Vocalists Who Made You Stop The First Time You Heard Them.

[Diamond Dog]

This is not about singers you greatly admire now, or the greatest vocalists... this is to see if any vocalists actually made you stop what you were doing the very first time you heard them and concentrate until the end of the song. You know - really 'drop everything' and listen.

I can think of three of the top of my head :

Jeff Buckley - I'd been out for a great (drunken) night out with my ex wife, we came home and put the TV on (whilst getting the compulsory Chinese takeway ready) and "Grace" came on one of the late night music shows (possibly The White Room?). I remember just stopping and being completely transfixed by his vocals.... I scribbled his name down and made a point of getting the single/album the next day. I did exactly that and never really looked back. An astonishing voice.

Kate Bush - I'm sure a few others on here are the same... "Wuthering Heights" completely blew me away when I first heard it. Still does. It was one of those "What the fuck is that?" moments.

Billy McKenzie - TOTP.... "Party Fears Two". Billy looking so unbelievably nonchalant (memory serves me right he was wearing a green full length mac!).... and then that voice unveiled itself.... I was absolutely dumbstruck.... I know "Party Fears Two" is a bit like Marmite - but I loved his voice right from the off.... and still luxuriate in its brilliance every so often.

I'm sure there are others, but those three stick out as real 'stopped dead in my tracks' moments.

[Charlie O.]

Karen Dalton.

[jimboo]

Beefheart , Walker and Dylan. Mark E Smith was another.

[Rayge]

The Everly Brothers, Irma Thomas, Timi Yuro, Lorraine Ellison, Ben E King, Arlene Smith (of the Chantels), Patti Smith, Diamanda Gallas, Tony Williams (Platters), Winnie Winfield (Harptones), Johnny Rotten. Among others, I'm sure

[jimboo]

Oh yeah ,Rotten.

[take5_d_shorterer]

Karen Dalton.

Yes.

On a related note, I was in a parking lot listening to the radio when this came on. I had to wait a minute to compose myself before driving.

[Diamond Dog]

Johnny Rotten.

I had Rotten too but crossed him off because I wasn;t sure in my mind if that was my initial reaction or second or third.

[Samoan]

Ian Gillan, Sonja Kristina, JJ Cale, Tanita Tikaram

[BARON CORNY DOG]

Wilson Pickett with the Falcons: “I Found A Love.”

[pcqgod]

The first time I heard Amy Winehouse I thought to myself, "what the hell is this?"

[Rayge]

The first time I heard Amy Winehouse I thought to myself, "what the hell is this?"

yeah, me too, I'd forgotten that.

[Geezee]

Remember hearing Kurt Cobain’s scream on the school bus and being floored by it - I didn’t immediatlely bond with the music but the voice sent chills straight away.

One of the earliest musical memories I have is of hearing Rod Stewart’s singing - I was hooked immediately by the voice more than anything else. There are still moments when I hear his singing that I can transport myself back to that first moment (a little bit like on some rare occasions when I’m drinking beer I can get the taste/smell from the very first time I had beer). Led to a lifelong love of cracked/smokey voices.

Neil Young is another, for quite different reasons. I was very (very) late to hearing him for the first time (one of those people I always knew of but didn’t hear anything by) and by then I was already singing and performing but was always very self-conscious of my voice. The moment I heard Neil Young was the first time I heard someone sing like me - I actually thought it *was* me at first and that someone was having a joke. I *hated* my voice and was so reassuring to hear that someone could make a career with a voice like that. I’ve subsequently appreciated that he probably sings a bit better than me but anyway .

[Geezee]

The first time I heard Amy Winehouse I thought to myself, "what the hell is this?"

yeah, me too, I'd forgotten that.

Absolutely. Of artists in recent years there aren’t many otherwise where the voice has hit me immediately me - Anthony Johnson is another i suppose where I wondered where on earth this was coming from, even if the music wasn’t always my kind of thing. God I could really do with someone new whose voice hits me straight away - been way too long.

There are plenty where I knew the music/singing long before I understood, appreciated, or reacted to, the voice. Most soul singers fall into this bracket to me unfortunately. I’m trying to think of female singers whom I reacted to straight away and can’t think of any right now. Björk is perhaps the closest - I couldn’t believe how beautiful it could be when I first heard it.

[Tom Waits For No One]

Antony Hegarty

and of course his brother Den.

[Charlie O.]

Bjork, with the Sugarcubes ("Birthday"). I won't say I was an immediate fan - or that I'm a Bjork fan now, for that matter - but it was definitely a kind of "what is that?" moment. [Whoops, just saw that Geezee mentioned her too.]

[Diamond Dog]

Karen Dalton.

You know what Charlie - I've never (knowingly) heard her.

I just went and checked her (incredibly short) career out... wow. Thank you!

[never/ever]

Liz.
One Monday night, listening to Superclean Dreammachine on AVRO Radio, playing Song To The Siren, back in 1984.
I wanted to crawl in the speaker to hear it even better.

[Charlie O.]

Liz.
One Monday night, listening to Superclean Dreammachine on AVRO Radio, playing Song To The Siren, back in 1984.
I wanted to crawl in the speaker to hear it even better.

Yeah, I thought of her too, and the same song.

[never/ever]

Antony Hegarty.

I hadn't given much notice of him until I saw him as part of Lou Reed's band performing the entire Berlin-album and him giving a stunning encore of Stephanie Says.
Could very well be that after one hour of the crow-like voice of Lou that his croon sounded like manna from heaven though...

[bobzilla77]

Bjork, first time I heard the Sugarcubes' "Birthday" on college radio. I didn't catch the back-announce to hear who the artist was, and was afraid I would never hear that song again. Of course they did play it again, and I picked up the Cubes record as soon as it came out & saw them live that summer at a small theater in Philadelphia. That was a neat discovery, a brand new thing that exceeded expectations. There were a lot of things I liked about it but undeniably, it was that voice that made me go HEY!

Also Keith Morris the first time I heard early Black Flag, the outtake of "Gimme Gimme Gimme", side one of Everything Went Black. That was a WHOA! THIS IN INTENSE! kinda moment.