BEST FRONTMAN #1: JIM MORRISON of THE DOORS

Jim Morrison was a singer, songwriter, poet, and film director. He is widely considered to be one of the most charismatic frontmen ever.

From answers.com:

As the lead singer and lyricist for the Doors, Jim Morrison ismost legendary and influential figures in rock & roll history. The disturbing, image-rich poeticism of Morrison's lyrics, perfectly supported by the Doors' swirling, eclectic psychedelic rock, have assured him continuing icon status, while his fondness for theatrical shock tactics and nihilistic angst have influenced countless imitators. Unlike other psychedelic artists, who tended to favor whimsy or mysticism, Morrison saw expansion of consciousness as a way of gaining access to the subconscious mind's dark, unacknowledged desires; his rampaging id dominated his songs with a lust for violence, sex, alcohol, drugs, self-destruction, anything forbidden for any reason by the authority of conservative middle America, and he tried to live out that lifestyle as best he could. Some of Morrison's work has been criticized -- both during his lifetime and afterward -- as too melodramatic and calculatedly outrageous, but even at his most frustrating, Morrison's ideas have achieved a lasting resonance with newer generations as well as his initial fans, and his best material remains some of the most original and visionary rock music ever recorded.

From wikipedia:
The single "Light My Fire" eventually reached number one on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. Later, The Doors appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show... Ed Sullivan requested two songs from The Doors for the show, "People are Strange", and "Light My Fire". The censors insisted that they change the lyrics of "Light My Fire" from "Girl we couldn't get much higher" to "Girl we couldn't get much better." This was reportedly due to what could be perceived as a reference to drugs in the original lyric. Giving assurances of compliance to Sullivan, Morrison then proceeded to sing the song with the original lyrics anyway. He later said that he had simply forgotten to make the change. This infuriated Sullivan so much that he refused to shake their hands after their performance. They were never invited back.

Fun fact: Out of everyone who participated in this frontman countdown, only four did not vote for Jim Morrison!

VIDEO EVIDENCE:

Ed Sullivan show:

BEST FRONTMAN #2: EDDIE VEDDER of PEARL JAM

"I look around the audience, and there's so many faces, and I've looked into the eyes of at least the ones I could see -- there's at least 1,000 faces -- and I've communicated directly to them and seen where they're coming from...One thing I don't feel is separation from the crowd. I don't feel like we're speaking from a platform, I feel like we are communicating on the same level."

-Eddie Vedder

Pearl Jam was formed in 1990, and their debut album, Ten, became one of the best selling alternative albums of the 1990s. Their sophomore album, Vs., set a record at the time for most albums sold in a week. The band quickly found itself overwhelmed by the sudden popularity of the Seattle music scene and the associated genre known as "grunge". A typical band and frontman would capitalize on that - over-promote their albums, make more videos, go on a world tour and sell tickets for top dollar. But not Pearl Jam, and not Eddie Vedder. Instead, Pearl Jam pulled back on album promotion, refused to make music videos, and launched a boycott of Ticketmaster for Ticketmaster's inflation of ticket prices AND set a cap on ticket prices to thwart ticket scalping. Less commercialism, more creativity.

Frontman Eddie Vedder is known for his intense live performances, thoroughly engaging with the crowd. In the early days, Vedder even participated in stage diving as well as crowd surfing. These days, Ed abstains from such antics, but delivers strong and very personal performances nonetheless. For example, he often waits until just minutes before taking the stage to formulate a setlist for the night's concert so he can get a feel for the setting and the crowd and put together a show to feed and feed off of their energy.

So far Pearl Jam has released eight studio albums and was named "greatest American rock band of all time" in a 2005 USA Today reader's poll and was named "the most popular American rock & roll band of the '90s" by Allmusic...

One of my personal favorites:

BEST FRONTMAN #3 (TIE): STEVEN TYLER of AEROSMITH

Steven Tyler wears many hats (er...scarves). Aside from being ranked #3 on Hit Parader's list of "Heavy Metal's All-Time Top 100 Vocalists" for his raw, sharp-edged vocals, Tyler also plays a wide range of instruments, including keyboards, harmonica, and various percussion instruments.

Aerosmith enjoyed some success in the 70s, but fell apart due to the fast-paced lifestyle and the friction of spending so much time together - both of which problems were fueled by drug use within the band. Fortunately, the band was able to reunite in the mid-80s, contingent upon Tyler's stint in a strict rehab program. A comment by Steven Tyler: "Sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll... take out the drugs and you've got more time for the other two."

But the 80s marked a new era for the band. Aside from all attending rehab, the band made a mark on music when they collaborated with Run DMC to remake their hit "Walk This Way". This move introduced a whole new generation to the music of Aerosmith, and as a result, the band became more popular than ever. The success continued though the 90s with multiple hit albums and theatrical music videos.

Aerosmith still tours regularly and is known for their stellar live performances. From wikipedia:

Tyler is also known for his usage of the microphone stand as a significant part of his performances. He almost always uses the microphone stand in concert.

