Who Are Your Favorite Golden Era Vocalists?

[V.C. Brunswick]

Who are your favorite vocalists of the Golden Era, say, from 1920 to 1960? Here's a Top Ten of my favorites, not necessarily in order of preference:

Male Vocalists
Smith Ballew
Al Bowlly
Sam Browne
Maurice Chevalier
Carlos Gardel
Al Jolson
Irving Kaufman
Scrappy Lambert
Frank Luther
Johnny Marvin


Female Vocalists
Belle Baker
Josephine Baker
Irene Bordoni
Elsie Carlisle
Cecily Courtneidge
Ruth Etting
Jane Green
Annette Hanshaw
Jeannette Macdonald
Mistinguett

 

[swinggal]

Male Vocalists

Fats Waller
Nat King Cole
Louis Jordan
Slim Galliard
Slam Stewart
Joe Liggins
Roy Eldridge
Joe Williams
Jimmie Henderson
Buddy Johnson
Cab Calloway
Roy Felton
Bud Flanagan

Female Vocalists

Mildred Bailey
Ella Fitzgerald
Dinah Washington
Connee Boswell
Ella Mae Morse
Maxine Sullivan
Anita O'Day
Cleo Brown
Edith Piaf
Helen Forrest
Ivie Anderson
Lil Hardin Armstrong
Una Mae Carlisle
Bessie Smith

 

[LizzieMaine]

In no particular --

Male --

Bing Crosby
Joey Nash
Rudy Vallee
Al Bowlly
Fran Frey
Dick Powell
Harlan Lattimore
Russ Columbo
Chick Bullock
Ozzie Nelson
Harry Babbitt
Phil Harris
Fats Waller
Johnny Mercer
Louis Armstrong


Female --

Mildred Bailey
Ethel Waters
Leah Ray
Helen Ward
Billie Holliday
Ruth Etting
Kay Weber
Connee Boswell
Alice Faye
Frances Langford
Vera Lynn
Ethel Shutta
Edythe Wright
Ella Fitzgerald
Lee Wiley
Libby Holman
Dolly Dawn
Bea Wain


Vocal Groups:

The Eton Boys
The Foursome
The Mills Brothers
The Four Vagabonds
The Merry Macs
The Brox Sisters
The Boswell Sisters
The Pickens Sisters
The Stewart Sisters

 

[Yeps]

Beniamino Gigli
Alfredo Kraus
Those two are my favorite singers of all time.

 

[Fletch]

Male: Bon Bon Tunnell, Buddy Clark, Frank Sylvano, Tony Sacco, Scrappy Lambert, Red McKenzie

Female: Ramona, Helen Rowland, Peg La Centra, Evelyn Dall, Loretta Lee, Marjory Logan

 

[shopgirl61]

in a heartbeat, BING! (I read somewhere he was a regular marajuana smoker) mabe thats what gave him that crushed velvet voice

Ella Fitzgerald

Nat King Cole

Frank Sinatra

The Andrews Sisters

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

A Few More Favorites

Lale Andersen (the original Lili Marlene)
Adam Aston
Gene Austin
Jack Buchanan
Damia
Martha Eggert
Willi Fritsch
Lillian Harvey
Margot Hiltscher
Jack Hulbert
Libertad Lamarque
Marika Rökk
Wilhelm Strienz
Lois Whiteman

 

[HadleyH]

Plenty of the already listed above, plus, Fred Astaire who had a very pleasant voice, although not technically a singer.

Another one who hasn't been mentioned here and I like very much is Pat O'Malley who was principal vocalist with Jack Hylton and his Orchestra in the UK in the early 30s.

 

[Shangas]

Fred Astaire,
Frank Sinatra,
Bing Crosby,
Al Bowlly,
Satch Armstrong,
Cab Calloway,

 

[Chas]

Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Anita O'Day
Sarah Vaughan
Lena Horne
Ethel Waters
Bessie Smith
Lee Wiley
June Richmond
Hadda Brooks
Ivie Anderson
Adelaide Hall
Lee Morse
Annette Hanshaw
Eva Taylor
Maxine Sullivan
Helen Forrest
Nellie Lutcher
Helen Humes
The Boswell Sisters
Mabel Scott:
[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dbXdZw6e6v4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dbXdZw6e6v4&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

Male:
Louis Armstrong
Nat "King" Cole
Big Joe Turner
Hot Lips Page
Roy Eldridge
Herb Jeffries
Al Hibbler
Jimmy Rushing
Fats Waller
Wynonie Harris
Roy Milton
Al Bowlly
Charlie Palloy
Bob Howard
Amos Milburn:
[YOUTUBE]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/rDPPvsErNQY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/rDPPvsErNQY&amp;hl=en_US&amp;fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Chas]

in a heartbeat, BING! (I read somewhere he was a regular marajuana smoker) mabe thats what gave him that crushed velvet voice

As was Louis Armstrong, Gene Krupa, Anita O'Day (moved on to heroin), Billie Holiday, Lester Young. Mezz Mezzrow was a heavy smoker of the herb, and was one of the most popular men in the music biz as he always had the best dope to sell; he sold it out of his apartment in Harlem by the pillowcase. For some reason he was never busted. That also explains why he didn't record much as business was always good and he probably didn't need the money.

