1125-1101 - Great Vocals
1125. BILLS BILLS BILLS (1999)
Vocalist: Destiny’s Child (Beyonce Knowles / Latoya Luckett / Kelly Rowland)
Writer/Composer: Kevin Burruss / Kabdi Briggs / Beyonce Knowles / Latoya Luckett / Kelly Rowland (1999)
Epic and flawless R&B harmony sounds from one of the most successful girl groups of all-time, they, along with TLC, dominated the 1990s and early 2000s, despite numerous personnel changes. They appealed to not only R&B / Soul / Hip-Hop and Pop, but filled the airwaves with their unique sounds and beautifully produced, exquisite harmonies, selling millions of albums and selling out concerts. Their 1st entry here, along with Beyonce’s 2nd as a solo artist, helped define the turn of the century when girl groups and female artists started outselling the Boy Bands of the 1990s. Gospel-infused music started marking a shift in musical tastes as Rock stated its decline and Hip-Hop and Rap really became some of the most popular music in America and the world…Cool and Captivating!
Link # 1 Official music video with choreography1999. Link # 2 Official lyric video 1999.
1124. NEVER MY LOVE (1967)
Vocalist: The Association / leads by Terry Kirkman / Larry Ramos / backup musicians by The Wrecking Crew
Writer/Composer: Don & Dick Addrisi (1967)
One of the best ways to describe the Association—they are among America’s best, most popular, 6-man Pop / Soft Rock groups, with lush, smooth sounds and astounding, blended harmonies. Their easy-to-listen-to vocals were enormously embraced by the masses. This piece, Cherish, Windy, and Along Comes Mary, are among their biggest hits. They held their own during the ‘British Invasion’ with their intricate vocals and unique harmony. Never My Love was also the 2nd most played song of the 20th Century, according to BMI. They were ubiquitous as TV Variety show guests and numerous concerts from 1966 through the early ‘70s. The song’s bridge, “How can you think love will end / When I’ve asked you to spend your whole life / With me? / (With me, with me,)” is…Delicate, yet Celebrated!
Link # 1 Original recording 1967. Link # 2 Live performance 1967.
1123. ATAYPURA (1950)
Vocalist: Yma Sumac / Moises Vivanco music
Writer/Composer: Moises Vivanco (1950)
This astonishing Peruvian soprano of exotic multi-lingual songs could actually sing in more than 4 to 5 octaves, including baritone. Unique is her ability and agility in a vocal range that we must agree, is really the stuff that dreams are made of. Very few singers could match her vocal prowess and sustain the vibrato of quivering notes that she sustained and displayed here. She mostly recorded in the early 1950s in the days before artists could travel the world over, to maintain a fanbase to satisfy their iconic fame, by way of concerts and record sales. In her era, 1950s through the 1980s, she seemed to be unparalleled in her extraordinary, exotic birdlike sounds…Absolutely Jaw-Dropping and Enchanting!
Link - Original recording 1950.
1122. IF (1971)
Vocalist: Bread (lead David Gates with Jimmy Griffin
Writer/Composer: David Gates 1971.
A soft lilting, loving delivery makes this beautiful love song exceptional by David Gates. With his signature baritone / tenor sound, he rode the airwaves to new heights in the 1970s with this American 4-man Pop / Soft Rock group, Bread. From 1970-1977, they had multiple hits including, Make It with You, Aubrey, and Baby I’m-A Want You. This singer / songwriter was also a multi-instrumentalist, and his solo career was also subsequently successful later on. Specializing in slow, soft and sweet romantic love ballads, he utilized his unique 3-ovtave voice that exemplified clarity and purity. He possessed complete control of his almost angelic sound in the high notes and his use of falsetto, to his mastery of his craft in any note. “If a picture paints a thousand words,” …Wow! Elite and Sublime!
Link # 1 Original recording 1971. Link # 2 Live Performance, Davis Gates - Musical Time Machine 1975.
