In your opinion, who are/is the greatest prog singer(s) of all time?

In your opinion, who are/is the greatest prog singer(s) of all time?

Discussion

I’d like to stress that this is solely my opinion. The being cleared, I’m going to now list my top prog singers from the greatest to least, just to give my two cents. I wanna hear your opinions in the comments, it would be awesome and cool to hear other people’s thoughts and explanations.

 

Steve Walsh from Kansas–to me, there is no one like him. He is the greatest of all time. He has it all (I’m referring to pre-second Kansas Walsh, so it still counts). I’ve never heard a man sing like him before. He’s got the soul, range, control, technique, clarity (and by that I mean pure sound, no scratchiness). He’s the complete package and he’s so versatile; I can’t find anther singer–even outside prog except for Steve Perry–that can match him. Everybody else is lacking in some way or another. The first time I ever heard him was on Carry On Wayward Son, and he really grabbed my attention with those two vocal riffs at the end. So I explored a bit more, and was blown away. His vocals ring like a bell and pierce you soul, and it’s gotten to the point where his voice gets me emotional. He is amazing in the studio and even moreso live. On top of that singing, he manages to be an amazing keyboard player but severely underappreciated. Even Kerry Livgren admitted Steve is a much more adept, and better player than he is. in the Kansas documentary Miracles out of Nowhere, Phil Ehart said he’s never heard so much soul in a white man’s voice. Also, it’s important to note that the band members have said there were three factors that made Kansas so unique. Robby’s violin, Kerry songwriting, and Steve’s voice. If you want to hear a splendid representation of what his voice sounded at his peak (1976-1980), I recommend you listen to their live album, Two for the Show (from shows during 1977-1978). I’ve seen a lot of people in the prog community regard it as one of the best produced live albums, and I agree. If you want a few songs that showcase his vocal ability on that live album, I think Icarus-Borne On Wings of Steel, Song For America, Paradox, Carry On Wayward Son, Lonely Wind, and The Wall are good paces to start. Some studio numbers I recommend are Journey from Mariabronn, Carry On Wayward Son, The Pinnacle, Icarus-Borne On Wings of Steel, Paradox, The Wall, Closet Chronicles, Angels Have Fallen. Overall, he’s the greatest in my opinion.

 

Geddy Lee from Rush–Geddy is frickin’ awesome. He’s probably one of the most recognizable voices in the prog genre. His range is insane and the highest I’ve heard come out of the mouth of a man, the guy’s a real screamer. But the thing is, it’s not like a James Brown or a Robby Steinhardt scream, it’s got melody and he’s able to maintain that volume and sing with it for a while. The intensity he’s able to channel and then effortlessly switch to a softer tone is really something that I appreciate, and he does that like an on-and-off switch a lot with seemingly flawless finesse. The thing that surprises me is that for a decent amount of time he really kept his range before his voice started to age, and he never really blew it out while he was in his prime. I gotta hand him that. He’s also one of those singers who has a really piercing vocal and grabs your attention, especially on the 2112 album. Definitely my favorite vocal performances that he’s given are from the albums 2112, A Farewell to Kings, and Moving Pictures. Songs like 2112, The Twilight Zone, A Passage to Bangkok, Xanadu, and Tom Sawyer really highlight that ability that I mentioned earlier of him being able to sing at a soft tone, and then immediately ramp up the intensity into a segment where his voice is able to thrive in those melodically scream out notes.

 

Jon Anderson from Yes–everyone knows Jon Anderson or has heard of Yes. You can’t have prog without them. That being said, I think he also is one of the greats, definitely in this top 3 of mine that I’ve layed out here. His voice is really breathtaking in many ways. He’s got that silky quality that fits so well in with Yes, and it feels like it can transcend you into a different dimension. He also has really high range and feeling in his voice, which I really like. Whenever I find myself looking to unwind and relax in my bed before going to sleep, I listen to Yes because Jon Anderson’s voice has that soothing quality. And what’s most impressive and I think deserves a standing ovation, is that he’s been able to keep his voice in relatively the same shape since the beginning. Today, he’s SEVENTY-SEVEN years old. That’s really commendable for someone to maintain that kind of discipline for their whole life, as we’ve seen countless of greats squander their voices on drugs, age, and just lack of care. That includes Geddy Lee and Steve Walsh for one reason or another. To me, his voice really shines through on the Close to The Edge album, with epic solo lines from chapters of songs like I Get Up I Get Down from Close to The Edge and Eclipse from And You and I. In a recent Rick Beato interview, Anderson even mentioned that Close To The Edge was the album where he first truly came out of his shell and flourished as a singer; and he really doesn’t hold back on that album. My favorite songs which feature Jon Anderson’s vocal ability are Close To The Edge, And You and I, Heart of the Sunrise, I’ve Seen All Good People, and even We Have Heaven.

 

Basically, this is my top 3 of the greatest prog singers of all time and my analysis of why I think so. Once again, this is solely my opinion and everyone has such different tastes hat it’s hard to find anyone who is exactly like someone else. I’ll be interested to hear what you all have to say.