[mikeg]

Please contribute singers that have unique aspects to their voices, placing either their whole voice or parts of their voice outside of the norm. Unique talents would include extraordinary high or low notes, unusual sounds, gowling, scratchy, etc. My wife's contributions are the following:

DANIELS, DAVID: Countertenor
Is it a man or is it a woman? It’s a man. Counter tenors have beautiful soprano voices. Currently Daniels is one of the best.
Recording recommendation: Handel Operatic Arias

GAMBARINI, ROBERTA: Greatest scat singer. Seems to be a natural.
Recording: Easy to Love.

HELDER, RUBY (1896?-1940) Girl with a tenor voice
Recording: Ruby Helder, The girl tenor, recordings 1908-21

MORESCHI, ALESSANDRO (1858-1922): The last known castrato and the only one to have made recordings. (1902-1904).
Recording: The Last Castrato (Complete Vatican Recordings).
The castrati were pre-pubescent males with beautiful soprano voices who had their testes removed in order to prevent their voices changing at puberty. So as adults they had the range of a soprano and the power of a male singer. They were highly prized as singers. The best of the best was Farinelli. See the movie.

REBROFF, IVAN (The richest, darkest, lowest, highest bass in the world - extending to four octives
Recordings; The Very Best of Ivan Rebroff, Vol 1 & 11

ROBIN, MADO ( stratospheric coloraturo soprano.) Able to sing C above high C (not sure which piece hits that note). But just about everything she does, she slips in notes that the composer never dreamed of. (eg: Lucia De Lammermoor) This unique lady begins where Joan Sutherland leaves off)

RUSSIAN BASES
Recording: Basso Profondo. (Harmonica mundi distrubution)
These Russian bases can sing an octave below the normal bass range and unique to Russian singing.

SACHS, ERNA Has notes only a dog can hear. They sound like squeaks.

TIM, TINY
Falsetto. Sang “Tiptoe Through the Tulips” with his ukelele. Was considered by some to be a bit of a joke, but well respected by people who admire guts.

YODELLING
There was a singer who yodelled the classics. Can’t remember her name. Anyone know any really brilliant yodellers?

 

[Jahn]

Bobby McFerrin and that guy from Fine Young Cannibals? No, I'm not joking!

 

[britishbane]

Who is the singer from the Family? Dude sounds like goat-man.

 

[HiFiRE]

macy gray. I don't know if you can call that singing though.

 

[seanohue]

Blackie Lawless - W.A.S.P.
His voice is absolutely unique, I cant think of anyone that sounds like him, except maybe Stevie Nicks. Theres also something about it that makes me not care about the distasteful lyrics from some of the albums. Like right now I'm listening to Kill screw Die from the album K.F.D. (guess what it stands for?). I think the songs were named such for the purpose of "Shock Rock" which is what they were labeled as. They're lyrics don't really coincide with the name of the song sometimes. The older stuff is more hair metalish though (See W.A.S.P. album and The Last Command).

Tom Petty

Geddy Lee

David Bowie

Steve Perry
Voice was so unique that Journey will never be able to be the same without him again (although Jeff Scott Solo came close)

Phil Collins

Axl Rose

Ozzy
Voice is a mix of british and a decade of drugs. Tough to beat it.

Timo Koltipelto - Stratovarius
His heavy finnish accent sounds a little out of place sometimes but he has one hell of a vocal range.

Actually, most artists voices are unique. I could keep going but I'll stop here.

 

[rockin_amigo14]

Steven Tyler. No one else can sing like he can. Believe me. I tried. It was...a learning experience, at best.

i love the scratchiness in Brian Setzer's voice, too

 

[CLum]

kate bush

 

[Budley007]

Mary Fahl - pretty wide range. You'll love it or hate it.

 

[Rempert]

Somehow, I think Minnie Riperton and Mariah Carey would have to be on this list.

Curiosity from reading this thread prompted me to look up the current vocal "world records". I did not realize how much progress has been made in the last 5-10 years!

Brazilian pop singer Georgia Brown reportedly has a verified range from G2-G10 (roughly 100hz-25,000hz). I couldn't hear the G10, but my dog says it sounds like a squeak.

Branson's Tim Storms has the low note, which was measured at 8hz. Australian Adam Lopez went on TV and produced a C#8 (one note past the grand piano). He apparently can also sing (if we even call this singing) in octave 1, and is not missing any body parts. I'm not sure if any of these people deserve mention on your list, since they haven't really translated this range into world-class musical performances, but it is fascinating nonetheless.

 

[Omari149]

Marilyn Manson

 

[Jasper994]

Stevie Nicks

Louis Armstrong

Billie Holiday

Peter Cetera

 

[bonethugz]

when i first look at the subject, SINGERS WITH UNIQUE, ODD AND UNUSUAL VOICES, i was thinking the one and only louis armstrong. he got all that. unique, odd and unuaual voice.

 

[kramer5150]

Hank Williams
Janis Joplin
Elvis
Sting
Michael Jackson
Steven tyler
Steve Hogarth (marillion)
Bob Dylan
Geddy Lee
Simon & Garfunkle
Freddy Mercury
Wylon Jennings
Billy Gibbons
Rick Ocassek
Roy Orbison
Johnny Cash
Stevie Ray Vaughan

 

[Mr Iriver]

Jimmy Hendrix, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai...They can't sing. At least they make the guitar sing.

Rob Thomas: Great melodic Voice.
Bruce Dickinson: His voice is a huge part of the maiden sound.

 

[Enverxis]

Layne Staley (ex-Alice in Chains)
Tom Waits
Rowan London (Virgin Black)
Jus Oborn (Electric Wizard)
Johan Edlund (Tiamat)
Brendan Perry (Dead Can Dance)
Jon Crosby (VAST)
Blaze Bayley (ex-Iron Maiden, ex-Wolfsbane, Blaze)

Monika Edvardsen (ex-Atrox, Tactile Gemma)
Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering)
Sandra Nasic (Guano Apes)
Stine Mari Langstrand (Lumsk)
Maja Konarska (Moonlight)
Stephanie Duchene (ex-Flowing Tears)
Cadaveria (her clean voice) (ex-Opera IX, Cadaveria)
Agnete M. Kirkevaag (Madder Mortem)
Beatriz Albert (Ebony Ark)