The Steel Guitar Forum

Okay,
There are not a whole lot of women singers that I can stand that sing today. Most of them sound like processed garbage and the others, well, I don't know what I find irritating.
Fans & Foes, tell me which women singers are your favorites and what it is about their RECORDED VOICES that you like.
Melinda
PS my favorites are Patsy Cline, a girl from a band named "White Knuckle Ride" and June Carter.

Actually, its alway been just a few, for diferent reasons.

First, I think it would be Dinah Shore in the days she worked for Xavier Cougat. Just Purity of tone, inflection, and timing of phrasing.

Next it would be Dale Evans, when she worked with the Anson Weeks band. I'd say the conveyance of "glee" and humor in a perfectly controlled voice. (Could be easily "the best".)

Third would have to be Judy Garland. All of the above, probably more the use of lower registers as well.

Somewhere in there is Kitty Wells, and Loretta Lynne. Kitty was the "female version" of ET, ( Mommy for a Day/ Dear John, (.. for my love for you has died, like the grass out on the lawn,,)) and Loretta was just Lorretta.Lots of heart, and pure blasting vocals. Kind of a female "Buck Owens".

(My adoration of Emmy Lou Harris was partly physical, and based on a poster that I was later to learn was retouched to make her look taller. I could never understand the individual words she sang, and perhaps that added to the mystical atraction.)<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Eric West on 15 March 2003 at 01:11 PM.]</p></FONT>

Recently I have started to like Natalie Maines.

Wanda Jackson, Neko Case, Lena Machado, Lisa Germano, Billie Holiday, Cassandra Wilson, Allison Krauss, Mavis Staples, and many more, all because they have unique sounding voices. This to me is an essential quality of a great singer, even more than chops. I tend not to like nasal, whiney voices and obligatory show-off runs.

I forgot Neko Case and Alison Krauss. They are both awesome!
i'm talking about the ones I can't stand like Dolly Parton.
Sounds like a chipmunk on crack.
Melinda

I'll mention some of the ones in the country field that haven't been mentioned already. Connie Smith, Wilma Burgess, Barbara Fairchild, Texas Ruby, and Jean Sheppard.

In the pop field, Brenda Lee, Jaye P. Morgan, Julie London, Judy Collins, and...oh yes, Timi Yuro, who did "Hurt" (one of the most soulful vocal performances ever recorded, IMHO).

Anne Murray, Karen Carpenter, Emmylou Harris, and Dionne Warwick have always been among my many favorites. To be honest, I don't know if I could say why they're among my favorites. That is, I don't know if it's mainly because I like the material they did/do, or if it's mainly because of the sound of their voices. In my opinion though, they each have great voices and are great singers.

Melinda, I have always thought you needed to be totally different to be a good singer. There are 2 ladies I could recognize instantly when they started singing, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette. I might add both ladies used a lot of steel on their records. As far as Dollp Parton, I never thought she looked like a chipmunk even though I never considered her to be one of the greats...Paul

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica">quote:</font><HR><SMALL>about the ones I can't stand like Dolly Parton.
Sounds like a chipmunk on crack.</SMALL><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I used to know a singer who sounded like Dolly Parton on helium and PCP.

Karen Carpenter, yes! Not the best voice of many of those mentioned above, but how soulful, how touching was her presentation of a lyric...and how tragic was the end of her life. The demons of insecurity in her life were obvious in her singing. www.genejones.com <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 15 March 2003 at 03:57 PM.]</p></FONT>

If we narrow the field just a bit to some of the newer female voices, I just have to choose Kenny Chesney.

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Stump Reeves

Iris DeMent, Julie Miller and Emmylou Harris

Misty Morgan for country and Mary Ford for pop.

I just want to know who has the spare time, the spare crack and the spare chipmunk to know what this phenomenon sounds like.

Just go with the flow Jon...it won't hurt very long! <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 15 March 2003 at 04:39 PM.]</p></FONT>

• Tammy Wynette
  Loretta Lynn
  Tanya Tucker
  Alison Krauss

four unique and very recognizable voices

<SMALL>I just want to know who has the spare time, the spare crack and the spare chipmunk to know what this phenomenon sounds like</SMALL>

After we smoked the crack, we tried to smoke the chipmunk.

Not country, but I think that Edie Gorme is about as good they get.

(Country Music)
Connie Smith
Heather Myles
Linda Lay

Mainly because they sing with a real Woman voice and from the heart and in perfect tune....and I can't think of any others that do that other than Loretta...that are alive.
So support these Women of Country Music and you can give one of them a Listen right here>Linda Lay singing "We Could"


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Ricky Davis


My Homepage
Rebel™ and Ricky's Audio Clips
www.mightyfinemusic.com
Email Ricky: sshawaiian@aol.com

As long as we don't have the chipmunk sounding like Dolly Parton on crack we'll be fine.

Mid-career Linda Ronstadt.

And, currently, my personal fave is Rebecca Kilgore. Man! Her version of "Slow Boat to China" from Morrell's "Jugglin' Cats" CD will just melt your heart...

CONNIE SMITH!!!!!

K.D. Lang, she doesn't sing anything halfway. I love her amazing vocal range and sense of humor. Try the Shadowland album with Buddy Emmons and Hal Rugg on steel.
For something offbeat, rent Mullholland Drive and watch for Rebekah Del Rio, singing Roy Orbison's "Crying" in Spanish. Pure emotion.
Suzy Bogguss, she has such a clear voice.
Mary Chapin Carpenter, the Come On, Come On album, listen to "Rhythm of the Rain" and the duet with Joe Diffie, "Not Too Much to Ask", one of the few good, recent duets.

Connie Smith-The Rolls Royce of Female C&W Singers

Kitty Wells-The Undisputed Queen

Jean Sheppard-Pure COuntry

Goldie Hill- The Golden Hillbilly-smouldering passion

Rose Maddox-Pure West Coast

Wanda Jackson-Pure Fireball

June Carter-Hillbilly Gal Next Door

Kay Adams-Truck Driver's Wet Dream

Miss Audrey Williams HADACOL!!!

oh, did you mean recording CURRENTLY??
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Dave Van Allen on 15 March 2003 at 08:11 PM.]</p></FONT>

Trisha Yearwood, Lee Ann Womack, Patty Loveless, and (when she was doing country) Leann Rimes.

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