Who was the BEST male and female vocalist (disco era)

**the whistler** · November 22nd, 2003, 09:36 PM

If you had one choice who had the best singing voice on the planet in the disco era (male and female )

Mine was Sylvester and Cheryl Lynn

**NickNack** · November 22nd, 2003, 09:49 PM

I hate these "one choice" deals cause I can never play by the rules :o .

Female: A tie between Thelma Houston and Martha Wash

Male: Eddie Kendricks or Teddy Pendergrass. Oh hell, maybe Luther Vandross as Change.

**Rodmann2** · November 22nd, 2003, 11:49 PM

Great topic! Here are my choices:

Female: It's Got To Be Cheryl Lynn! (good taste The Whistler!) There were a lot of good female singers back then but nobody sang quite like Miss Lynn! :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

Male: This is a tie for me between Teddy Pendergrass and Latimore. While I don't think that these two are really disco artists they did have a few dance singles that charted. This is a hard one. Who was the most consistent male dance singer of the disco era anyway? Sylvester? KC of The Sunshine Band? KC never wowed anyone with his voice and I don't care for falsetto singing so that definitely leaves Sylvester out! LOL. When Teddy and Latimore sang they did it with soul and sounded like men!

**efunk_adelic** · November 23rd, 2003, 02:51 AM

Great Topic! but, sooooooo hard to chose just 1 each...

I looked over my Top 100 disco songs of all time... and I would have to say my king & queen are:

Candi Staton - When You Wake Up Tomorrow/Young Hearts Run Free

Eddie Kendricks - Boogie Down/He's A Friend/Keep On Truckin'/Get The Cream Off The Top

:D

special mention to the following:

Chaka Khan
Luther Vandross

Martha Wash
George McCrae

**Com King** · November 23rd, 2003, 03:46 AM

I would have to say my king & queen are:

Candi Staton - When You Wake Up Tomorrow/Young Hearts Run Free

efunk I must say that I have tears runnin down my cheeks thanks to this choice.

Best female voice : Candi "Love" Staton :oops:
Best male voice : Harold Melvin, with his best performance in "Wake up everybody"

Marcio** · November 23rd, 2003, 12:14 PM

In my opinion,
Best female vocalist: France Joli ("Come To Me"). I also like Teri De Sario ("Ain't Nothing Keep Me From You"). And others of course.
Best male vocalist: Frankie Valli ("Swearin' To God"). I also like Dennis Parker :o ("Like An Eagle''). And others of course.
I have to admit Marlena Shaw is a fantastic jazz singer, she also recorded disco :P .

**SandraDee** · November 23rd, 2003, 12:55 PM

I have alot of respect for David Lasley & Gwen Guthrie 'cos I like their voices & for their sterling work on so many artist's projects as backing singers. Although I'm not a fan of those over-the-top shriekers like Whitney & Lolleata Holloway, I do really like Jennifer Holliday - what a stunning voice.(it makes the hairs stand up on my neck!)

**DJ-Pir** · November 23rd, 2003, 03:49 PM

For female vocals i really liked Deniece Williams or Loletta Hollaway,but the voice
would be Candi Staton (this week 8) )

As far as male vocals are concerned i'd say a tie between Barry and Luther.......... :roll:

All more soul than disco imho but it's the soul that gets to you :lol:

Party on,
Peter

**Keith RS** · November 28th, 2003, 08:05 AM

Male: It would have to be Teddy Pendergrass when he was with Harold Melvin & Bluenotes(coincidentally fr. Philly!). When they did "Don't Leave Me this Way", "Where Are All My Friends", "The Love I Lost"....Forget da bout it!!!

Female: Donna Summer. Others way have had a better voice than hers but she epitomized the era. "Could it be Magic" still blows me away even though it came out 27 years ago!!! Also, I can't help notice how many of her songs made the top 500 on this site!

**Forrrce** · November 28th, 2003, 09:30 AM

Not sure who I'd call 'the best', but I think Double Exposure's finest moments were made more so by Jimmy Williams, a very capable and intensely soulful vocalist.

**NickNack** · November 28th, 2003, 03:08 PM

Originally Written by Com King

Best male voice : Harold Melvin, with his best performance in "Wake up everybody"

This is Teddy Pendergrass doing lead vocals. :D

**NickNack** · November 28th, 2003, 03:11 PM

Originally Written by Rodmann2

I don't care for falsetto singing so that definitely leaves Sylvester out! LOL. When Teddy and Latimore sang they did it with soul and sounded like men!

Does this put Eddie Kendricks on your "no soul, not sounding like a man" list? :-?

**Rodmann2** · November 30th, 2003, 03:51 AM

Originally Written by NickNack

Does this put Eddie Kendricks on your "no soul, not sounding like a man" list? :-?

That goes for Eddie Kendricks, Curtis Mayfield, Al Green and Marvin Gaye (sometimes!). If I wanna hear high notes I'll get out my Deniece Williams and Minnie Riperton records, they did it better! Some of us like our soul singing rough. Just my personal taste. 8)

**Com King** · November 30th, 2003, 11:40 AM

Nicknack wrote :

Com King wrote:
Best male voice : Harold Melvin, with his best performance in "Wake up everybody"

This is Teddy Pendergrass doing lead vocals.

