Best frontman of all time...

reply to post by MaskedAvatar


good to see a mention for the captain.
not to many people know who he is anymore

I haven't seen Eric Clapton (of any band he was in) mentioned.

And another favorite..... Tom Petty of the Heartbreakers.

Originally posted by Blogstalker
I haven't seen Eric Clapton (of any band he was in) mentioned.

Could that be because he's no great shakes as a frontman?

I saw Clapton years and years ago at a small venue in Surrey, England, and of course I've seen him countless times on TV and video. He's a pleasant singer, an obvious nice guy and, of course, God. But he's no front man - on the contrary, he's quite a self-effacing presence on stage.

I mentioned Iggy before, but it's quite obvious that the palm in this contest must go to Mick Jagger, whatever one's personal taste. The job description of rock band frontman didn't even exist until he invented it.

Of the other three possible contenders, Jim Morrison was certainly more intense on stage, Freddie Mercury a thorough-going showman in the old music-hall tradition and a far, far more capable singer than Mick, and Prince is a sublime all-rounder with more talent than all the rest put together. But none of them has inspired disturbance, sexual abandon, mayhem and even murder the way Jagger has. He was the ultimate shaman of rock, the greatest adept at raising the devil that lies dormant in all crowds. Notice I say 'was': the infamous tragedy at Altamont was, in one very real sense, his finest moment.

All gone now, of course. Though I must say he seemed to be enjoying himself in Shine A Light for once. Maybe he had a swig from Keith's flask before going on.

reply to post by Astyanax


Never having seen Clapton on stage you could be right. Would love to some day

reply to post by Astyanax

Mick Jagger's prowess as frontman put me in mind of his influences and beyond.
Bluesmen such as Bo Diddley, Howlin' Wolf, and John Lee Hooker. Even those attached to a guitar had their own flair for performance.
Then you got the Rock-n-Roll originators such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard (talk about a front man!)
Also, go further back and take a look at men such as Cab Calloway and Louis Jordan.
Eh, too many choices for me.

reply to post by martalen

Of course, those guys were great. But the ones you mention were either stars in their own right, not group front men, or else they simply... weren't rock.

the best front man of all time is david yow from jesus lizard. of all the shows i've seen he is one of the hardest working men in rock and roll. a serious contender.