Originally Posted By: cgiles

In my musical world, great singers are held in the same high esteem that I hold great musicians. Personal favorites include Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughn, Billy Holiday, Nina Simone, James Brown, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Tony Bennett, Mel Torme, Shirley Horn, Lou Rawls, Bobby Caldwell, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, Dusty Springfield, B.B. King, and lately, Ruthie Foster. Obviously, I'm all about the 'soul' and that comes from within and can be expressed through any instrument, be it piano, organ, sax, trumpet, or the human voice. As with keyboards, I always felt that the feelings and emotions behind it were always way more important than the quality of the voice.

chas


You present a great list of legendary singers Chas. Another I have always enjoyed and is truly a musician is Al Jarreau who always puts an an outstanding performance. Some years ago I was at a restaurant in Los Angeles enjoying good food and even better music from Freddie Ravel and his band. In between songs he announced a friend of his was celebrating his birthday that night in the restaurant and was going to sing a couple of songs with the band. Al Jarreau got up from his table and blew everyone away with his impromptu performance. Later that night I passed him in the hallway and thanked him for the treat. He just laughed and said "Just singing on my birthday".