jackie wilson
james brown
little richard
jimi hendrix

Jagger or Plant

Can't we just put the best of the best together and see MercurcyJaggerBrownPlantHendrix up on stage as one being? Or would the combined greatness make the world implode?

meow85 said:

P r i n c e

Graycap23 said:

N o t .

InsatiableCream said:

That is as close as u are going 2 get.

Graycap23 said:

co-sign.

in some ways, i think Prince's ability to do what each of them does has handicapped him. Outside of fandom, people see him as the element of him that they like (or don't like) and don't see that he is also capable of pulling of all of those other elements.

madartista said:

Prince's greatest strength (his versatility) is also his greatness weakness as a performer. He can do so much that he doesn't focus his energy on just one thing, like guitar or writing or something, and so those outside the fanbase don't get the opportunity to see what he can really do.

For example, Prince is a really good guitar player. I wouldn't say the greatest, but he is damn good. But because he flits all over the place like a musical butterfly, he doesn't really become known for the skill he does have. If he wasn't dancing, singing, playing piano, producing, etc. he could put all the effort and energy into guitar and go from being a good player to a great one.

Graycap23 said:

Like it or not that's true. However if we're talking frontman of a rock band in the strictest sense I'd say Plant. Elvis, Jimi, and Prince were so great calling them frontmen is like an insult-- and their "bands", though mostly top-notch musicians, were merely an afterthought. For the same reasons and the fact JB and George Clinton didn't play rock in its traditional sense, I won't include them. The Beatles kind of defy that categorization as well, but if we consider them a rock band it could be said they had two frontmen. Both were great songwriters but if you wanted to start a rock band you wouldn't put them out front. They're too introspective and... shit.

That leaves us with the usual cast of characters: Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, Guns 'N Roses, The Stones, etc. (mind you I prefer Yes to all of these). For me it's kind of simple. When I think rock band I think Led Zeppelin and when I think frontman I think Plant. Jagger would be a close second.

I definitely agree with that. Most people including myself have mentioned someone who's anything but a frontman really. A great frontman would have to be this great essential addition to a strong team rather than someone who's pretty much a solo act or is with a band that's really all about the art of one other member or is just a freak show or mascot.



What's traditional rock? You mean how the term "rock" has come to be defined by casual listeners and revisionists?



Being a great player IMHO is sincerely connecting with a particular song or jam in such a way that you play exactly what's needed in the tightest way possible. The way some define it though is some kind of technical pissing contest.

I'm sorry, but I'll take someone who understands a groove over someone who can play in a way that excites people who don't even really enjoy music or view playing an instrument as some kind of carnival act.
[Edited 6/20/08 21:51pm]

The thing is with Freddie he took three very intelligent geeks who would have been happy to play for the rest of their lives in a garage and made them into one of the biggest bands in the world...

rolling said:

I think Freddie was easily the best frontman in rock history. His vocal ability , song writing, stage presence (think Live Aid), and theatrical flair did make Queen something more than a "garage band" He can sing operatically, funk, pop, speed metal and a variety of other styles.

I think he gets discounted because when Queen gets compared to other rock acts, they get slighted due to Freddie's lifestyle and the somewhat camp approach he took to his music. I like Jagger too, but Freddie wins. ANything is better than Queen + Paul Rodgers.

Echoing a comment earlier, Prince & Hendrix were almost to big to be confined to being frontmen in a band. Hendrix made the Experience who they were in every sense of the word. As for Prince, he is in a category by himself.

Jack Bruce

when i think of "frontmen", I think of guys (or girls) who were the lead singer or lead performer in a band or group that existed as a unit.


i see a lot of names on here who are essentially solo artists with a hired a band to play behind them.



are we meant to include both or just the former?

meow85 said:

No, I would implode.

Robert Plant
Freddie Mercury
Bono
Hendrix

Hands down its Freddie Mercury. If i had to pick another it would be Michael Hutchence.

Freddie Mercury, basically did it all, he made an audience of 100,000 feel like it was an "Intimate" performance, and NO ONE since him has been able to even come close to that. Obviously vocally he is one of the best ever, also a great writer, and as Brian May said "a damn good piano player, though he didnt think he was". Also a quality that a "great frontman" has to have is the ability to STEAL A SHOW when on the bill with others, and anyone who watched LIVE AID back in 1985 knows that Freddie stole a day away from some of the greatest artists to ever record. I mean everyone was talking about QUEEN after this show, and this bill had a Zeppelin Reunion, a crosby stills and nash performance, and of course other big names like U2, Elton,George Michael etc...So to steal it from them was a tribute to what he know best, "performing".

I agree with whodknee. People like Jimi, P, and Little Richard were really solo artists who had musicians playing around them.

SPYZFAN1 said:

Solo artist or not.....they were still Front men 4 their bands.

I'd like to add Jim Morrison and Iggy Pop.

Bono is a decent lead, but hardly a great frontman.
Hendrix was a great freak show/solo artist.
Freddie was a decent lead.
Iggy Pop is just a freak.
Jim Morrison was a tool.
Lil Rich is a great performer.

P is on some other planet. He never had it in him to be a great frontman because that would be like chopping off a limb or something.

LightOfArt said:

Deep Purple fan? Me, too!

What about Tommy Bolin?

My answer for greatest ROCK BAND frontman is this guy:

RodeoSchro said:

Interesting choice. This guy has never made a single song that I like.

Hmm, in the sense in that they really stand out and are not just another member of the band I'd say...

Axl Rose
Dee Snider
Steven Tyler
Freddie Mercury

Graycap23 said:

Then I guess he's probably not your favorite rock band front man...

I am very surprised that no one has mentioned Boy George. The Boy went from being leader of Culture Club to being one of the most successful solo artists in music history. He has influenced countless artists including Axl Rose(who cites Boy George as being one of his musical heroes), Scott Weiland, Eddie Vedder & Kurt Cobain to name just a few. After almost 30 years in the business he is still capable of putting on one hell of a show. Check out this recent clip and see who the real king is-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkhQet1R4_8
YouTube - Boy George Leicester 9.5.08 Church of the poision mind

Here is the link for the Boy George clip http://www.youtube.com/wa...khQet1R4_8

Empress said:

But fuckin' A that guy could control a crowd in their early days....