1121. COME SEE ABOUT ME (1964)
Vocalist: The Supremes (lead Diana Ross)
Composer/Writer: Brian Holland / Lamont Dozier / Eddie Holland
Link # 1 Original recording 1964. Link # 2 Live performance 1964.
Music history is certainly good to these 3 American R&B / Soul / Pop ladies, lead by the distinctive, playful and legendary voice of Diana Ross. Perhaps no other female singing group had as many #1 hits in the 20th Century as this group, anchored by their Motown Sound, their great writers of love ballads and their sweet-as-honey vocals. Their 4th entry on our list, and Diana’s 5th, is a beckoning call to come back and keep their love alive, sung in a playful doll-like delivery. The 1960s were loaded with Supreme hits, even into the early years of the so-called “British” invasion. The chorus pleads, “Keep on crying, baby, for you / I’m gonna keep sighin’ baby, for you / So come on hurry / Come and see about me (Come see about me) / See about your baby (Come see about me.)”…Simply Marvelous!
Link # 1 Original recording 1964. Link # 2 Live performance - the Ed Sullivan Show 1965.
1120. WHO WILL BUY “Oliver!” (1968)
Vocalist: Mark Lester & Chorus
Writer/Composer: Lionel Bart (1964)
The 1960s were full of great Musicals that took home Oscars as Best Picture—a list of winners and nominees, *West Side Story 1961 / The Music Man 1962 / *My Fair Lady 1964 / Mary Poppins 1964 / *The Sound of Music 1965 / *Oliver! 1968 / Funny Girl 1969. This production number gave us one of the most spectacular vocal choral numbers of all time. As young Oliver, 10-year-old Mark Lester, captivates our heart with his soft, sweet voice, he looks out his window early morning to discover a lone female singing. Soon, the entire Courtyard Square is abuzz with multitudes of singer / dancers in one of music history’s most glorious moments, “Who will buy this wonderful morning / Such a sky, you never did see / Who tie it up in a ribbon / And put it in a box for me?”…Magnificent and Effervescent!
Link - Movie Clip from Oliver! of the production number 1968.
1119. BREAK IT TO ME GENTLY (1962)
Vocalist: Brenda Lee / (Floyd Cramer & Bill Pursell pianos)
Writer/Composer: Joe Sineca / Diane Lampert (1961)
Brenda delivers with gusto, passion and sincerity—a unique triumph in the early 1960’s. The only other serious female competitors in the first half of the 60s in record sales among vocalists of that era were Connie Francis, The Shirelles and Lesley Gore. With her 5th song listed, she really demonstrates her distinctive, remarkable, contralto voice here about the pain of breaking up, with a mature, sassy delivery, appealing to Country, Rockabilly, Honky-Tonk, Pop, and even R&B fans. Check out the last verse, “Oh, OH, break it to me gently / Give me time, oh, give me a little time to ease the pain / Love me just a little longer / Cause I’ll never, never love again / Cause I’ll NEVER, never Love again.” Could a 16-year-old girl really torch and sing this kind of Country Blues song?…Aching, and Sensational!
Link # 1 Original recording 1961. Link # 2 Live performance, stereo, 1962.
1118. TOM TRAUBURT’S BLUES / Waltzing Matilda (4 Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen) (Live) (1977)
Vocalist: Tom Waits
Writer/Composer: Tom Waits (1976)
The Blues never sounded as blue, raw, or desperate as this, and the delivery is…jaw dropping. Embraced by Blues / Rock / Soul / R&B and Folk musicians and fans alike, this song grows on you, with every hoarse, gritty, painful note, to an unforgettable listening experience. Never has a professional singer sounded like this—some compare him to a harpooned walrus, some to a wildebeest with lockjaw, some to a poor man’s Bob Dylan—but he has Soul and Charisma. He has related the song is about ‘his own experiences with alcohol in Copenhagen when he was penniless and stranded.’ It’s pure Blues from his 1976 album Small Change, and it’s considered his signature song. ”Wasted and wounded / It ain’t what the moon did / I’ve got what I paid for now.” Wow! Sounds like an Imprisoned Storyteller!