:oops: :cry: :oops: Humiliation :oops: :cry: :oops:

Thanx for pullin me out of my ignorance :)

**tdaram** · November 30th, 2003, 01:56 PM

Originally Written by Com King

Nicknack wrote :

Com King wrote:
Best male voice : Harold Melvin, with his best performance in "Wake up everybody"

This is Teddy Pendergrass doing lead vocals.

:oops: :cry: :oops: Humiliation :oops: :cry: :oops:

Thanx for pullin me out of my ignorance :)

:D

female: gwen mc crae (was performing on stage last week in NY!) and candi staton

male: sylvester

**Kooly** · December 31st, 2003, 06:18 PM

Female-Jocelyn (Shaw) Brown, lead vocal on Caught Up in a One Night Love Affair- Inner Life

Male- Colonel Abrahm (occasionally sounds like Teddy Pendergrass)

**discodjinn** · January 3rd, 2004, 10:40 AM

It IS tough to decide who really is and who is not a disco singer. Are Chaka Khan and Cheryl Lynn disco, funk, or some hybrid? How about Teddy Pendergrass and Isaac Hayes? I love listening to whatever these folks sing.

I also enjoyed the few tracks Bernard Edwards sang-- nice timbre if not technique. I thought we heard far too little of Ronnie Dyson, Bruni Pagan and the lead singer of Loose Change. I'm surprised no one mentioned Jimmy Ellis-- he gets a fair share of kudos from the published critics.

Myself, I'd have to name Stuart Patterson (for "Mainline" alone), Sylvester (falsetto and non-falsetto, as in Too Hot To Sleep), and James Robinson of Change as favorite male vocalists. Amongst the women, I really admire Valerie Simpson, Lillian Lopez of Odyssey, and Ullanda McCullough-- but certainly best of all was Cory Daye, either in Dr. Buzzard or solo.

**DevP** · January 7th, 2004, 09:37 AM

Hey Gang:

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Cheryl Lynn was, is and always will be the best female voice of the disco era and possibly the rock era. :D Her voice not only had enormous range but it was an instument in itself. Just listen to the high pich she reaches on "Star Love".

Others who deserve mention: Donna Summer, Gloria Gaynor, Thelma Houston, Vicki Sue Robinson, Evelyn King, Phyllis Hyman and Jean Carn.

As for male I have to go with Mr. Barry White. What other male voice has been able to help in the reproduction of humans. :D

Others who deserve mention: Peter Brown, KC and Luther Vandross (as lead singer for Change).

DevP

**Svend** · January 8th, 2004, 03:52 PM

I can't believe no one has mentioned Rochelle Fleming (First Choice)! She rides the beat like no other, and her improvs are always heartfelt, original, passionate and she's incapable of shrieking. Honorable mentions to Vicki Sue Robinson (joyous), Cory Daye (witty), Candi Staton (satin and grit), Norma Jean (sleek and warm), Linda Clifford (attitude), and Donna Summer (for MacArthur Park at least).

For the fellows, I'll take Teddy Pendergrass. He's got the emotion, confidence, he growls, howls and falsettos (listen to that mile-long hooooo-woo in the break during "The More I Get..."). Honorable mentions to Luther Vandross (effortless), Sylvester (hallelujah), Leroy Gomez & Jimmy Goings (sexy), Dan Hartman (he's having so much fun), and Jimmy Ellis (the best shouter).

**markydefad** · January 10th, 2004, 03:55 PM

Svend, (my long lost Norwegian brother? sister? BOTH???!!!!) :lol:

I like your choices. :D Nice commentary too.

(Especially: "satin & grit")!!! :D

**NickNack** · January 10th, 2004, 09:27 PM

Svend,

I'm loving your descriptives for the artists. Right On Target!

A lot of what makes Linda Clifford's 10-minute dance marathons so great is that attitude. She is just so smooth as she reads you all the way down. Her only rival in talking trash so sweetly is Marlena Shaw. Her monologues rip!

**Svend** · January 20th, 2004, 03:35 PM

Markydefad and NickNack--

Gee, thanks guys! Your kind words are much appreciated.

And Marky--consider me your long lost brother, who is also a "sister." Make sense?

NickNack--you're so right about Linda. My favorite is from "Don't Give It Up," when she says, "I tell you what I want you to do, girls--I want cha to take 'em!" (the furs and jewels, that is).

**Mario** · January 20th, 2004, 06:26 PM

Favorite female disco artist: Donna Summer
Favorite male disco artist: Peter Brown

(Second Choices: Female----> Andrea True
Male-------> Sylvester

**MUSIQMAN** · January 20th, 2004, 07:59 PM

I don't know 'cause you had a lot of powerhouses at the time. But off the top of my head, I'd have to give props to.....

Female: Jocelyn Brown

Male: Sylvester

**markydefad** · January 20th, 2004, 09:38 PM

Originally Written by Svend

Markydefad and NickNack--

Gee, thanks guys! Your kind words are much appreciated.

And Marky--consider me your long lost brother, who is also a "sister." Make sense?

NickNack--you're so right about Linda. My favorite is from "Don't Give It Up," when she says, "I tell you what I want you to do, girls--I want cha to take 'em!" (the furs and jewels, that is).

Hi Svend!!!

To quote the Divine Miss M:

"Get The picture?"

"Yes, we see!!!" :lol:

(To be fair, I sensed we had something more "in common" than just our musical tastes!!!)

My fave line from The Divine Ms. Clifford's "Don't Give It Up":

"What color is your money? I like the color green!!!" :P :lol: :P :lol: :P :lol: