[scottpaul_iu]

This guy is one of my all-tme fav singers, period. I wore out his live album when I was younger.

Is there anyone out there that is sort of like him in terms of voice and material?

 

[bundee1]

I just discovered him and so far hes pretty unique. Im kind of trying to find more artists myself Have you checked out:

Al Green
Isaac Hayes
Archie Bell

 

[scottpaul_iu]

Quote:

Originally posted by bundee1 I just discovered him and so far hes pretty unique. Im kind of trying to find more artists myself Have you checked out: Al Green Isaac Hayes Archie Bell

Al Green - like him big time and most things from the Hi label
IH - I like all his stuff and almost all things from Stax/Volt

 

[Tuberoller]

Donny is one of my favorites as well.if you like him try some stuff by

Solomon Burke-one of the best soul singers ever with an amazing voice.

William Bell-another incredible voice and the best Stax singer(IMHO) He is a huge audiophile and all his stuff sounds great.

David Ruffin-has an amazing range and great voice.the fact that he sang songs by some of the best songwriters ever and had the best musician playing behind him helps.

DJ Rogers-a great voice combined with heart-wrenching emotion just make you want to break down.Great music.

Wilson Pickett-I don't really need to say why,do I?His earlier stuff is good enough for you to forgive the disco junk.

Teddy Pendergrass-an amazing voice with that great "Philly Sound" combine to make some of the most amazing bedroom classics ever.BTW,the sound quality on all the Philly International recordings is near-audiophile.They all sound amazing.

there are abunch of others I want to list but I think these guys are more to your liking.They are easy to like and the music is not so deep-soul rooted that it only appeals to hard-core fans.

 

[scottpaul_iu]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller Donny is one of my favorites as well.if you like him try some stuff by Solomon Burke-one of the best soul singers ever with an amazing voice. William Bell-another incredible voice and the best Stax singer(IMHO) He is a huge audiophile and all his stuff sounds great. David Ruffin-has an amazing range and great voice.the fact that he sang songs by some of the best songwriters ever and had the best musician playing behind him helps. DJ Rogers-a great voice combined with heart-wrenching emotion just make you want to break down.Great music. Wilson Pickett-I don't really need to say why,do I?His earlier stuff is good enough for you to forgive the disco junk. Teddy Pendergrass-an amazing voice with that great "Philly Sound" combine to make some of the most amazing bedroom classics ever.BTW,the sound quality on all the Philly International recordings is near-audiophile.They all sound amazing. there are abunch of others I want to list but I think these guys are more to your liking.They are easy to like and the music is not so deep-soul rooted that it only appeals to hard-core fans.

Thanks tuberoller.

Never heard of DJ Rogers, I will check him out. The only Solomon Burke I have is his new disc. His is very cool, and I will dig in deeper on him as well. THe other guys I have a lot of stuff from.

Would you care to give up some more names? It would be appreciated.

 

[Tuberoller]

I don't want to make you spend all your hard earned cash on music

but.........

I love Bill Withers,Billy Paul,Eddie Kendricks,Smokey Robinson(his mid-70s solo stuff us fantastic) and Michael Henderson.You might also want to try some Peabo Bryson(mid-70s,before he went pop)Barry White,and Larry Graham.that's all great stuff. I'm sure you already have the Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye stuff so I skipped them.


I almost forgot Norman Connors and Ronnie Dyson.More good stuff ,though hard to find on CD or vinyl.

 

[scottpaul_iu]

Thanks tuberoller. I will dig into a few of those names, some I know and have a few things, and some are new.

 

[RickG]

Well, IMHO, you can search high and wide...and you won't find someone who sings like Mr. Hathaway. He was one of a kind.

Donny had one of those special...unique voices like Nat Cole, and while the singers that have been recommended are great, they sound nothing like Donny Hathaway.

That's like saying Brook Benton sounds like Randy Travis, or Steve Perry sounds like Sam Cooke ...

