The Greatest Prog Rock Singers: A Top 30 Countdown
The prog rock world has no lack of virtuosity, with its guitar heroes, keyboard wizards, and bass and drum monsters but this list salutes the proggers whose instrument was their vocal cords.
The prog rock world has no lack of virtuosity, with its guitar heroes, keyboard wizards, and bass and drum monsters but this list salutes the proggers whose instrument was their vocal cords. Many of these singers were masterful storytellers, great balladeers, and a few were highly theatrical. Here we salute the greatest prog rock singers who brought their visions and fired our imaginations just by opening their mouths.
30: Sonja Kristina (Curved Air)
Curved Air’s singer was a former musical actress, and the band incorporated her sex appeal into their breakthrough single “Back Street Luv.” But Sonja Kristina proved just as accomplished as her conservatory-trained bandmates. She was a cool jazz-influenced singer on record, but the live clips show she could be a Joplinesque wailer onstage.
29: Fish (Marillion, solo)
You could call Marillion’s first frontman one of the last of the old-school, highly theatrical prog rock singers. Clearly inspired by Hammill and Peter Gabriel, Fish found his own voice on the two concept albums, Misplaced Childhood and Clutching at Straws, that closed out his Marillion tenure. A creative string of solo work, from topical to highly personal, was still to come.
28: Derek Shulman (Gentle Giant)
If he’d sung for a more conventional band, Derek Shulman might have been known as one of the great arena-rock voices. He certainly had a mighty set of pipes and classic tracks like “Free Hand” and “Playing the Game” show how well he could shout to the rafters. So maybe it’s no coincidence that Shulman discovered Jon Bon Jovi after moving onto his A&R gig.
27: Steve Walsh (Kansas)
Speaking of arena-ready voices, Kansas’ frontman had one of the best; and nothing jumped out of AOR radio like the a cappella intro to “Carry On Wayward Son.” But Steve Walsh was equally at home with deeper, proggier pieces like “Icarus Borne on Wings of Steel” and “Hopelessly Human,” which explored the band’s favorite theme of spiritual questing.
26: Steve Hogarth (Marillion)
After parting with Fish, Marillion beat the odds by finding an equally grabbing prog rock singer with an entirely different personality. At his best, Steve Hogarth comes off as a sensitive guy with a sinister streak. Check out the menacing tone he gives on “The Uninvited Guest,” or the way he portrays multiple good and evil characters on their peak concept albums, Brave and F.E.A.R.
25: Dave Cousins (Strawbs)
One of the more dramatic prog rock singers, Dave Cousins began as a folk balladeer and retains an affinity for a well-told story. His romantic streak is a longstanding trademark, seen in the tender Strawbs ballads “Grace Darling” and “Out in the Cold.” But what may be his best moment, the title track of “Hero & Heroine,” is intense from start to finish.
24: Robert Wyatt (Soft Machine, solo)
The poignant quality in Robert Wyatt’s voice provided Soft Machine with its only pop moments; then he did the best ever prog version of a Monkees song (“I’m A Believer”). But Wyatt later found his true calling as a jazz-inspired singer who took on challenging political material. Elvis Costello was even duly impressed by his version of “Shipbuilding.”
23: Sally Oldfield
It’s a shame that Sally Oldfield never matched the fame of her younger brother Mike, who first recorded as part of a duo with her. Sally’s solo debut, Water Bearer, is a beautiful record that charts its own territory between prog, pop, and New Age. She also deserves a spot for her soaring vocal on Steve Hackett’s Voyage of the Acolyte.
22: Richard Sinclair (Caravan, Camel)
During his time with Caravan, Richard Sinclair alternated lead vocals with Pye Hastings, giving them an appealing Lennon/McCartney type mix. But Sinclair’s gentlemanly British touch was missed after his departure. His best moment – the ballad toward the end of the side-long “Nine Feet Underground” – is well worth hunting for.
21: Roger Chapman: (Family)
Speaking of unique voices, many peoples’ first reaction to hearing Family was to be impressed by the uniqueness of that frontman. Roger Chapman wore his unconventional tones proudly, and he also had real soul. Family’s gentler moments, like the classic ballad “My Friend the Sun,” are some of prog rock’s most emotive.
