Best Male Singers of the 20th Century

1. Bing Crosby (most influential)
2. Johnny Hartman (my personal fave)
3. Tom Waits (he can't write a song to save his life, but boy can he sing!)

1. Captain Beefheart (twice the range and twice the emotion of Tom Waits)
2. Dean Martin (twice the cool and twice the honesty of Frankie)
3. Jackie Gleeson (can make statues cry, that fat guy could sing)

Sinatra forever? I suppose so, but so is death.

George Jones, Al Green, and Frank Sinatra, in no particular order. I couldn't rank one ahead of another, and can't think of another male singer I would put in the same class as these three. There are many contenders, but these three have all earned their place in Mt Rushmore.

Waltersalas,
Good post! I see that you are a righteous and noble defender of the George Jones faith. However, my list of male soul singers has both Otis Redding and Curtis Mayfield occupying a higher position than the aforementioned Mr. Green. I must say though, his "I'm Still in Love with You" LP is as fine a Soul disc as any ever recorded.

Thanks, Tweakgeek. For me, the number of votes on the board for Sinatra compared to "no-show" Jones is more a testament to a general bias against country music than anything. Sinatra is/was great, but no male singer I have ever heard sings with more emotion than Jones. His pain is sometimes palpable to the point of being unbearable--in this particular area, he has only one peer, and that is Billie Holiday. Jones is to Sinatra as Holiday is to Ella Fitzgerald. All are great, but for very different reasons.

BTW, I love Otis, too, but I'll stick with Green.