[DavidMahler]

Who is your favorite from the list above?

 

[tru blu]

OK, for me this is the hardest poll, even more difficult than Bob Dylan/Neil Young—which I've still yet to vote in. James Brown would be my instantaneous answer, but in a field that also includes fellow pioneers Ray Charles, Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, choosing is impossible.

 

[Jubei]

Yes, very difficult. I chose Sam Cooke, but really like Al Green and Marvin Gaye as well.

 

[DrBenway]

This was a tough one. As an innovator and all around mad genius, James Brown has no peer. But I cast my vote on just pure singing ability, and Otis Redding got my vote. Could just as easily been Al Green or Sam Cooke, though.


P.S. I would have included Solomon Burke in the list of choices! The tracks he recorded with Derek Trucks not so long ago prove that his giant voice is still in fine shape.

 

[Happy Camper]

A vote for Marvin.

My tough two were Marvin and Ray. I went by the vocal style and how it fit the music they did.

Ray's songs were too much production but he could cry tears from a stone.

Marvin had a melodious sound. I'm just a Motown slave.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

James Brown, heeehh(sp?)!

To be honest I don't listen to a lot of soul, but James Brown just makes funny and groovy songs, his music is very hard not to like.

James Brown - You Tube

 

[Tiger27]

This is just too hard. I need to think for a while.

 

[BigEat]

All I can say is "Let's Get it On"

 

[DavidMahler]

Am I the only Stevie worshipper here?

 

[nickyboyo]

No you're not David, Stevie (Innervisions is just genius) along with the rest rock hard, or smooth as the case may be, and are all legends.

My vote, purely on vocals has to go to Smokey.

 

[mr.khali]

This is an impossible poll to pick a favorite but for pure innovation, creation of a sound and sheer influence over soul, r&b, and hip hop, you have to go with the man in my avatar. He ain't called the godfather for nothing.

 

[Redo]

Stevie Wonder!!!

 

[zumaro]

Not possible to answer for me as well. I listen to Al Green more than anyone, but I suspect that Stevie Wonder is the most musically gifted, and that Otis Redding is the best singer of the lot. Or maybe thats Sam Cooke or Smokey Robinson for best singers, James Brown for the most listened to....

No vote here - the best popular musicians all in one poll is simply unfair. Now can we have a poll with Otis versus pink whoever to make it easy on us again.

 

[Wmcmanus]

Wow! You talk about a difficult choice to make! I picked Otis Redding but could have made a good argument for any of them as well as The Temptations (who, thankfully, never gave all of the credit to any one person, and had many great lead singers, David "My Girl" Ruffin being my favorite, but he wasn't even in the original lineup, and certainly didn't do all of the lead singing even in his era).

EDIT: Interestingly, with the sole exception of Jackie Wilson (who I never have quite been able to get into, though I've tried many times), when I'm listening to the music of ANY of the other mentioned names in this poll, I almost always get that chilled out, "It don't get any better than this" kind of feeling. With Al Green, it's just obvious, he melts you away. With Ray Charles, James Brown, or Stevie Wonder, its the genius that inspires.

With Curtis Mayfield (and also James Brown, I suppose) it's that cool, hip factor and the sense you get that they had a sense of exactly how to keep it original (it's always 'loose' but yet it's going somewhere that they know about before you do). Sam Cooke, Al Green and Marvin Gaye are probably the ultimate crooners in the list. For them, it's all about singing, and you can throw any song at them, it wouldn't matter. But Otis is special to me for some reason. Don't know why exactly, but it's the same kind of feeling I get when listening to Roy Orbison. It's like I know him from a prior life or something, but not as far back as when I was Cleopatra.

 

[omegaman]

I'm in the same boat as everyone else, I went for Curtis in the end but I could have had 3 or 4 votes in this poll.