20: Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree, solo)
Currently one of the great technical wizards in prog, Steven Wilson also has an expressive singer-songwriter voice that really shines when he strips things down to basics (see Porcupine Tree’s wonderful acoustic EP, We Lost the Skyline). But he’s also pushed himself to tell dark and complicated stories; scaling especially dramatic peaks on the band’s epic “Anesthetize.”
19: Geddy Lee (Rush)
During his higher-pitched days, Geddy Lee’s voice was an obstacle for prog fans getting into Rush, but like everything in Rush, Lee’s vocals just kept getting better over the years. Look no further than his nuanced performance on “The Pass” (from the underrated Presto), on which Lee not only makes a resonant point (it’s an anti-suicide song) but sings harmonies with himself.
18: Gary Brooker (Procol Harum)
Much as anyone on this list, Procol Harum’s singer is steeped in classic R&B; you could see “Whiter Shade of Pale” as a successful attempt to make a wordier Otis Redding record. But Gary Brooker’s natural stateliness allows him to take on more quintessential English characters, like the sailor who tells his memories in “A Salty Dog.”
17: Ike Willis (Frank Zappa)
It would be difficult to pick a favorite singer from the Frank Zappa crew but Ike Willis – who was there from the late 70s through the last band tour – would rank high on the list. In another life, Willis could have been a soul/R&B frontman; Zappa recognized that quality in his voice and often used it to great comic effect. Few other singers could have drawn actual pathos from “Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?”
16: Thijs van Leer (Focus)
Though Focus was (and is) mostly an instrumental band, leader Thijs van Leer’s operatic range – as well as his pure eccentricity – gave them their most iconic moment, with the yodeling on “Hocus Pocus”. Keyboardist/flautist van Leer had other standout vocal moments including the Latin chant in “Round Goes the Gossip” and his multitracked church choir that brings “Hamburger Concerto” to its peak.
15: Roy Harper
Like many of the greatest prog rock singers, Roy Harper came out of the folk singer-songwriter world, but by his classic Stormcock album, he was writing longer, more involved songs that called for advanced vocal acrobatics. This drew admiration from Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, with the latter recruiting Harper to lend his voice to the sleazy record exec in “Have a Cigar.”
14: Adrian Belew (King Crimson, solo)
For all their avant-garde tendencies, King Crimson always had frontmen who knew and loved pop music. Adrian Belew was especially good at bringing warmth to the mix. But he could also get avant with the best. On “Indiscipline,” he adapted a letter (from his artist partner about her new painting) into prog’s greatest spoken-word vocal.
13: Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull, solo)
The songs Ian Anderson wrote for Jethro Tull called for a variety of vocal approaches: from punkish snarl to arena bluster, personal balladeer to English troubadour, and all of that can be found on Side One of Aqualung alone. Anderson’s ability to deliver a thoughtful lyric was at least as important to Tull as his trademark flute.
12: Maddy Prior (Steeleye Span, solo)
If this was a folk-rock list, Maddy Prior would be near the top. But Steeleye Span certainly has its proggier moments (check “King Henry” or “Long Lankin”), and Prior also has prog credentials, having guested with Jethro Tull a few times (and used all of Tull’s then-current line-up on her solo debut, Woman in the Wings). Most of all, she provides what has to be the best vocal on any Mike Oldfield album, namely the gorgeous “Hiawatha” that fills Side Two of Incantations, and its reprise at Side Four’s climax.
11: Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren does many things well, prog being only one of them. But he’s on this list of the greatest prog rock singers as the first artist to do prog a cappella and recognizing the possibility of layered vocals. The Initiation track “Born to Synthesize” broke that ground, and 1984’s A Cappella album proved remarkable from both technical and musical standpoints.
10: Justin Hayward (The Moody Blues)
Four of the five classic-era Moodies were capable lead singers with at least one classic track to their credit. But Justin Hayward quickly established himself as perhaps the greatest love-song specialist in all of prog rock; with the romantic outpouring of “Nights in White Satin.” His romantic side was largely responsible for The Moody Blues’ MTV-era comeback as well.
9: Kate Bush
On her earliest records, Kate Bush sounded like the imaginative teenager that she was. But the golden era of The Dreaming and Hounds of Love was about finding new possibilities for her voice. It was also where her theatrical streak came into play, as she inhabited vivid characters from sirens to banshees.
8: Peter Gabriel (Genesis, solo)
Peter Gabriel grew up on American soul records and learned to put some grit into his delivery. Not many public-school English guys could convincingly become a New York graffiti artist on a concept album. His voice became more flexible in his solo years, to the point where he could have hits with a sexy dance number (“Sledgehammer”) and a love ballad (“In Your Eyes”).