1117. IT MUST BE HIM (1967)
Vocalist: Vikki Carr (Florencia Vicenta de Castillas-Martinez)
Writer/Composer: Mack David / Gilbert Becaud / Maurice Vidalin (1966)
This is certainly among the greatest songs of eager expectation for unrequited love ever delivered by a gifted Pop singer. By its declaration to God in the lyrics, “Let it please be him, oh dear God / It must be him, it must be him / Or I shall die / Or I shall die,” she puts all her hope in his return. You may recall its repeated use in 1987’s romantic comedy, Moonstruck, a great example of how people get a song stuck in their playing it longingly, over and over. Her remarkable, show-stopping soprano voice lingers long as Vikki has a natural Pop / Showtune / Jazz / Latino, even Country voice, covering all these genres. She can sing in 2.5 octaves fluidly with versatility and move her audience to tears, (With Pen in Hand.) A singing career lasting over 5 decades, she owns this number…Moving and Exquisite!
Link - Original recording video 1967.
1116. HOLDING BACK THE YEARS (1985)
Vocalist: Simply Red (lead Mick Hucknall) / with Band
Writer/Composer: Mick Hucknall (1977)
This sensational song delivered by Mick Hucknall of the British band, Simply Red, was a momentous time for this singer / songwriter in 1985, going worldwide! It was really difficult to categorize this song as Soul / R&B / Rock /Blues / Pop / or Jazz song, but it was embraced by all genres. The song is described as the anxiety cause by a difficult past to fearing what the future holds. It’s riddled with uncertainty, making it appealing to Blues fans. Mick’s soul-laden, bluesy voice is perfect for the delivery, known for his sweeping, nuanced, tenor voice, easily recognized as one of Britain’s best from 1985 on. The finale or outro says it all when he really displays his feelings, “holding, Holding, HOLDING / Oh, la-la-la-la-la-la / That’s all I have today / That’s all I have to say.” …Mercurial, yet Melancholy!
Link # 1 Original recording with video 1985. Link # 2 Spectacular live performance in Amsterdam
1115. TOO MUCH OF NOTHING (1967)
Vocalist: Peter, Paul & Mary (lead Mary Travers)
Writer/Composer: Bob Dylan (1967)
They began as an American Folk trio in 1961, winning Grammys in ‘62 & ‘63, touring almost constantly, even during the ‘British Invasion.’ Call this song Folk, call it Rock, or call it pure Blues, it’s pure pleasure with Mary singing up front, with their amazing blended signature harmony. Her contralto voice carries the song along with confidence, conviction and lively bravado, proving her vocal prowess, with their 4th entry listed. “Too much of nothin’ can turn a man into a liar / It can cause a man to sleep on nails / Another man to eat fire.” Truly one of the most engaging, influential Folk groups in music history, they were permanent fixtures, yes, Gibraltar-like icons, with spot-on, crystal-clear harmonies to match their melodies, stunning in their delivery…Clever and Sensational!
Link # 1 Original recording in 1967 Link # 2 Live on the Smothers Bros Comedy Hour 1969
1114. LOSING MY MIND “Follies” (1985)
Vocalist: Barbara Cook
Writer/Composer: Stephan Sondheim (1971)
She was among the finest singers and interpretators of the Broadway Theater from the 1950s through the 2000s, making her mark as a lyric soprano with a superb 3-octave voice that would endure from the 1980s, even when her vocals became a little darker. She was also a fine actress, a Tony-award winner, and carried on the traditional Musical Theater by performing in concerts and cabarets from the 1980s through the 2000s. Her excellent vocals had great warmth, agility and sincerity, allowing her long half century career to blossom. She specialized in numbers that allowed her agile, versatile voice to vanquish and shine, such as this Sondheim vocal, her 2nd on our list. Described as “subtle, sensitive and emotional,” she could belt, or sing as soft as a lamb, even into her 80s…Delicate, yet Dominating!
Link - Live performance 1985.
