Great Falsettos and Tenors of Pop, Rock, R&B

When the talk turns to favorite falsetto singers, it's a highly subjective matter. Frankie Valli ("Sherry") is usually heading up the list, closely followed by Lou Christie ("Two Faces Have I"). Truth be told, in the 50s and early 60s, there were more fabulous falsettos than you could shake a stick at. Then again, many so-called falsetto singers aren't really singing falsetto. Every high pitched male voice is not a falsetto.

This big debate goes on all the time and will probably never be resolved since even singing experts seem to disagree. "Basix Rock Singing Techniques" by Surmani and Mitchell (1997) defines falsetto as "singing in the high range of a man's voice. It's pure resonance, produced mostly in the upper throat and nasal cavity, and is unconnected to the rest of the male voice." (p. 40). Kevin Richards of Rock the Stage NYC says in Falsetto vs. Head Voice that falsetto can apply to both high and low notes and the distinguishing characteristic is a breathy, feathery sound. I won't argue about it. Tenor, falsetto -- to me, it's all good.

Having a hot-looking falsetto singer was a definite asset in a doo wop group. Singer/songwriter, Johnny Cymbal, wrote a hit in 1963 to sort of even up that score and give Mr. Bass Man some of that love: "It don't mean a thing when the lead is singing, or when he goes 'ay yi yi yi yi yi." He calls Mr. Bass Man "the hidden king of rock 'n roll." Whether you agree or not, besides Bowser of Sha Na Na, few people can name many bass men. Rave reviews of doo wop songs mentioning the "soaring falsetto," on the other hand, were legion. There was "Earth Angel" by the Penguins, "Since I Don't Have You," by the Skyliners, Jimmy Jones, Little Anthony, John E. Carter of the Flamingos and later the Dells, The Cadillacs, The Harptones and so many more.

The first falsetto to really blow my mind was the lead singer of The Tokens ( "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"). As a kid, I remember seeing Jay Siegel sing their first hit from 1961 called "Tonight I Fell in Love." I was dumbstruck by the way he could switch from normal singing to falsetto in the blink of an eye. Del Shannon's 1961 hit "Runaway" also featured Del effortlessly switching up to falsetto flourishes, but he didn't stay up there and do cartwheels with it like Dr. Jay. Almost 50 years later, he's still got it going on. I am always amazed to see The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson on favorite falsetto lists and not the Tokens' Jay Siegel.

Speaking of the Beach Boys, an uncredited Brian Wilson helped out with the falsetto on the classic Jan and Dean hit "Surf City" (1963). When Brian's father, Murray found out, he forbid Brian to ever talk to Jan and Dean again. He was livid that Brian "gave away" a No. 1 hit song. Jan and Dean actually had their first hit, "Baby Talk" in 1959, before their collaborations with the Beach Boys. Perhaps returning the favor later, an uncredited Dean Torrence is doing some falsetto work on "Barbara Ann" with Brian Wilson on the 1965 album "Beach Boy Party!"

"Barbara Ann" was originally recorded by the New York doo wop group, The Regents in 1961. Most of us Easterners who were around then still consider The Regents' original THE "Barbara Ann." Guy Villari, the Regents' lead singer, has a great sense of humor about it. He has a music clip of Surfin' USA on his website. It says "The Beach Boys didn't bother to learn the words to Barbara Ann, so I didn't bother to learn the words to this one."

Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs gave us the original "Stay" in 1960. Maurice reportedly wrote the song at age 15, and later said : "Like a flood, the words just came to me." The problem was one of the words was "smoke." They had to change the line that said "Let's have another smoke," then it went on to become No. 1. That made up a little for Maurice's earlier original "Little Darlin'" being eclipsed on the charts by the Diamonds' cover.

People get mad if you leave Curtis Mayfield off the list of best falsettos, so I won't. Besides, I love Curtis' voice on "Gypsy Woman" and who doesn't love "Superfly"? I get mad if you leave off Eddie Kendricks of the Temptations ("Just My Imagination") and later solo ("Keep on Truckin' and "Boogie Down"). It's so hard to get out of the 60s without neglecting someone, but let's not overlook Will Hart of the Delfonics ("La La Means I Love You").

In the 1970s, The Bee Gees helped keep falsetto alive and well with songs like "Jive Talkin', "Stayin' Alive" and "Night Fever." The Chi-Lites had two No. 1 hits: "Have You Seen Her," and the inimitable "Oh, Girl." The Manhattans hit "Kiss and Say Goodbye" (Gerald Alston on lead) is an all-time top favorite of mine. Blue Lovett says when he wrote this smash hit, he thought of it as a country song and thought it could be a big hit for Glen Campbell or Charley Pride. Well, I'm glad he kept it for the Manhattans -- that really worked out good. Before we leave the 70s, it would probably be a crime to leave out Al Green. Let's also not forget Russell Mael of Sparks and Roger Hodgson of Supertramp.

The 1980s brought us a solo Michael Jackson, and his purple majesty Prince, both poised for superstardom. Mick Jagger sang "Emotional Rescue." We also loved to listen to to El DeBarge, Billy MacKenzie of the Associates and Jimmy Somerville. In the 90s and beyond, there's Jeff Buckley, D'Angelo, Thom Yorke of Radiohead and Hayden Thorpe of Wild Beasts.

If I missed one of your favorites, don't get mad. Leave a comment. As you can see, there's really nothing to argue about when it comes to falsettos and tenors -- just a lot of great music to enjoy.

Sources:
The Billboard Book of No. 1 Hits
Super Seventies.com