But that is another thread for another day...

I do a "drugs and alcohol" themed show once a year where all I play on the radio is two hours of songs about getting wasted. I call the show "feeling no pain".

 

[Undertow]

Hands down, Bing Crosby. I've been listening to him all my life. Followed by Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

I have to throw two more in the ring.

Although he's kinda hard to put on here - didn't always sing, but did on occassions, and went on to an excellent solo career that included good vocals: Beecher Kirby, a.k.a Bashful Brother Oswald.

And his career didn't really pick up until the 50's and 60's, but he started in the early '40's: Eddy Arnold.

 

[Johnny J]

Sinatra. I can listen to him all day.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Sinatra. I can listen to him all day.

Which Sinatra are we talking about? There's the early "Frankie!!!!" Sinatra, the Pal Joey/Rat Pack Sinatra, and "Chairman of the Board" Sinatra.

in a heartbeat, BING! (I read somewhere he was a regular marajuana smoker) mabe thats what gave him that crushed velvet voice

I don't know about the marijuana part but I do know that Der Bingle was partial to the bottle. In the film King of Jazz it was Bing Crosby who was originally slated to perform in the Song Of The Dawn number but at the time he had been arrested for DUI so he was replaced by John Boles (another one of my favorite vocalists).

 

[Johnny J]

Which Sinatra are we talking about? There's the early "Frankie!!!!" Sinatra, the Pal Joey/Rat Pack Sinatra, and "Chairman of the Board" Sinatra.


I prefer "The Capital Years", early 50's and on, when he started working with Nelson Riddle.

 

[Widebrim]

Helen Forrest, early Peggy Lee, Nat Cole, Sinatra (The Capitol Years), Dino, Joe Williams, Bobby Darrin (if I may include him as a "vocalist"), Anita O'Day, Ray Eberle, Andrews Sisters (nice Greek girls...) come to mind.

 

[StetsonHomburg]

I'd say Alan Breeze when he is doing his drunk impressions for Billy Cotton!

 

[Shiloh John]

Who Else?

Bowlly hands down.
www.AlBowlly.com

 

[vitanola]

Male: Bon Bon Tunnell, Buddy Clark, Frank Sylvano, Tony Sacco, Scrappy Lambert, Red McKenzie

Female: Ramona, Helen Rowland, Peg La Centra, Evelyn Dall, Loretta Lee, Marjory Logan

"Bon Bon"! I thought that I was his only surviving fan! McKenzie? Yeah, MAn!
Aside from Bing, arguaably the greatest American popular singer of the last century, one must remember Cliff Edwards, Tom Stacks, Billy Murray, Henry Burr, Fredrick V. Bowers, Gene Greene, and Ernie & Bill (The Happiness Boys), no?

On the distaff side we have of course Ada Jones, Marion Harris, the immortal Bessie Smith, Belle Mann, Vaughn DeLeath, Jane Green, Annette Hanshaw, Mildred Bailey, Miss Lee Morse, and the sadly under-rated Helen Ward.

My guilty pleasures are Betty Morgan, Sid Garry, and Franklyn Baur.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Who are your favorite vocalists of the Golden Era, say, from 1920 to 1960?

I'm generating Top 10 lists from "MY" Windows Media Player. Here it goes.... I'm not saying these are the BEST vocalists, but these are MY favorites according to what I have stored on my computer.


Male Vocalists
Frank Sinatra
Bing Crosby
Nat King Cole
Perry Como
Andy Russell
Dean Martin
Tony Bennett
Vic Damone
Billy Eckstine
Dick Haymes


Female Vocalists
Ella Fitzgerald
Doris Day
Peggy Lee
Rosemary Clooney
Dinah Shore
Martha Tilton
Jo Stafford
Margaret Whiting
Anita O'Day
June Christy

~For those of you that don't have many Golden Era Vocalists in your media player, perhaps these two pages will help you generate lists.
http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/vocalistspartone.html
http://www.bigbandlibrary.com/vocalistsparttwo.html