Throughout much of his career, Tyler has also been noted for playing the piano or keyboards onstage, particularly during songs such as "Dream On" and "Darkness". However, he has rarely done this since the 1980s, except during special performances, since the band employs a touring keyboardist, and the piano playing would take away from Tyler's raw performances as frontman. Nevertheless, his piano and keyboard playing continues to be an integral part of the band in the studio, as Tyler will often write songs this way.

Steven Tyler is also known for his musical interplay with the other members of Aerosmith, particularly with guitarist Joe Perry. The two will often perform very close together side-by-side, particularly when Perry sings backup or adds vocal harmony, or during sit-down acoustic performances.

BEST FRONTMAN #3 (TIE): MICK JAGGER of THE ROLLING STONES

In their earliest days, the members of the Rolling Stones played for nothing - and even had to borrow equipment from other bands to perform. But a mere two years after their formation, two different opinion polls named the Rolling Stones as England's most popular group. Even more popular than The Beatles...

Frontman, Mick Jagger gained attention for his songwriting partnership with bandmate Keith Richards, his role as the defiant, troublemaking leader of the group AND his many, many, many romantic relationships.

"I wasn't trying to be rebellious in those days," Jagger once said in an interview. "I was just being me. I wasn't trying to push the edge of anything. I'm being me and ordinary, the guy from suburbia who sings in this band, but someone older might have thought it was just the most awful racket, the most terrible thing, and where are we going if this is music?... But all those songs we sang were pretty tame, really. People didn't think they were, but I thought they were tame."

And over 40 years later, Mick is still leading the Rolling Stones - and still making rock n' roll history.

He was knighted for Services to Music, as Sir Michael Jagger by the Prince of Wales in December 2003. And in September 2007, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones made $437 million on their A Bigger Bang tour, landing them a spot in the Guinness World Records for most successful music tour.

When recently discussing when the Rolling Stones would retire, Jagger commented: "I'm sure the Rolling Stones will do more things and more records and more tours. We've got no plans to stop any of that really."

VIDEO EVIDENCE

THEN:

NOW:

Coming soon...#2...

BEST FRONTMAN #5: JON BON JOVI of BON JOVI

Bon Jovi has been making music for 25 years, putting out ten studio albums, altogether selling more than 120 million worldwide.

The band has had 19 top 40 hits, 5 reaching #1.(Living on a Prayer, I'll Be There For You, You Give Love a Bad Name, Bad Medicine, and JBJ's solo hit Blaze of Glory)

Bon Jovi's album, Slippery When Wet, holds the record for the most weeks for a hard rock album at #1. Their album, New Jersey, holds the record for most Top 10 singles from a hard rock album, with 5.


Frontman, Jon Bon Jovi, has made a name for himself not only as a singer and performer, but also as a songwriter and even actor, earning new fans in all venues.

From wikipedia, here is a list of the awards/honors Jon Bon Jovi has received over the years:

Awards
1985: Kerrang: Sex Object Of The Year
1987: Metal Edge Reader's Choice Awards: Best Male Performer.
1989: American Music Award: Best Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group; award shared with his band.
1990: Golden Globe: Best Song, Blaze of Glory (from Young Guns II soundtrack).
1990: Academy Awards: Nominated, Original Song, "Blaze of Glory" (from Young Guns II soundtrack).
1991: ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards: Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures for YOUNG GUNS II - Blaze of Glory.
1991: MTV Michael Jackson: Video Vanguard Award; shared with his band.
1996: Sky Sport: Special Olympics Awards.
1997: Kerrang Awards: Classic Songwriter.
1997: MTV Europe Music Awards: Best Male.
1998: Brit awards: Best International Male.
1998: ECHO: Best International Male Artist.
2000: People: Sexiest Rock Star.
2001: Humanitarian of the Year by The Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties for his charitable work on behalf of the people of New Jersey.
2001: Honorary doctorate in Humanities degree from Monmouth University in New Jersey, for his success as an entertainer and his humanitarian work.
2002: People: Sexiest Rock Star.
2002: My VH1 Music Awards: From The Tour to The Tube - Best TV for ,,Ally McBeal".
2003: People: Sexiest Rock Star.
2004: American Music Awards: Received the Award of Merit for their long career.
2005: World Music Awards:KUMAD Received the Diamond Award for sales of 100+ million albums.
2006: Help USA: Tribute Dinner Honnores.
2006: Inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame
2007: Grammy for Best Country Vocal Collaboration, "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" (with Jennifer Nettles).
2008: VH1 The Greatest: 100 Sexiest Artists (20 - 1): 14th Sexiest Artist
2008: MTV1 The Best: Best Selling Song Of The Decade 1980. Most popular rock song since 1980-s to Present.

And, this should be no surprise, ALL of Jon Bon Jovi's votes in this countdown came from female voters.

Next, at #4 and #3 -

WE HAVE A TIE!

Two aging rockers with big lips.

Not a very cryptic clue, is it?