7: Phil Collins: (Genesis, solo)
When Genesis hemmed and hawed about promoting their drummer to lead singer, little did they know they had a voice that would practically define the 80s. Granted, it took a divorce and a solo deal to make Phil Collins a vocal star; but he was delivering memorable Genesis performances – like the ecstatic peaks in “Afterglow” – from the get-go.
6: David Gilmour (Pink Floyd, solo)
At his best, David Gilmour’s singing was just as beautifully expressive as his guitar playing. “Wish You Were Here,” “Young Lust” and “Welcome to the Machine” rank as some of the most grabbing vocals in all of prog, and his solo highlights – like the Pete Townshend co-written “All Lovers Are Deranged” – aren’t to be overlooked either.
5: Annie Haslam (Renaissance)
Annie Haslam’s crystalline voice and five-octave range have given prog rock some of his most enchanting moments, and some of its hardest to copy, like the vocal acrobatics in “Prologue.” She can also be haunting and spectral, as on the proto-goth “Trip to the Fair.”
4: John Wetton (King Crimson, UK, Asia)
John Wetton had one of the most distinctive voices in British rock, initially joining Family to sing harmonies with Roger Chapman. He threw himself handily into the fray of King Crimson, but it was always his destiny to combine prog with full-throttle arena rock. His gutsy vocal on UK’s “In the Dead of Night” was classic, and the mega-success of Asia wasn’t far behind.
3: Jon Anderson (Yes)
As an angelic high tenor, Jon Anderson challenged what a male rock singer was supposed to sound like. But in a band where every player was unique, Anderson provided Yes with moments of extreme beauty, the finale of “The Gates of Delirium,” being a prime example. Since he fell out with Yes, they’ve had the unenviable task of finding singers who sound just like him.
2: Greg Lake (Emerson, Lake & Palmer, King Crimson)
If the words “English choirboy vocals” are forever linked with prog rock, Greg Lake is largely the reason. His voice gave King Crimson a lot of its drama – not just anybody could record something as powerful as “21st Century Schizoid Man” when barely out of their teens – and later gave Emerson, Lake & Palmer its accessibility. Ballads like “Still…You Turn Me On” also evinced sex appeal, not a common quality in prog rock singers.
1: Peter Hammill (Van der Graaf Generator, solo)
The standard rap about Peter Hammill – that his dexterity with his voice was what Hendrix did with his guitar – is completely deserved. Hammill can do fireworks, he can show you the heart of darkness; then he can soothe your ears with a ballad. Above all, Hammill’s 40-year career has always evinced the thrill of adventure that prog rock is all about.
Looking for more? Discover 25 Greatest Prog Rock Albums Of All Time.
JR
January 15, 2021 at 11:49 pm
I guess Russell Allen, Geoff Tate, James Labrie and many other Gods of Prog aren’t mentioned in your top 30, because?
John M
January 16, 2021 at 1:17 pm
What about Colin Blunstone? This list is messed up!
Septober Energy
January 16, 2021 at 4:49 pm
Ahem… Demetrio Stratos? Your lack of knowledge about non-Anglo/American prog is showing.
Leobardo Arias
January 17, 2021 at 3:01 am
I totally agree!!
JR
February 9, 2021 at 6:07 pm
Okay, I’ll say it again with some others, but there are ‘many other Gods of Prog’ that should be mentioned. Now of the 30 in this list are great, and the foundations of prog is necessary for those to travel into the rabbit hole, cause it goes deep..
Now, where is Damian Wilson, Dan Swanö or Floor Jansen? Not one nod to Ross Jennings? Okay, I’ll let myself out..
