A few days ago, I was watching a movie with my wife when a guy started singing, and his voice was awesome.
It was a deep baritone voice that was rich and just seemed to fill the room with its presence.
And my wife noticed it also because she looked at me and commented on the quality of the singer’s voice.
And this had me thinking – How many singers with deep voices do we have out there?
I know that hitting that low C is a talent that most people fail to achieve.
But there are some exceptional people out there who can hit that low C and even go lower.
In this article we will be looking at my top 25 singers with deep voices and if possible some of their songs.
1. Leonard Cohen
This was truly a great musician with a deep rich baritone voice that was very beautiful to listen to.
He was just not a musician, he was also a talented poet who knew how to write words and piece rhymes together.
Born and raised in Canada, he rose to fame with some classic songs like “Suzanne”, “I’m your man” and “Hallelujah” which were later covered by so many other artists.
This was one musician that sought to come across as authentic rather than achieving musical precision… and he was always compared to Bob Dylan for that.
He lived a full life and died at the age of 82 on November 7, 2016.
2. Johnny Cash
If you are a country music lover like me, then you must have heard of the great Johnny Cash.
I honestly believe that country music would not be the same if it had not been touched by Johnny Cash whose awesome deep voice and his passionate lyrics was a thing of beauty to listen to.
Songs like “I walk the line”, “Folsom prison blues”, and “Ring of Fire” are among some of his greatest songs that you really need to listen to to appreciate the genius of Johnny Cash
Shortly before his death, he delved into the world of Pop music where he also dominated and attracted a new group of hardcore fans.
3. Nick Cave: The ‘Prince of Darkness’
Now with a name like that, you should know what to expect from such a talented musician.
One thing I noticed about Nick Cave was that his music took on a darker and more “creepy” timbre than his idols Cohen and Johnny Cash.
Born and raised in Australian, Nick started his career in Gothic rock taking on the moniker “The Price of Darkness”
But as he became older, his sound kinda mellowed a bit as he embarked on a lot of collaborations with other singers such as fellow Aussie Kylie Minogue.
Nick is one singer that has a deeply satisfying baritone voice that you can easily listen to for days.
4. Tom Waits
If you know anything about Tom Waits, you will know that he was often referred to as the American Rebel.
This had to do with his “I don’t care” attitude and the fact that he tended to do whatever he wanted without anyone’s permission.
Infact one critic actually referred to his voice as “it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months and then taken outside and run over by a car”
What a description, eh
In his usual style, Waits took it as a compliment and continued to blend folk and blues music in his illustrious music career that has spanned over 40 years.
5. Barry White
Also known as the Soul Daddy, this was one musician that had a rich Baritone voice.
I remember as a kid listening to Barry White songs with my Dad and it was something to behold.
While there are some people that consider Barry White’s classics to be a joke, but you can’t dispute the fact that the world’s population will probably be lower if not for his dulcet tones which have also doubled as classic romance songs.
Songs like “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything,” “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” and “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up” are among his unforgettable hits.
6. Lee Hazelwood
Although his first love in music was country, Lee Hazlewood went on to write, produce and even record a number of songs for Nancy Sinatra and other pop artists.
To this day, recordings of his warm baritone voice remain rather atypical in the context of popular music.
Hazlewood died in 2007.
7. Brad Roberts
When Brad founded his popular band, the Crash Test Dummies, he founded a sound that contributed to taking folks back into the mainstream when people had all but forgotten about it.
Funny enough the name for his band was as a result of a car accident he had when he finally understood what it meant to be a crash test dummy.
While Brad has gone quiet and released very few songs the past years, I know he is working on new material and will be diving back into the music scene very soon.
8. Ville Valo
When the Finnish born singer and his band HIM first appeared on the music scene, everyone thought he was going to be a one hit wonder and just fade away.
But Finland’s exports in the music world tend to be eccentric and loud very much like the band HIM (His Infernal Majesty).
Lead singer Ville Valo, who is at least as recognizable for his tattoos as he is for his voice,
laments old flames and lost love, using music as a means “to make sense of the world.”
9. Isaac Hayes
Hayes wrote many of the greatest hits of the 1970s, including his soundtrack for the blockbuster “Shaft” in 1971.
He is considered to be a vanguard of spoken word, rap and hip-hop around the world.
Younger audiences mainly know him for his voice-over work as the character of “Chef” on the animated US-series “South Park.”
Hayes died, aged 65, in 2008.
10. Till Lindeman
Born and raised in Germany, Till Lindeman and his band “Rammstein” are one of the greatest names in german music.
One thing I like about this guy and his band was that his concerts were usually sold out with a feast for the senses where costumes, pyrotechnics and dramaturgy were incredibly well rehearsed and coordinated.
While not everyone might like their kind of music, you can’t help but be moved by the deep rich baritone voice of Till Lindeman.
11. Hoyt Axton
Hoyt was another singer who has a deep voice and was very pleasing to listen to
Born an American, Hoyt was a folk singer, songwriter, guitarist and a film and television actor who became prominent in the early 60s.
He established himself among the west coast crew as a folk singer with an earthly style and a powerful voice.
12. Jamieson Junior Brown
Brown was born on June 12 1952 is an American Country singer and guitarist with a deep satisfying voice that just fills the room
As a singer, he has released a total of 12 albums in his career and been on the Billboard singles chart twice.
One thing about James that i really like is the way his lyrics and words flowed out with his deep voice.
Simply magic and very pleasing to listen
13. Ian Curtis
Ian Curtis was an English singer and songwriter and the lead singer of the post punk boy band Joy Division.
Ian had this deep voice that was rather unique in that despite singing with significant bass most of the time, he rarely sounds powerful, but rather thin and depressive
He died on the 18th of May, 1980 after recording 2 albums with the group
14. Petrus Thomas Ratajczyk
He was known professionally as Peter Steele, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter.
He was best known as the lead singer, bassist and composer of the gothic metal band Type O Negative.
He had a gothic metal often with a dark sense of humor.
Not a music theorist at all, but Wikipedia has him as bass-baritone.
Bloody Kisses is probably their best known album. I’d start with songs like Christian Woman and Black Number One.
15. Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American bass baritone concert artist and stage and film actor who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for his political activism.
Educated at Rutgers College and Columbia University, he was a star athlete in his youth.
Paul Robeson’s performance of Ol’ Man River is one of the best recordings I have ever listened to.
The way his voice was booming and how it filled the room was just magical to listen to.
