My Favorite Celebrity Singing Voices

32.

Betty Buckley





A lot of people just know her as Abby on Eight is Enough or as Sissy Spacek's gym teacher in Carrie, but Betty Buckley is actually one of Broadway's greatest belters, starring as Martha Jefferson in 1776 and Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, and her most famous role, Grizabella in Cats and I have included a clip of Buckley performing the iconic "Memory" at the 1983 Tony Awards.

I liked Meryl Streep in Into the Woods, but I loved her in Mamma Mia!. She's a big part of the reason why I love that movie so much, and why it will probably place very high on my list for the Directed By Women Countdown.

Howard Keel! one of my all time favorites. Not just for his singing but for his on-screen prescience too. He was so great in so many musicals. I read that he had to beg the studio to let him play the role in Kiss Me Kate as it was against his casting type. That movie is also my favorite Kathryn Grayson performance.

I don't get that Kiss Me Kate was casting Keel against type...he seemed like he was born to play that role.

Meryl was the best thing about Momma Mia

31.

Angela Lansbury





After almost three decades of making movies, earning three Oscar nominations along the way, the iconic actress was approached by Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim to star in a musical he had written called Anyone Can Whistle and even though that show was a flop, it opened up a whole new career on Broadway for Lansbury that earned her four Tony Awards, including one for the show from which I have included a clip here, Sweeney Todd.

30

Michael Jackson





OK, calm down and hear me out...some may consider this rating a little on the low side, but let me explain, starting with the photograph I have posted above. This is the way I like to remember Michael...I like to remember Michael before the freak show that his life became. Also, when Michael was a teenager, he had one of the most beautiful and lyric voices I have ever heard, crisp clear diction and amazing breath control. Think about his singing on "I'll Be There" or "Never Can Say Goodbye". You understood every word Michael sang and his tone was clear as a bell...no made up words, no allegedly sexy gasps and moans. Now think about everything Michael recorded after "Off the Wall"...his personal life aside, his songs became about being pure dance music and his obsession with making the most original videos and providing the flashiest choreography for said videos. His musicianship just fell by the wayside and his diction? I can't think of a single song from "Thriller" on where I know every single lyric and you're talking to a guy who has entire Broadway musicals memorized. The Michael above is the Michael I want to remember and the Michael I felt deserved to be a part of this list and I have included one of his most beautiful vocal performances...the theme from the 1973 movie Ben. RIP, Michael

29.

Tom Jones






The handsome and sexy Welsh singer was such an overnight sensation during the 70's that he was actually given his own television variety show called This is Tom Jones that ran for three seasons on ABC. It should be no surprise that I have included a clip of Jones on The Ed Sullivan Show singing what would eventually become his signature song, "It's Not Unusual."

28.

Diana Ross





Personally, I've always felt Ross was slightly overrated. I think her enormous ego has had some negative repercussions on her career, not to mention her relationship with Svengali Berry Gordy, but she still managed to break away from the Supremes and become a superstar in her own right. If the truth be told, her voice is small and the magic of recording studios have made her voice seem a lot bigger than it is. Her brief fling with a movie career ended pretty quickly after Mahogany but she is still a big draw in places like Vegas and will always be considered a superstar. I have included a clip of a live performance from Vegas of Ross doing one of her biggest hits "Ain't No Mountain High Enough."

27.

Barbara Cook





This legendary performer created the role of Marian the Librarian in the original Broadway production of The Music Man and also originated the female leads in Candide and She Loves Me. She still continues to grace nightclub audiences with her gorgeous soprano stylings. I have included a clip of Cook performing "Losing My Mind" for the 1986 concert version of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies.

26.

Smokey Robinson





Along with the miracles, Smokey's velvet-like tones and his talent as a songwriter were the backbone of Motown for years. I have included a clip of his classic "Ooh Baby Baby."

25.

Lionel Ritchie





Before becoming a judge on American Idol, Lionel Richie was part of the Commodores, but wisely broke out on his own finding even bigger fame and fortune as a solo artists whose achievements include 2 American Music Awards, 2 Grammys and an Oscar. I have included a clip of him singing "Easy."

24.

Patti LaBelle





She went from gospel singer to disco queen to one of the top selling R&B artists of all time. This is a powerhouse vocalist who sounds even better live than she does on vinyl. I have included a clip from the Motown 25 special where Patti brings down the house with "You'll Never Walk Alone."

23.

Harry Connick Jr.





He's an award singer/songwriter/pianist who used his talents to jump start a thriving acting career which included a leading role on NBC's Will & Grace and the lead in a Broadway revival of The Pajama Game. But what it all comes down to for me is that Harry has one of the sexiest singing voices I have ever heard. I have included a clip of Harry's first big hit, his cover of "It Had to be You."

22.

Annie Lennox





Lennox and hubby Dave Stewart burst onto the 1980's music scene as The Eurhythmics and were the most powerful music duo since The Captain and Tenille, thanks primarily to Lennox's very sexy vocals. I have included a clip of "Here Comes the Rain Again."

Smokey Robinson sang the most amazing version of the National Anthem for the 1986 World Series.

21.

Steve Perry





As the lead singer for Journey, Steve Perry was the front man for some of the most romantic rock songs ever written. There is a raw emotion behind his voice that's impossible to resist. I have included a clip of a live performance of Perry performing a song that brought tears to my eyes the very first time I heard it, "Open Arms."

20.

Dick Van Dyke





Before he became a television icon, Van Dyke was a Broadway star, winning a Tony Award for creating the role of Albert Peterson in the OBC of Bye Bye Birdie. I have included a clip from the film version of that musical singing "Put on a Happy Face."

19.

Dean Martin





He appeared in over 50 films, had a variety series on NBC that ran close to a decade but first and foremost, Dean Martin was a recording artist, one of the most popular singers ever. He's also one of those singers who sounds like NO ONE else. I have enclosed a clip of him sining "Ain't that a Kick in the Head."

Patti Labelle's vocals are insane! She can resonate and support a G#5 with vibrato with no problem.