John Fasciani (Johnny Barracho)
January 16, 2021 at 3:25 am
In my (not so) humble opinion: 1. Hogarth isn’t in the top 100. Neither is Peter Hammill 2. Wetton and Lake should be reversed, but both are top 5 talent 3. Derek Dick is way, way to low on this list. 4. Both Jon Anderson and Peter Gabriel were absolutely essential parts of their respective bands’ sounds, but taken on their own, they really can’t command the kind of rankings they have here. 5. Phil Collins’ voice is irritating. 6. It wouldn’t bother me if David Cousins was higher. 7. What about Kate Bush – lovely and fine voice – puts her in the category of prog? And ditto for Roy Harper? 8.A few glaring omissions – Mariusz Duda (Riverside), Ted Leonard (Enchant, Spock’s Beard, etc.), Rodger Hodgson (Supertramp), DANIEL GILDENLOW (Pain of Salvation), Ray Alder (Fates Warning). 9. And it is embarrassing that there aren’t more females on this list – Chloe Alper (Pure Reason Revolution), Heather Findlay (Mostly Autumn), RACHEL JONES (Karnataka, The Reasoning), Christina Booth (Magenta), Suzy Bogdanowicz (Glass Hammer) and Valerie Gracious (Phideaux) to name an obvious few, all of whom are better than Sonja Kristina (I just never got her) and Sally Oldfield. “Top” anything lists are hard because we’ve all got our opinions, but….I greatly appreciate how much everyone on this list has added to my life by the music they have made. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!
Greenman Wood
January 16, 2021 at 5:49 am
Any list of greatest prog rock singers that does have Jon Anderson at #1 is… flat out wrong.
Patrick
January 16, 2021 at 5:27 pm
You are correct.
Don
January 24, 2021 at 4:11 pm
I’m thinking you meant “does NOT have”?
Michael Osterbuhr
January 16, 2021 at 8:29 am
No David Byron or John Lawton (Uriah Heep)? You’ve totally missed the era.
Egil Bokn
January 16, 2021 at 3:43 pm
Spot on Michael. John Lawton`s job in Lucifers Friends is fabulous for the prog part.
Åke Lindström
January 16, 2021 at 9:46 am
If Kate Bush is considered prog rock, why is not Freddie Mercury on the list? Exchange half of the singers on that list is my humble opinion 🙂
Ulf Ingvar Claesson
January 16, 2021 at 1:39 pm
If “prog” means constant experimentation and moving forward, then Kate very much deserve to be on that list.
Lynn
January 16, 2021 at 9:48 am
Freddie Mercury should be on this list.
Juan Y
January 16, 2021 at 10:42 am
Good list but italian prog band singers are sadly forgotten: Aldo Tagliapetra, Demetro Stratos and Banco del Mutuo Scorso singer are gems… Greetings
Asgard
January 16, 2021 at 11:12 am
I know every such list is subjective, but still… Steve Walsh at 27th? I’d argue he’s the best prog rock singer of all times, but I am aware there are other great singers on this list; he should at least be in the top 3.
JOC
January 16, 2021 at 7:56 pm
Totally agree! I started at #1 and went down, when Walsh wasn’t in the top 10 I thought well, maybe they don’t consider Kansas prog
ken
January 16, 2021 at 4:44 pm
#6 david gilmour did NOT do vocals on have a cigar. It was roy harper
Reijo Holopainen
January 16, 2021 at 6:41 pm
Yes, I see Dave Cousins’ name there at last!
He has earned that.
Mark Ritsema
January 16, 2021 at 4:50 pm
Welcome To The Machine (# 6 – David Gilmour) on the album Wish You Were Here is mainly sung by Roger Waters, who is wisely missing from this list. Personally I mostly miss Kevin Ayers.
Justin T.
January 16, 2021 at 5:47 pm
This list is certainly taking a lot of heat! With that being said, I would’ve included Christian Vander from Magma and Cedric Bixler-Zavala from The Mars Volta, among others.
John Orosco
January 16, 2021 at 7:49 pm
So I’m assuming TOOL is not included in this genre? But if they are, Maynard James Keenan….
Jorgen Larsen
January 16, 2021 at 8:32 pm
Peter Hammill is by far the most interesting of the singers mentioned. Let me add just one name: Jane Relf of the first Renaissance band, which later became Illusion. Jane Relf’s voice is not big, but it touches something inside you. The song Island from the first Renaissance album is one of the most moving pieces of music I know – and very much thanks to Jane R.
Reijo Holopainen
January 17, 2021 at 12:35 am
Only one is lost: early days of Alice Cooper.
Dana Lawrence
January 16, 2021 at 8:41 pm
Christian Vander of Magma, and with Stella Vander.
Dave
January 16, 2021 at 10:41 pm
Pleasing to see, Annie Haslam is high up on this list. Iconic voice and unbeatable range of tone. Annie is a good artist too 🙂
Reinaldo Favoreto Júnior
January 17, 2021 at 2:06 am
Outstanding list. I Agree 95%. Jon Anderson perfoms LIVE better than Peter Hammill, but either one could be number one. Peter Hammill tends to sing too rough live, instead of using his beautiful soft low tone natural voice. The Who´s Roger Daltrey is the same: he has a beautiful natural tone of voice, but choses to scream too much live, but thats OK.