1113. NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (1990
Vocalist: Sinead O’Connor
Writer/Composer: Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) (1984)
The very beginning, "It’s been seven hours and 13 days / Since you took your love away / I go out every night and sleep all day / Since you took your love away,” and with the haunting voice of this Irish singer / songwriter, we have one of the 1990s biggest worldwide Rock / Alt-Pop hits, by this enigmatic singer. She delivers it with a mysterious, expressive emotion as one of the world’s most legendary break-up songs, fully vulnerable, yet personally arresting. Her personal life proved more newsworthy than her musical career, with her trademark shaved head and her controversial public statements about religion and activism—she refused her award for this song. But it was her unique, captivating 2-octave, alto voice that attracted her legions of followers in the 1990s, selling millions of records…Spellbinding!
Link # 1 Original recording and video 1990. Link # 2 Live performance 1992.
1112. CHE GELIDA MANINA “La Boheme” (1961)
Vocalist: Richard Tucker (with Rome Opera Orchestra / Eric Lansdorf cond.)
Writer/Composer: Giacomo Puccini (1896)
He brings it on here, the 2nd entry for this song, and as Jan Peece’s brother, he certainley holds his own. He was considered one of the finest of mid-20th Century tenors, with a more than 30-year career, all with the Metropolitan Opera, as well as being a great Jewish cantor. With Toscanini’s help he also performed the first complete Opera ever broadcast in the U.S. on national television. His impeccable diction was amazing in its power with a distinct “ringing” timbre, yet he was able to convey great sensitivity in his performances. This is absolutely among his best numbers…Truly Epic!
1111. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN (1970)
Vocalist: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young / featuring Jerry Garcia pedal steel guitar)
Writer/Composer: Graham Nash (1968)
This Folk Rock song was composed while Nash was still a member of the Hollies, but they passed on it. The timing was now right—it was a great message tune with a beautiful, understated presentation with a “Country-flavored delivery.” Time has been good to these American singer / songwriters, they have risen in fame and popularity through the susequent years, perfecting a form of harmony that’s second to none in the music industry. And don’t you just love this message? With their 5th entry on our list, Graham leads the way with a smooth, sincere plea in his final chorus, “Don’t you ever ask them why / If they told you, you would cry / So just look at them and sigh / And know they love you.” Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead, adds a mourning steel guitar…A Timeless, Enduring Classic!
Link # 1 Original recording 1970. Link # 2 Live in 1985.
1110. MAYBE I’M AMAZED (1977)
Vocalist: Paul McCartney & Wings (chorus ) (his new band of musicians including wife, Linda)
Writer/Composer: Paul McCartney (1970)
When the Beatles broke up in 1970, after a seven-year run at fame, fortune and constant recording, individual creative differences led to them wanting to go in so different directions, ultimately sacrificing their personal lives. Even though Beatlemania had taken its toll, Paul McCartney broke out of his personal starting gate with this song, dedicated to his wife, Linda. The song has eventually achieved Rock / Soft Rock classic status, largely because Paul played all the instruments in the original recording—piano, organ, guitar, bass, even drums. He punches out those raw, gritty growls, especially when he ends each verse, superior to those in Hey Jude, really putting a strain on the vocal cords. He also relies on stunning “oohahh” falsettos between verses—It packs a wallop!…A Fabulous Tour-De-Force!
Link # 1 Original recording 1970. Link # 2 Live performance 1973.
1109. I’VE GOT MY LOVE TO KEEP ME WARM “On the Avenue” 1958)
Vocalist: Ella Fitzgerald / Louie Armstrong
Writer/Composer: Irving Berlin (1937)
Perhaps no female vocalist could master or deliver a Jazz standard quite like Ella. The song was originally from the 1937 Movie, On the Avenue, with Dick Powell and Alice Faye singing as a duet, but Ella takes it to heavenly heights, as only she can. It was a hit in the Jazz / Pop genres, and her covers became part of the Irving Berlin’s selections of the American Songbook. With her 6th entry on our list, and in the original recording with Louis’ 4th entry, they blend particularly well in one of Irving Berlin’s most well-known classics. When she sings,“What do I care how much it may storm / I’ve got my love to keep me warm,” her versatility really shines as it’s an example of her perfect phrasing, and his gritty course voice compliments hers perfectly. A loveable Treat—Exquisite and Endearing!
