Greatest Voices (2): Ella, Roy, Linda Ronstadt, more...

Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song

Who is your pick for the greatest voice?  Leave aside opera singers, because their training puts them in a separate category from everyone else.  (I am doing separate posts on classically trained singers).  And set aside, for the moment, things like stagecraft, quality of material, backstory, etc.  Just the voice.  It’s a sound that stops you in your tracks when you hear it, that makes you drop everything to listen.  They could sing a shopping list and you’d enjoy it.    I came up with four names:  Ella Fitzgerald, Roy Orbison, Linda Ronstadt, and Tina Turner.  Who would you put on the list?  Here is the First Lady of Song doing Cry Me a River:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Gn9A-kdsRo

Even Elvis was envious

When word got out that a concert was being organized to honor Roy Orbison, with Roy himself headlining, dozens of hall-of-famers practically begged to participate.  The band ended up consisting of James Burton on lead guitar, Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen on rhythm guitar, Bonnie Raitt, k.d. lang, Jennifer Warnes, J.D. Souther, Steven Soles and Jackson Browne on backing vocals, Ron Tutt on drums, Tom Waits on keyboards, and Elvis Presley’s original backing band on bass, percussion and keyboards, along with a string ensemble.  That lineup pretty much speaks to the reverence other musicians had for Roy.  Costello wrote a song for the concert, Springsteen checked his ego for a night, and the whole group turned in a magical performance.  No one could guess at the time, but Roy would be gone less than a year later. 

 

Here are three songs from that concert, including my favorites Blue Angel and In Dreams.  If you didn't’ know about this concert already, there’s a good chance that you’ll binge them all now and then go hunting for the rest, it’s that good.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YG__LBJVZ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8Jz3VW7rYk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCe40AlSAsE

 

 

 

Righteous Brothers: Unchained Melody

The Righteous Brothers had a number of hits in the ‘60s and were known for their unique sound, called by some “blue-eyed soul”.  This was not their biggest hit, until it was featured more than 20 years later in the movie “Ghost” (I actually think the movie was awful, but the scenes with this song were great). It’s not both of the “brothers”, but a solo by Bobby Hatfield.  He would make my list for this even if it were the only thing he did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYj2hex99gY

 

Linda Ronstadt:  Different Drum

“Different Drum” was one of the first things Linda Ronstadt recorded, but it didn’t become a hit until it was re-released in the mid 1970’s.  Her pure, untrained, still girlish voice (she was only 18 when they recorded this), and her emotional transparency, still hit me the way they did then.  Her voice would rapidly develop into what one producer called “the freight train”, but she never lost the ability to convey the subtlest and most delicate nuances of her songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9qsDgA1q8Y

 

 

Most singers sing what they can.  Linda Ronstadt sang what she wanted.  (I can only think of one other singer to whom that applies.)  When she began doing Latin music, partly as a tribute to her Mexican heritage, some people criticized it as a stunt, and Latin critics were skeptical.  But “Canciones de mi Padre” (Songs from my Father) stands as some of her best work. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJfXiOrK7t4

Gone before her time

Eva Cassidy probably didn’t know she was dying when she recorded this.  I believe that if she had lived, she would be considered one of the greatest of all time.  She had a loyal fan base in England, but was completely unknown in her native U.S. until more than a decade after her death.  Cancer took her at the age of 33, three weeks after her last public performance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UVjjcOUJLE

 

George Michael and Elton John

George Michael of course broke a whole new sound, combining funk with the spare driving beats of New Wave.  And boy could he sing.  Elton John belongs on a lot of “best of” lists, not much else to say. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RsKqMNDoR4

 

 

Celtic Woman perform Bach

In 2004, four Irish vocalists and a fiddler were recruited to perform in one-time special, featuring a mix of religious and folk music.  The show was re-broadcast on BBC and on PBS, and made such an impact that they decided to form a permanent group. They named themselves Celtic Woman, and through many lineup changes, they are still touring today.

 

This clip is from the original concert.  It was also the breakout performance for Chloe Agnew (first solo, 0:59), who was 16 at the time, and went on to become Celtic Woman’s longest-serving and most popular member.  Her pure, bell-like voice is said to be the archetypical “Celtic” soprano.  All I know is that when she starts singing I get the chills.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPeVIuRjUi4