6 of the Best Rock Vocalists of All Time

Though a lot goes into making a hit song, it’s often the vocals that stand out. It’s the job of a singer to convey a wealth of emotion in a short period of time, whether it be anger, sadness, joy, or anything in between.

Rock sees all of those emotions heightened. Few rockstars know the meaning of scaling back or playing it safe. Because of that, rock has seen some of the best vocalists of all time in its ranks through the years. Though a “best of” rock vocalist list is subjective, we’ve picked a handful that have stood out amongst the crowd with their powerful vocals.

Check out our picks for the Top 6 best rock vocalists of all time, below.

6. Axl Rose

Axl Rose’s voice is almost super-humanly high. Rose has five octaves to play around with and he does so with reckless abandon. Though he has a lower register to return to when he pleases, it seems Rose is most comfortable when he’s pushing out a belted note or two—and we don’t blame him. Anyone who could sing like Rose would likely never stop.

5. Janis Joplin

Though Janis Joplin’s voice could be considered a little off-kilter, it has nonetheless become synonymous with rock & roll in a way that seems almost unfathomable given her short career. Her vocals could almost be mistaken for a shrill scream for help if she didn’t back up the notes with stunning soulful ones. Equal parts passionate and gritty, Joplin’s voice has yet to be replicated in the genre.

4. Prince

Prince used his voice in a myriad of ways. He could be precious with it, keeping things to a soft whisper. Or, he could thrash his way through a chorus with fervor, punching through whatever funky riff he was using that day. Either approach – and any middle ground in between – was a stunning display of Prince’s soulful pipes.

3. Steve Perry

Listening to Steve Perry’s voice scratches an itch in the brain. It’s almost impossibly smooth and agile. For Perry, singing seems as easy as breathing. He has total control over his instrument and used its power to secure some of the biggest arena rock hits of all time. No Journey song would be the same without the stratospheric wails of Perry.

2. Robert Plant

You could watch a video of a young Robert Plant on mute and still understand the power of his voice. The Led Zeppelin frontman put his entire body into his vocal performances while with the band, which is likely the only way someone could hit the frequencies he did. It’s a unique voice that teeters on the line of becoming too strange for the mainstream. Nevertheless, the world fell in love with that piercing voice of Plant’s, earning him the type of legacy that keeps him atop the list of rock vocalists years after Led Zeppelin called it quits.

1. Freddie Mercury

Few people would have qualms about putting Freddie Mercury in first place on a list of top rock vocalists. Mercury was one part rockstar and one part operatic singer who could hit notes high enough to scrape heaven. No one (except Adam Lambert who is doing a fine job filling in for the frontman) could hope to measure up to Mercury’s sheer firepower behind the microphone. Despite being gone for over 30 years now, Mercury stills holds the crown for one of the best rock vocalists the genre has ever seen.

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