Link # 1 Official music video, Ella & Louie Armstrong 1958 Link # 2 Live performance 1958.
1108. THE END (1958)
Vocalist: Earl Grant
Writer/Composer: Sid Jacobson / Jimmy Krondes (1958)
A beautiful rendition of how a love song is supposed to sound, crystal clear, with beautiful lyric, this one seems to have “slipped through the cracks” of time and faded from memory. Grant, sounding remarkably life Nat ‘King’ Cole, was a singer / organist who brought light and sound to the late 1950s and early 1960s, The song is touching with melody and his perfect baritone phrasing, with incredible clarity. It’s considered a Pop song but it secretly flirts with Jazz and R&B. What a finale: “At the end of a river, the water stops its flow / At the end of a highway, there’s no place you can go / But just tell me you love me and you are only mine / And our love will go on / ‘til the end of time / ‘Til the e-end of time.” This song should have become a classic…Soaring and Sublime!
Link - Original recording 1958.
1107. I CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU (1962)
Vocalist: Ray Charles / the Randy Van Horn singers (choral backing) / Marty Paich string arranger
Writer/Composer: Don Gibson (1957)
This Country classic was reinvented, remodeled and recorded as one of the greatest covers of all time by this never-to-be-forgotten version by Mr. Ray Charles from his landmark album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Misic. Totally embraced by R&B / Country / Soul / Pop / Folk and Jazz fans, with his 6th pick on our list, Ray vaulted beyond just R&B / Soul music, he now had total control of his recordings, and at the time this became one of the greatest albums ever recorded. His vocal was iconic and stirring, giving the song a Country flair, even with a hint of Gospel. He responds to the chorus on nearly every verse with his craggy, baritone growl. Don’t you just love his command of his last lines to the chorus, “Sing the song, children,” and we have an iconic masterpiece…Lofty and Legendary!
Link # 1 Original recording 1962. Link # 2 Oiginal audio remastered audio in 1962.
1106. HEARD IT IN A LOVE SONG (1977)
Vocalist: Marshall Tucker Band (lead vocals Doug Gray) / Toy Caldwell lead & guitar / Jerry Eubanks flute / and Paul Hornsby keyboards)
Writer/Composer: Toy Caldwell (1977)
The 1970s radio waves were filled with the music of American singer / songwriters whose creative sounds and lyrics made the general public eager to hear what the next song was. You had your dial set on your favorite station, and just as you turned the key on, you may have heard that Eubanks signature flute, whether on the Country / Rock / Blues / or Pop station—and we loved it! Doug Gray’s vocals were nasal, slurred, yet distinctive, awe-inspiring and totally unique, and this song was a winner! This has to be one of the happiest sounding tunes about the inevitable breakup, ever. “I ain’t been with a woman long enough / For my boots to get old / We’ve been together so long now / They both need resoled.” There was no Marshall Tucker and it still became an instant classic…Apologetically Awesome!
Link # 1 Original recording 1977. Link # 2 Live Performance Garden State Center 1981.
1105. COME RAIN OR COME SHINE (1963)
Vocalist: Peggy Lee / Frank DeVol Orch. and arranger
Writer/Composer: Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer (1946)
Does it really get any better than this, when it comes to a Jazz standard, with a Pop sound? Arguably, no—it’s just the unique sound of her captivating delivery! Her 6th song on our list is another example of why nobody sounded quite like her—she seemed to own her recorded numbers. Her contralto vocals always had a sultry, expressive, even intimate sound, a come-hither sound that was perfect for Jazz / Big Band / Pop / or Blues. She changed through the years, taking advantage of the lowering octave, but adapting so beautifully to fit the song. Example, 1969’s Is That All There Is? Most of the song is narrated, but she shines when she sings the chorus several times, as one of her biggest hits. This song promises her assured love, and she just delivers the goods…Considered it some Promissory Notes!