 

[scottpaul_iu]

Well........I am not looking for a carbon copy of Donny. Just someone that hasa great expressive voice, that has a great backing band that can actually play their instruments and can convey the emotion of the music.

I appreciate all of the suggestions. Maybe I should sub Donny for Jeff Beck as my avatar for a while.

 

[Tuberoller]

Quote:

Originally posted by RickG Well, IMHO, you can search high and wide...and you won't find someone who sings like Mr. Hathaway. He was one of a kind. Donny had one of those special...unique voices like Nat Cole, and while the singers that have been recommended are great, they sound nothing like Donny Hathaway. That's like saying Brook Benton sounds like Randy Travis, or Steve Perry sounds like Sam Cooke ...

Duh!!!!!!!

I know this man.I'm just offering suggestions based on great soul singers performing great music.All my suggested artists fit that bill.

 

[RickG]

Quote:

Originally posted by Tuberoller Duh!!!!!!! I know this man.I'm just offering suggestions based on great soul singers performing great music.All my suggested artists fit that bill.

LOL, Tube! I wasn't arguing with you...

I was just pointing out the fact that Donny (God rest his soul) had such a unique voice. I wasn't knocking your selections for other vocalist.

The original question was in regard to similarities of voice and material. Donny also had some of the most unusual material (i.e. Extension of a Man). The LP he did with Roberta Flack is my fave. Their voices were so gorgeous in context with each other.

 

[skagen]

Like somebody above said, Teddy Pengergrass is phenomenal in terms of voice quality, expression, material and backing music.

His best stuff to me is not his solo material, but the work he did as lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. They have man compilations, but there's oe called "Ballads and Blue Notes" that is really good.

Also in Philly Intl is Billy Paul, who is very underrated and Lou Rawls who is a bit over-hyped but also very good.

Usually with guys like the baove who put out a lot of material, compilations are a good tarting point to help you sort out what to look for.

In more recent times, one guy whose voice you might like is Alexander O'neal. He's a late 80's/90's guy who was very talented but blew his career singing too many crap songs by bad writers. But his "Best of" compilations kind of distill it down to some of the best stuff. There are also a few nuggets on his second album that aren't on the "Best of".

 

[pod-lover]

Quote:

Originally posted by scottpaul_iu This guy is one of my all-tme fav singers, period. I wore out his live album when I was younger. Is there anyone out there that is sort of like him in terms of voice and material?

wow thats funny
i was online this morning searching for Donny Hathaway cd's

 

[Tuberoller]

Quote:

Originally posted by skagen Like somebody above said, Teddy Pengergrass is phenomenal in terms of voice quality, expression, material and backing music. His best stuff to me is not his solo material, but the work he did as lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. They have man compilations, but there's oe called "Ballads and Blue Notes" that is really good. Also in Philly Intl is Billy Paul, who is very underrated and Lou Rawls who is a bit over-hyped but also very good. Usually with guys like the baove who put out a lot of material, compilations are a good tarting point to help you sort out what to look for. In more recent times, one guy whose voice you might like is Alexander O'neal. He's a late 80's/90's guy who was very talented but blew his career singing too many crap songs by bad writers. But his "Best of" compilations kind of distill it down to some of the best stuff. There are also a few nuggets on his second album that aren't on the "Best of".

Alexander O'Neal is a fave of mine as well.I love his voice and he is slated to make a "comeback" soon with new material by some big name producers.

Man,you can't be dissin' Lou Rawls.I saw him perform last year( I think he was 70 then) and he sounded simply amazing.His voice is huge and dynamic and he does not seem to have lost anything.

 

[skagen]

Don't get me wrong man - I like Lou Rawls! I say he's over-hyped because his name brings up too much of a cliche image - but when you listen to his catalog, he's rock solid.

BTW good to hear Alexander O'neal is coming back. I hope he gets the good production this time. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis did him right for that one album but beyond that his work was very up and down!