CARLTON FLETCHER: Sucking up in the name of rock and roll

I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style.

— Roberta Flack

The Big Boss made one of his (increasingly rare) stop-overs last week (no doubt flying his private G6 into the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport), and as is usually the case when we get together, the conversation turned to music.

TBB (I’ll stick with this bland nickname throughout so people won’t think I’m a complete suck-up) said he got into a conversation with himself recently about the best voices in rock music. “I came up with three,” he said. “Steve Perry of Journey, Don Henley and Eddie Vedder.”

I had to (grudgingly) admit The Big Boss had done himself proud with his choices. I also figured the topic deserved a little more in-depth discussion, so I pulled out a few of my handy-dandy rock and roll guidebooks and went through a looooooong list of great singers in my mind and came up with the very-not-definitive Top 40 pop/rock singers of all-time ever.

(Note 1: I expect to catch grief from my buddy Levine and from a couple of guys whose musical knowledge I envy — Fred Bailey and Martin Mosteller — but these are my choices and I’m sticking with them … at least for the rest of this week. I’m sure by then I will have about 50 or 60 more pointed out to me that I forgot while conducting my unscientific research.)

(Note 2: I don’t care if he was more popular than The Beatles, Slim Whitman did not make the cut here.)

1. Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Don Henley of The Eagles. The Big Boss was right. For very different reasons, these are the two most astounding voices in rock music. Proof: Vedder, “Black;” Henley, “The Last Resort.”

2. Freddie Mercury of Queen. No man should be allowed to sing this high and this good. Proof: “Somebody to Love.”

3. Van Morrison. Proof: “Into the Mystic.”

4. Art Garfunkel of Simon and Garfunkel. Proof: “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” (Modern singers Sam Smith and Charlie Puth have voices similar to Garfunkel’s, but since their careers are just starting to take off, I’ll leave them as merely side notes for the time being.)

5. Otis Redding. Greatest soul singer ever. Proof: “Try a Little Tenderness.”

6. Stevie Wonder. Maybe the second-greatest singer/songwriter ever (behind Nos. 7). Proof: “I Believe When I Fall in Love With You (It Will Be Forever).”

7. Paul McCartney/John Lennon. Not fair really to list these two together since each had a unique style that perfectly fit certain songs — Lennon on “Rain” and “Instant Karma,” for instance, and McCartney on “Let It Be” and “Helter Skelter” — but they were the creative geniuses behind the greatest band of all time.

8. Gregg Allman of The Allman Brothers Band. Smoother than Tennessee whiskey … if someone hasn’t already used that. Proof: “Ain’t My Cross to Bear.”

9. James Taylor. Proof: “Millworker.”

10. Smokey Robinson of The Miracles. Proof: “Cruisin’.”

11. Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. His wail and Jimmy Page’s guitar, the best complementary instruments of any band ever. Proof: “Stairway to Heaven.”

12. Curtis Mayfield of The Impressions. Proof: “Superfly.”

13. Prince. Maybe the best singer/musician of this collection. Proof: “Purple Rain.”

14. Johnny Cash. The complete opposite of Freddie Mercury, but no less talented. Proof: “Ring of Fire.”

15. Al Green. Proof: “Tired of Being Alone.”

16. Roy Orbison. How many octaves did he reach with no quality decline? A unique instrument. Proof: “Crying.”

17. Paul Rodgers of Free, Bad Co., The Firm. No matter who provided accompaniment, his voice remained rock steady. Proof: “Satisfaction Guaranteed.”

18. Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys. He was one of several vocal talents in the group, but he gets extra points as the genius behind the Boys’ sound. Proof: “God Only Knows.”

19. Frankie Valli of The Four Seasons. Proof: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

20. Neil Young. Piercing, haunting, one-of-a-kind voice. Proof: “Running Dry (Requiem for the Rockets).”

21. Paul Simon of Simon and Garfunkel. Overshadowed a bit by his partner, but no less a great singer. Proof: “The Boxer.”

22. David Bowie. Groundbreaking talent. Proof: “Big Brother.”

23. James Hetfield of Metallica. How can a voice that scary do such wonderful things with a song’s lyrics? Proof: “One.”

24. Steve Winwood of Traffic, Blind Faith, Spencer Davis Group. Proof: “Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys.”

25. Aretha Franklin. She’s not the Queen for nothing. Proof: “Spanish Harlem.”

26. Marvin Gaye. Proof: “What’s Going On?”

27. Roger Daltry of The Who. The ultimate rock and roll singer. Proof: “Man in a Purple Dress.”

28. Mavis Staples of The Staple Singers. Proof: “I’ll Take You There.”

29. Johnny Rivers. The best blue-eyed soul singer ever. Proof: “Slow Dancing.”

30. Solomon Burke. Proof: “Cry to Me.”

31. Dan Fogelberg. Proof: “Nether Lands.”

32. Mick Jagger of The Rolling Stones. Still amazing more than 50 years on. Proof: “Sympathy for the Devil.”

33. Jackson Browne. Ranks close to Stevie Wonder on the singer/songwriter scale. Proof: “The Pretender.”

34. Anthony Keidis of Red Hot Chili Peppers. Proof: “Californication.”

35. Maynard James Keenan of Tool. Sweetest and often strangest sounds backed by the heaviest band. Proof: “Aenema.”

36. Michael Stipe of REM. Proof: “Everybody Hurts.”

37. Elvis. The man who changed music forever, a deserving King. Proof: “In the Ghetto.”

38. Adele. Maybe the most beloved/respected singer currently making music. Proof: “Someone Like You.”

39. Johnny Mathis. Proof: “Misty.”

40. Tina Turner. Especially in the early days with then-hubby Ike. Proof: “Nutbush City Limits.”