BEST FRONTMAN #6: FREDDIE MERCURY of QUEEN

Freddie Mercury was a pianist, a songwriter - though he has stated that he could barely read music, and is often regarded as one of the greatest singers in rock music (thanks to impressive projection, rapid vibrato, and use of falsetto) with an effective range of 4 octaves.

But perhaps Freddie Mercury's biggest legacy was that of a theatrical rock performer. Queen favored stadium shows and Freddie encouraged participation from the large audiences.

Queen's 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll

VIDEO EVIDENCE:

Check back tomorrow for #5 on the list:

The 1991 MTV Video Vanguard Award winner.

BEST FRONTMAN #7: AXL ROSE of GUNS N' ROSES

Axl Rose is considered by many to be one of the best frontmen ever. During the height of Guns N' Roses popularity, Kurt Loder (of MTV) referred to Rose as "maybe the finest hard rock singer currently on the scene, and certainly the most charismatic". Still, as famous as Axl Rose was for his music, he was equally as infamous for his antics and well-publicized fueds with everyone from his own band mates to Bon Jovi to Tommy Hilfiger. And since rock'n'roll loves a little controversy, this only made Axl Rose more and more popular.

From wikipedia:


Guns N' Roses has sold an estimated 100 million albums worldwide, including over 42 million in the United States. The band's 1987 major label debut album, entitled Appetite for Destruction, has sold 27 million copies worldwide and reached number one on the United States Billboard 200. In addition, the album charted three Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including "Sweet Child o' Mine" which reached number one. 1991's Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II debuted on the two highest spots on the Billboard 200 and have sold a combined 14 million copies in the United States alone.

Up next...

Britain's first Asian rock star!

BEST FRONTMAN #8: OZZY OSBOURNE of BLACK SABBATH

They started as Polka Tulk, featuring a slide guitarist and a saxaphonist...And then they changed their name, got rid of their slide guitar and sax, and became bluesy four-piece English band called Earth...But then, one night, they noticed people lining up to see a scary movie called Black Sabbath - and the idea was hatched - create the musical equivalent to a scary movie. And Black Sabbath - the heavy metal band - was born.

Ozzy Osbourne served as the ideal frontman for this venture, causing controversy at ever turn - offending parent/teacher associations, Christian groups, media content activist groups, and animal right groups. Osbourne's stage act was shocking, as intended. The constant controversy is what made him famous.

Next up at #7...

one of the best stage names ever...

BEST FRONTMAN #9: ROBERT PLANT of LED ZEPPELIN

All of their studio albums have hit the top 10...They were the #1 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock, according to VH1...They are often credited for pioneering the heavy metal genre... Led Zeppelin has certainly qualifies as successful - and that can, in part, be attributed to frontman Robert Plant.

Plant was - aside from a singer - a songwriter, penning lyrics that were mystical, spiritual, philosophical, and sometimes mythological. In concert, Plant has been known to sing additional - previously unheard - verses to songs and to engage his audience with humorous banter.

Ann Wilson, Jeff Buckley, Sammy Hagar, and Rob Halford are just a few who name Robert Plant as a vocal influence.


VIDEO EVIDENCE:




Interesting poll note: Plant was fairly popular with the male voters...Not so much with the ladies.

Stay tuned tomorrow, for our #8 Best Frontman ever...

otherwise known as "the prince of darkness"

BEST FRONTMAN #10: LAYNE STALEY of ALICE IN CHAINS

A powerful performer with one of the most distinctive rock voices ever, Layne Staley fronted the Seattle-based band, Alice in Chains, from 1987 until his death in 2002. Layne Staley's vocal style and often dark and very personal lyrics set him and his band apart from many other bands of the 90s. While fronted by Layne, Alice in Chains sold over 14 million records in the US alone and had 19 top 40 singles, 2 number 1 albums, and 6 Grammy nominations.

Many bands have named Staley as a major musical influence. These include Godsmack, Staind, Puddle of Mudd, Taproot, Monster Magnet, and even Metallica.

VIDEO EVIDENCE:

Stay tuned tomorrow for #9 on the countdown of the Best Frontmen Ever -

an English rocker who fronted one of the most highly regarded bands of all time...

BEST FRONTMEN EVER: The ones who almost made it...

Although they didn't quite make the top 10, these guys got enough votes to earn an honorable mention in the Best Frontmen Ever countdown...

Bono of U2

David Lee Roth of Van Halen

Kurt Cobain of Nirvana

Steve Perry of Journey

Roger Daltrey of The Who

Stay tuned for the countdown of the 10 Best Frontmen Ever -

(as voted by pretty much everyone I know).

Who is the best frontman ever?

All votes are in and have been tallied.

The countdown of the 10 best frontmen of all time will begin this weekend.

New countdown coming up!

The ten greatest frontmen of all time!

And it's not just my opinion this time - I took a poll.

If you have not voted and would like to, please submit YOUR top 10 favorite frontmen to me by Thursday evening. You don't have to put them in order - just the 10 men you think are the best...