only a magnificent singer, but he was also a great showman. Jagger is a great showman but I've never considered him a great singer. His voice, though distinctive, is not particularly pleasant, imo. He does interpret his music very well and I give him extra credit for longevity. Plant had an extraordinary voice and was a good interpreter of music during Zep's heyday. However, he was never the showman that Mercury and Jagger were. His stage act consisted of dorky (almost Kabuki-like) gestures, blatant sexual come-on's and nonsensical, yet endearing, banter. He relied on his looks, charisma and sex appeal to hold the audience's attention.

I gotta give Robert credit though for making me think about his stage act in a way I never think about Freddie or Mick. When I watch Queen or the Stones perform, I just enjoy watching Freddie or Mick do their thing. I rarely give much thought as to WHY they did a specific step or gesture. Not so with Robert when he fronted Led Zeppelin. I often find myself wondering about his gestures when I watch footage from Zep concerts. Was that a nervous tic or a planned and rehearsed movement? His hair flicking is a good example. He was doing it from the very beginning as the Danish television footage from 1968 shows.

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Where's James Brown?

I don't consider solo artists like James Brown or Elvis front men but that's just me. They had backing bands but that's a different professional relationship than a lead singer like Plant or Mercury had with the rest of his band.

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Where's James Brown?

Excellent question.. any list of 10 is going to be missing some key people...James Brown was such a great front man.

I'm watching In Your Eyes live by Peter Gabriel on VH1 Classic right now.. He's no slouch either..

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Why have you only given the singer as the option? Led Zeppelin had Robert AND Jimmy, Beatles had John AND Paul, The Who had Peter AND Roger, the list is endless. Just because they hold the microphone doesn't make them the frontmen/women.

Is it possible for a rock band to NOT have a front man? I'm thinking of groups where lead singing duties are shared like The Eagles.

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