OK, so I’ve got a great head voice (albeit reduced somewhat due to years of smoking), and have done first and second tenor singing, but my natural home range is straight on baritone. When placing natural baritones in history, there are only a few memorable choices (but, my are they memorable). Based on this information, it leads me to believe that where your voice falls when compared to the cultural milieu of popular Music during your formative years decidely puts you into a certain mindset. I, for example, could never really relate to Led Zeppelin, but naturally fell to Deep Purple (ah, to be able to scream as I used to …). Likewise, so much of the seventies and eighties rock was dominated by narrow-throated, whiney, high-pitched singing. So who were/are the great baritones (at least in rock/pop):
Johnny Cash
Elvis Presley
Jim Morrison
Barry White
Isaac Hayes
Ritchie Havens
Doug Ingle (from Iron Butterfly)
George Jones
Stephen Stills
Paul McCartney (sometimes, although he uses/used a lot of head voice)
B. B. King
Otis Redding
Is it any wonder I turned out the way I did?
