Best female singimg voice of the 70s and 80s.

[golf]

My opinion:
1) Karen Carpenter
Butter
2) Olivia Newton John
Effortless

 

[Ope3]

Linda Ronstadt.
Smoldering.

 

[Nokomis]

Mama Cass
Mama Michelle

 

[dpodoll68]

Are you asking for the best voice or whose voice you like the most? The latter is up to your own interpretation, but the former is easily Whitney Houston, and it's not close.

 

[tikited]

Mama Cass
Mama Michelle

Wasn't Michelle pretty much done singing by 1970?

A few lesser knowns:

Roberta Flack.

Nicolette Larson.

 

[coolhandgopher]

Probably not going to win any American Idol competitions, but here are my favorite female singers from that era:
Chrissie Hynde-Pretenders
Stevie Nicks
Emmylou Harris
Karen Carpenter
Carole King

 

[Nokomis]

Wasn't Michelle pretty much done singing by 1970?

According to wikipedia, the M&Ps released their final album in 1971, which flopped. And she released a solo album in '77, which also flopped. So yeah, pretty much.

 

[tikited]

According to wikipedia, the M&Ps released their final album in 1971, which flopped. And she released a solo album in '77, which also flopped. So yeah, pretty much.

She had the face for acting at least.
Did you watch Laural Canyon (doc)on Epix yet?

 

[tikited]

Probably not going to win any American Idol competitions, but here are my favorite female singers from that era:
Chrissie Hynde-Pretenders
Stevie Nicks
Emmylou Harris
Karen Carpenter
Carole King

Great, great list. My betta fish named Stevie Nicks agrees for sure.

Another one for me: Natalie Merchant. Late 80's queen of Indie.

 

[coolhandgopher]

A few more that come to mind. . .
Phoebe Snow, believe she was a one-hit wonder, and first heard her song Poetry Man in the Running with Scissors movie.

Janis Ian-her song At Seventeen might be the most devastatingly honest song delivered about the life of high school girls who aren't deemed attractive/popular.

Jumping into the '80s and a name that pops to mind is Aimee Mann when she was with Til Tuesday. I loved both the song and video for Voices Carry. Mann came back around pretty strong in the '90s on her own.

 

[Frink]

Gotta give it up for Ann Wilson of Heart. 80's Heart is some pretty lame music but in the 70's they were all kinds of amazing and Ann was great on both the quiet stuff and the rockers.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

i think the answer on this depends on genre and style.

In terms of just having a beautiful voice- regardless of genre - I would put Joan Baez up there. Joni Mitchell could be a candidate.

But in the Rock/Pop landscape, I would go with Linda Ronstadt.

and a 'out of left field' choice - Yvonne Elliman. Sang the part of Mary Magdalene on the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. Later worked as a backup singer in Eric Clapton's touring band for a number of years.

 

[Nokomis]

Did you watch Laural Canyon (doc)on Epix yet?

I'm sorry, but I don't know what any of those words mean.

 

[Nokomis]

Can we expand the time frame? I only like boy singers during those decades. And even then...

 

[Ogee Ogilthorpe]

If for no other reason than to make sure the genre is represented...

Gotta go with Doro Pesch. Smoking hot, and a great set of lungs.... for singing, of course. Get your mind out of the gutter.

 

[golf]

Are you asking for the best voice or whose voice you like the most? The latter is up to your own interpretation, but the former is easily Whitney Houston, and it's not close.

Yeah, I considered Whitney. Personal preference but she certainly is up there.

 

[golf]

i think the answer on this depends on genre and style.

In terms of just having a beautiful voice- regardless of genre - I would put Joan Baez up there. Joni Mitchell could be a candidate.

But in the Rock/Pop landscape, I would go with Linda Ronstadt.

and a 'out of left field' choice - Yvonne Elliman. Sang the part of Mary Magdalene on the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. Later worked as a backup singer in Eric Clapton's touring band for a number of years.

Interesting. A couple weeks ago I took a little time to look up and listen to Yvonne Elliman's "If I Cant Have You" on youtube. Pleasing to the ear mellow voice in the mold of karen carpenter.

 

[tikited]

I'm sorry, but I don't know what any of those words mean.

Documentary on the channel called Epix. It is about Laurel Canyon of the 60's and 70's.

 

[gopher7]

My opinion:
1) Karen Carpenter
Butter
2) Olivia Newton John
Effortless

Karen Carpenter (70s) & Whitney Houston (80s)

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Can we expand the time frame? I only like boys singers during those decades. And even then...

Fify.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Hard to beat Emmylou Harris. She's amazing on Bob Dylan's best album 'Desire' from 1976. I also have a soft spot for Debbie Harry.

 

[GopherVotary]

Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles.

 

[tikited]

Hard to beat Emmylou Harris. She's amazing on Bob Dylan's best album 'Desire' from 1976. I also have a soft spot for Debbie Harry.

Debbie is the best of any era.

 

[WilliamsArenaGuy]

Debbie is the best of any era.

Gibson?

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Debbie is the best of any era.

Oh Debbie, hi.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Debbie is the best of any era.

 

[Costa Rican Gopher]

Susanna Hoffs, The Bangles.

I see what you mean.

 

[coolhandgopher]

I see what you mean.

Prince wrote Manic Monday for The Bangles because he had a thing for Hoff-very understandable. I saw her on one of the “Reminisce about the past” shows and she’s aged very well.

 

[coolhandgopher]

I watched Blondie’s video for Hanging on the Telephone a couple weeks ago for the first time and she was so sexy-so self-assured, confident and funny. Their shows at CBGB’s must have been epic.

 

[tikited]

Prince wrote Manic Monday for The Bangles because he had a thing for Hoff-very understandable. I saw her on one of the “Reminisce about the past” shows and she’s aged very well.

She's aged the best.