14 classic rock groups with more than one lead singer

through Dan Tucker

6/8/2014

Typically in a rock band there is a lead singer. Of course, other members of the group can add backing vocals and harmonies to complement the sound, but these other members usually have a lead role other than vocals. Of course, this is by no means an immutable rule. In fact, in the days of classic rock, the multi-singer setup was quite common. And some of the greatest bands of all time have had more than one lead singer, where each singer is identifiable as a hallmark of the band’s sound. Like so many things it all started with The Beatles, where each member was a full singer (although Paul McCartney and John lennon took care of the lion’s share of the vocal tasks). And the Fab Four laid the groundwork for a whole slew of classic rock groups that used the old multi-singer trick (with great success), which we were talking about. The group, Fleetwood Mac Where Pink floyd. Here is a list of 14 classic rock bands with more than one lead singer who let their egos drop and let the guitarist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist and tambourine player in the spotlight and take the vocal reins of some of the greatest songs from their band.

The group
The Canadian-American roots rock group combined the vocal talents of Richard Manuel, Levon Helm and Rick Danko on some of the group’s classics, including “Whispering Pines”, “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” and “It Makes No Difference. “.

Styx
The rock band have used many of their members for lead vocals, including guitarist / synth John Curulewski on “Mother Dear” and guitarist James Young on songs like “Midnight Ride”, but they are perhaps more famous. for songs sung by the keyboardist. Dennis DeYoung (“Come Sail Away”) and guitarist Tommy Shaw (“Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)”).

Jefferson plane
Although the psychedelic rock band’s biggest hits feature Grace Slick on vocals (“White Rabbit” and “Somebody to Love”), co-singer Marty Balin and rhythm guitarist Paul Kantner have contributed to some of the most famous songs. of the group as “Today” and “Let me in”, respectively.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjHDAXGi1eA
Top ZZ
The lead vocals of bearded blues / hard rock legends are predominantly dominated by guitarist Billy Gibbons (tracks like “Sharp Dressed Man” and “Legs”), but bassist Dusty Hill is no slacker at the mic, helping some of the band’s greatest songs. like “Tush” and “Bad Girl”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkPy18xW1j8
Beach boys
Although Mike Love is often associated as the lead vocalist of the surf-rock / pop group, Dennis Wilson and Al Jardine also helped sing the band’s more upbeat tunes with Brian and Carl Wilson singing ballads such as “God Only. Knows “.

Fleetwood Mac
The Anglo-American rock band used the vocal talents of three different band members, each with completely unique sensations and tones – vocalist Stevie Nicks for ballads like “Rhiannon”; keyboardist Christine McVie for breezy pop songs like “You Make Loving Fun”; and guitarist Lindsey Buckingham for more rock songs like “Go Your Own Way”.

Cars
The Boston new wave rock group has traded lead roles between rhythm guitarist and songwriter Ric Ocasek and bassist Benjamin Orr on mega-hits like “Good Times Roll”, “Just What I Needed” and “Drive” .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jIM_eT5hlg
Eagles
Although the country-rock group has been vocally dominated by guitarist Glenn Frey and drummer Don Henley over the years, each of the members (past and present – Randy Meisner, Don Felder, Bernie Leadon, Timothy B. Schmit, Joe Walsh ) has contributed songs ranging from “Hotel California” to “Lyin ‘Eyes” to “Take It to the Limit”.

To kiss
The hard rock band’s classic lineup saw all 4 members contribute vocals, from bassist Gene Simmons on “Rock and Roll All Nite” to rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley on “Detroit Rock City” to lead guitarist Ace Frehley on “Shock Me” and drummer Peter Criss on the hit ballad “Beth”.

Cream
Although the British psych / blues-rock power trio typically swapped lead vocals between bassist Jack Bruce (“White Room”) and guitarist Eric Clapton (“Strange Brew”), they also combined their vocal talents on numerous band songs, and drummer Ginger Baker took the lead on deep cuts like “Blue Condition”.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
The folk rock supergroup is known for their harmonies on many levels, but on landmark albums like Deja Vu from the 1970s you can hear the amazing vocal ability of every member – David Crosby on “Almost Cut My Hair”, Stephen Stills on ” Woodstock “, Graham Nash on” Our House “and Neil Young on” Helpless “.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYLVbigYUfU
Pink floyd
Although Syd Barrett led the way vocally on the psych-rock group’s first albums, David Gilmour and Roger Waters covered most of the group’s biggest hits (“Money”, “Welcome to the Machine”, “Comfortably Numb”) , with occasional contributions from keyboardist Richard Wright on songs like “Summer ’68”.

Shock
The songs of the British punk rock band were usually carried vocally by rhythm guitarist Joe Strummer (“London Calling”) and lead guitarist Mick Jones (“Should I Stay Or Should I Go”), but bassist Paul Simonon and drummer Topper Headon have also contributed vocals on tracks like “The Guns of Brixton” and “Ivan Meets GI Joe”, respectively.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-Q0LmXe9Ek
The Beatles
The legendary British rock band mainly used the vocal talents of lead songwriters Paul McCartney and John Lennon, but the lead guitarist George harrison has also contributed vocals on classics like “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” and “Something”, and drummer Ringo starr sang the lead role on “Yellow Submarine”.