Amy Gdala Godiva
January 17, 2021 at 6:47 am
I’d put Gary Brooker in the top 5, Roy Harper in the top 10 and Derek Shulman in the top 15. The most absurd choice is Phil Collins above Peter Gabriel – and Geddy Lee anywhere but at the bottom.
Gabriel Olvera
January 17, 2021 at 10:34 am
Hello, I do not understand that Phil Collins, is in the 7th in front of Peter and other musicians with compositions in my opinion much more, PROG than him.
Reijo Holopainen
January 17, 2021 at 11:24 am
Hi, where is BJH/John Lees?
Kerényi Gábor
January 17, 2021 at 5:23 pm
Where is Neal Morse? An extremely good singer, who is fairly active in present years, too. (A multi-instrumentalist musician, a very talented composer as well). On my list, he is absolutely in Top 10
RICKAZ
January 18, 2021 at 12:20 am
How is Bryan Ferry not on this list?
Lee Howard
January 20, 2021 at 10:15 pm
Needs Pete Nicholls (IQ), Stuart Nicholson (Galahad), and Neal Morse.
-
January 23, 2021 at 3:12 pm
Where is Roger Waters? He’s better than the whole list together
mrw4663
January 23, 2021 at 3:45 pm
His amazing song-writing abilities are well represented in the Gilmour entry – but Roger always had to work very hard to get a lead vocal part correct – he was IMO at his best in the early days making weird – frightening vocal sounds – like on “Careful with that Ax Eugene”. Absolutely nobody could shriek like that.
Mirza
January 24, 2021 at 11:55 am
Who are You
Andy
January 25, 2021 at 2:52 pm
Steve Walsh should be #1.
Wilton Said...
January 17, 2022 at 9:23 pm
With a few exceptions, a prog rock singer is only a prog rock singer because of the prog rock music behind him. Phil Collins is a great example. His voice characteristics haven’t changed much from his time with Genesis vs his solo albums. Same could be said for Peter Gabriel, Steve Hogarth, Geddy Lee, John Wetten. These singers have all sung with prog music behind them as well as more pop oriented music.
Saying that, of the singers I’m aware of from your list, Kate Bush is probably the only one I know of whose voice is proggy and arty.
Another thing this poll doesn’t take into consideration is the actual technical vocal ability of the singers. I know people have mentioned Peter Hammill before, but i just don’t hear it. Sure, he’s expressive, but thats it. His technical voice quality is no where as good as Steve Hoggarth, John Wetton, Steve Walsh, or Phil Collins. And what about Freddie Mercury or Dennis Deyoung. They had great operatic over the top voices. Sure the bands Queen and Styx weren’t Prog, but they had Prog elements.
Anyways, just my opinion.
J. R.
February 10, 2022 at 2:18 am
To me, Greg Lake will always be number one. He had emotional and dynamic range like no one else, a God-given timbre, warmth and sincerity that could render cliches into poetry, and a heart that stoked it all.
Jim
March 16, 2022 at 4:54 pm
WHERE IS GRACE SLICK!!!!
Corrado Panizza
March 17, 2022 at 8:29 pm
Gilmour better than Peter Gabriel? Aaarghhhhh
SuperMetro
August 8, 2022 at 3:07 am
This is a nice list. Some singers I wonder where Francesco Di Giacomo is though, he is awesome.
Chris X. Moloney, 2023
June 16, 2023 at 5:58 am
Any list that features the powerful voice of John Wetton (ASIA, King Crimpson, Roxy Music, UK) in the top 5 is worth reading. Jon Anderson is also a worthy top 5 vocalist (Yes), as is Greg Lake (ELP). WHERE this list goes totally BoNkErS is #1 and #5. In talking with a group of music critics, they literally have NEVER HEARD OF Peter Hammill or Annie Halsom. I used to write about Progressive Rock and have never heard of either of them. That said, it is great to see Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, David Gilmour, and the amazing Justin Heyward (Moody Blues) all make the TOP 10. An interesting list for those reasons. And lastly, ASIA is so so underrated. Their Debut is equal to any band on this Progressive Rock list. Re-Listen if you have not.