X-rated Bob wrote
studmissile wrote
Another silly list I feel compelled to add my 10 cents. I feel as lead singer it has to go Steve Tyler. They not my favorite group (but up there), he can sing, dance (those back flips and shit) and play the harmonica (and drums) like no leading man can. I'd happily put him at no 1.
It's an interesting thing (to me, anyway) that a lot of singers can play instruments but don't do it much live. Bowie can handle guitar and sax (played both on albums, on and one album played all the guitar. He played keyboards in Iggy Pop's band for a while). Plant plays guitar and pretty good harmonica - also played some bass in a sort of nearly-Zep-reunion project that JPJ wasn't involved in. Freddy Mercury played piano on the records and occasional piano and guitar on stage. Daltrey was the lead guitarist for the Who whilst they were still operating under another name. Paul Rogers played a lot of guitar on Bad Company records (on one track he played everything). Etc etc.
Which gives a hint about the job - you're not there to just stand in front of the mic and sing. There's more to it than that. Joan Armatrading was, for a long time, a good example. She's fully up to the job of playing lead guitar, but for a long time she always had a lead guitarist in the band who did a job that she was fully capable of doing herself - and she's not exactly given to prancing around the stage, getting a foot up on the monitors, whirling the mic on it's cable etc.
So it seems to me it's a demanding job. You're not just trying to remember the lyrics and utter them in tune.
It could be that an instruments limits the vocalist to connect with the crowd. It is easier to "perform" when you only have to focus on singing. I think most of them prefer to sing and play an instrument - thats what the "real" artists do, but most "real" artists will die poor! Imagine Freddy Mercury just standing still on stage playing either guitar or piano, i don't think he would have become the legend he is today.