Link # 1 Original recording in 1955. Link # 2 Live performance Caesar’s Hour 1954.
1104. BEING ALIVE “Company” (2006)
Vocalist: Raul Esparza
Writer/Composer: Stephan Sondheim (1970)
Company was a massively successful musical in 1970 from the familiar creative genius of Stephan Sondheim, and this Broadway Musical number—its 2nd time listed, has become a test case for great voices, male and female. It’s a song about the epiphany of self-discovery when a guy is still a bachelor at 35 years. This 2006 revival of the play features Raul Esparza’a stunning vocals—he makes this song really…come alive…with his powerful, emotional, yet sensitive, baritone voice. This American singer / actor / TV star has come into his own since the late 1990s and his vocal performances are known for their rich maturity, intensity, yet he possesses a dramatic nuanced delivery, making him one of the most respected and sought after leading-man singers of the 21st Century…Absolutely Wonderful!
Link # 1 Live Performance from “Company” 2007.
1103. CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN “The Sound of Music” (1965)
Vocalist: Peggy Wood (voice Margery McKay)
Writer/Composer: Richard Rodgers / Oscar Hammerstein II (1959)
Of the great musical selections about a positive, promising future, this selection comes straight from the 1965 Oscar-winning Movie, the Sound of Music. The message is about human endurance, keeping a positive attitude, and it remains today one of the most iconic numbers ever written and performed on these two subjects. This is the song’s 2nd entry on our list, delivered as a nun by Peggy Wood on screen but really vocalized by American singer Margery McKay, a singer who deserved much more praise in her day for her powerful, sensational, soprano voice. She takes this song to exceptional heights and when she delivers the last verse, it remains nothing short of stunning. Watch the Movie scene again here, and if you’re not moved…get some therapy!…Simply Beautiful and Inspiring!
https://youtu.be/RKuqySkqhHw?si=8fcHh_HnTrZ0f0H-
Link - The touching film scene from the Sound of Music 1965.
1102. MY ONE AND ONLY LOVE (1963)
Vocalist: Johnny Hartman / John Coltrane (tenor saxophone) / Red Garland piano
Writer/Composer: Robert Mellin / Guy Wood (1953)
Rarely do the right combination of musicians converge in studio and the finished product come out so extraordinarily artistic and sublime—this is one of those times! Seldom has the history of a musical genre had such an intro as this Jazz piece by the great John Coltrane. It leads into the rich, resonant, baritone voice of American Jazz singer, Mr. Hartman, with his 3rd entry, who absolutely ‘kills it,’ with this song, etching it in stone as one of the most romantic numbers ever recorded. It didn’t take the music world long to realize this session from the album, John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, was to be the benchmark of Jazz collaboration. The sax intro just flows into a sublime universe, and our singer’s vocals seep deeply with rich, textured declarations of love…Phenomenal, Poignant!
Link # 1 Original recording 1963.
1101. DON’T BE CRUEL (1956)
Vocalist: Elvis Presley / the Jordanaires backup
Writer/Composer: Otis Blackwell (1956)
One of the greatest Rock & Roll recordings of all time, marking 1956 a year of extraordinary change in style and sound in popular music history. This record became the best-selling R ‘n R record for many years, largely because the flip side, Hound Dog, was also a massive hit. The song went global, making 1956 a watershed year in music, marking Elvis’s position as the most influential singer of the 20th Century—music would never be the same! As soon as he recorded it, (his 9th song listed) he knew it was the one. His baritone vocal range was young and electrifying. When he hits that first refrain, “Don’t be cruel / To a heart that’s true / I don’t want no other love / Baby, it’s just you I’m / thinking of… / Mmmm.” Musically, at that moment, he conquered the world!…Gloriously Stratospheric!
Link # 1 Original recording (less than 2 minutes) 1956. Link # 2 Live performance on Ed Sullivan Show, January 1957.
