Last Updated on February 23, 2026 by Christian Adams
Part of my job at a Taiwanese publishing company was writing speeches for kids. We followed a customized Rule of Threes for public speaking.
- Tell the audience what you’re going to talk about.
- Talk about it.
- Remind the audience what you just talked about.
The title of this post informs you that I’m going to talk about the best rock singers in history—according to my experience. It’s my opinion. Fair enough.
Every singer on this list has a singular performance that left a lasting impression. A song or maybe just a moment in a track that affected me, in other words, made me stop and wonder. Other singers need a highlight reel to cover their greatness.
Now, these are my top rock vocalists, and you get only one reason why I love them.
John Lennon
The lead vocal performance of “Twist and Shout”.
Art Garfunkel (Simon & Garfunkel)
The lead vocal performance of “Bridge Over Troubled Water“.
Freddie Mercury (Queen)
Every lead vocal performance, but since I can only pick one, “Death on Two Legs“.
Robin Zander (Cheap Trick)
The ONLY singer on the planet who could make me sit through “The Flame”, but the lead vocal performance of “Mandocello” is sublime.
Peter Gabriel (Genesis)
The lead vocal performance of “The Musical Box.”
Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More)
The lead vocal performance of “Retrovertigo”.
Robert Smith (The Cure)
The lead vocal performance of “Shake Dog Shake”. P.S. This is a fantastic video, a rare look at short-haired Robert Smith!
Ann Wilson (Heart)
The lead vocal performance of “Barracuda”.
Brad Delp (Boston)
The lead vocal performance of “Rock n’ Roll Band”.
Paul Simon
The lead vocal on “The Only Living Boy in New York”.
Perry Farrell (Jane’s Addiction)
The lead vocal performance of “Summertime Rolls”.
Ozzy Osbourne
The lead vocal performance of “Symptom of the Universe”.
Stevie Wonder
The lead vocal performance of “Big Brother”.
Colin Blunstone
The lead vocal performance of “Say You Don’t Mind.”
Harry Nilsson
The I can’t liiiiiiiiivvvvvvveeeeee if living is without you part of “Without You” is incredible, but here’s my favorite lead vocal performance, “Me and My Arrow”.
Syd Barrett (Pink Floyd)
All of Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) is amazing, but the lead vocal performance of “Matilda Mother”.
Black Francis (Pixies)
The lead vocal performance of “Hey” (live in the studio, 1988)
Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)
The lead vocal performance of “The Day I Tried to Live”.
Rod Stewart
The vocal performance of “Every Picture Tells a Story”. [Ignore the out-of-tune 12-string guitar!]
Roger Daltrey (The Who)
I was originally going with “Won’t Get Fooled Again” because it’s got that infamous scream, but I think that’s selling Roger a bit short. Let’s say the lead vocal performance of “Summertime Blues” on Live at Leeds (1970).
Joe Strummer/Mick Jones (The Clash)
They deserve separate entries, but in the spirit of economy, the duet performance of “Atom Tan”.
Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders)
The lead vocal performance of “Tattooed Love Boys.”
David Bowie
The lead vocal performance of “Heroes” is one of the first times Bowie seemed sincere.
Ed Crawford (fIREHOSE)
The lead vocal performance of “In Memory of Elizabeth Cotten”.
Glenn Tillbrook (Squeeze)
The lead vocal performance of “Goodbye Girl”.
Jon Anderson (Yes)
The lead vocal performance of “South Side of the Sky”.
Prince
The lead vocal performance of “Dance On”.
Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes)
It’s a seven-minute dirge and the crux of the jam comes around the 5:30 mark, where he’s going, “I stood right up in the heart of hell / I never tell”, so the lead vocal performance of “Never Tell”, on the Violent Femmes’ criminally underrated Hallowed Ground (1985).
Paul Weller (Style Council, The Jam)
The lead performance of “My Ever Changing Moods” on Cafe Bleu (the piano version).
Robert Plant
The lead vocal performance of “Friends”.
Darryl Hall
The lead vocal performance of “Rich Girl”.
Russell Mael (Sparks)
The lead vocal performance of “Amateur Hour”.
John Lydon (Sex Pistols)
The lead vocal performance of “Bodies”.
Jello Biafra (Dead Kennedys)
The lead vocal performance of “California Über Alles”.
Chris Robinson (Black Crowes)
The lead vocal performance of “Sometimes Salvation”.
Gene Ween
The lead vocal of “Freedom of ’76”.
David Lee Roth
The lead vocal performance of “Secrets”. Say what you want about David Lee Roth, but he nails this one.
Bon Scott
The lead vocal performance of “Touch Too Much”.
Grant Hart (Hüsker Dü)
The lead vocal performance of “Sorry Somehow”.
Paul Rodgers (Bad Company)
The lead vocal performance of “Feel Like Makin’ Love”.
Jim Morrison
The lead vocal performance of “Five to One”.
Adam Ant
The lead vocal performance of “Here Comes the Grump”.
Ronnie Van Zant
The lead vocal performance of “Gimme Three Steps”.
Michael Stipe (R.E.M.)
The lead vocal performance of “Hairshirt”.
Satomi Matsuzaki (Deerhoof)
The lead vocal performance of “My Purple Past”.
Brian Wilson/Carl Wilson
The lead vocal performance of “God Only Knows” by Carl Wilson, but originally written and performed by Brian Wilson, who asked Carl to sing because it matched “his beautiful spirit.”
Mick Jagger
So many to choose from, but it’s gotta be the lead vocal performance of “Gimme Shelter”.
Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum)
The lead vocal performance of “Somebody to Shove”.
H.R. (Bad Brains)
The lead vocal performance of “I Against I”.
Siouxsie Sioux
I didn’t love Siouxsie until the Kaleidoscope album (1982), but the live lead vocal performance of “Spellbound” is really good.
Naoko Yamano/Michie Nakatani (Shonen Knife)
The lead vocal performances of Burning Farm (1982).
Steve Perry (Journey)
The lead vocal performance of “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin'”.
Bob Mould (Hüsker Dü)
The lead vocal performance of “Whatever”.
Roy Orbison
The lead vocal performance of “Blue Bayou”.
Elton John
The lead vocal performance of “Bennie and the Jets”.
Neil Young
The lead vocal performance of “For the Turnstiles”.
Elvis Presley
The lead vocal performance of “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
Robert Pollard (Guided by Voices)
The vocal performance of “Game of Pricks” from Alien Lanes (1995).
Paul McCartney
The lead vocal performance of “Oh! Darling”, doing his best John Lennon, doing his best Little Richard.
Steve Walsh (Kansas)
The lead vocal performance of “Point of Know Return.”
Mickey Thomas (Jefferson Starship, Elvin Bishop)
The live lead vocal performance of “Jane” by Jefferson Starship, but he’s also great on “Fooled Around and Fell in Love” by Elvin Bishop.
Tom Petty
The lead vocal performance of “I Need to Know”.
Jeff Buckley
The lead vocal performance of “Lover, You Should Have Come Over”.
So, there you have it. The top rock vocalists according to me. Did you see any of your favorites on the list? Drop me a line in the comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
