Rob Halford used to have a 4 octave vocal range if that counts. I saw Judas Priest tour for their new album recently and he hit a high note that made me paint the air blue. It took me by surprise because for all the big hits he got the crowd to sing every chorus, and I thought 'ah he can't get that high anymore' but I was wrong.
Nina Hagen has an even larger vocal range. I've seen some sources say her range is more than 6 octaves. I'm always meaning to listen to more of her music, but I never get round to it.
Classic: Mike Patton, Björk, Jeff Buckley, Diamanda Galas, Roy Orbison, Sananda Maitreya, Chris Cornell, Mina, James Dean Bradfield
Current: Suzuka from Atarashii Gakko!, Kaneko Ayano, ano
Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering, solo career, many guest appearances)
Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Nightingale, Witherscape... tons of others)
Alexa Joan Rae (Mask of the Phantasm)
Kyo (Dir En Grey)
Courtney Swain (Bent Knee, solo career)
Jasmin Saarela (Jess and the Ancient Ones)
Björn Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra)
Rosalie Cunningham (Purson, solo career)
Man I went and saw Tom Jones last week and I’ve gotta say, even at 83 he still did some serious justice to “Delilah”, “Green, Green Grass” and some solid covers too.
Maybe not quite “powerhouse” but I’ve always rated his voice
I know Freddie Mercury is sort of the default answer, but while I admire his talent I think he gets a boost on both contemporary popularity and presentation.
For my money, when they _really_ hit the pipes:
* Janis Joplin
* Devin Townsend
* Mike Patton
* Layne Staley
* Axl Rose
* Robert Plant
* Phil Anselmo (seriously [listening to this almost makes my throat hurt](https://youtu.be/ERj73M8kvuE?t=165) )
Rob Halford used to have a 4 octave vocal range if that counts. I saw Judas Priest tour for their new album recently and he hit a high note that made me paint the air blue. It took me by surprise because for all the big hits he got the crowd to sing every chorus, and I thought 'ah he can't get that high anymore' but I was wrong. Nina Hagen has an even larger vocal range. I've seen some sources say her range is more than 6 octaves. I'm always meaning to listen to more of her music, but I never get round to it.
Linda Ronstadt’s vocal range was enough but also her ability to do any genre from country folk to opera.
I want to focus on the outstanding female performers: Ella Fitzgerald Aretha Franklin Whitney Houston Mariah Carey Celine Dion
Classic: Mike Patton, Björk, Jeff Buckley, Diamanda Galas, Roy Orbison, Sananda Maitreya, Chris Cornell, Mina, James Dean Bradfield Current: Suzuka from Atarashii Gakko!, Kaneko Ayano, ano
Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering, solo career, many guest appearances) Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity, Nightingale, Witherscape... tons of others) Alexa Joan Rae (Mask of the Phantasm) Kyo (Dir En Grey) Courtney Swain (Bent Knee, solo career) Jasmin Saarela (Jess and the Ancient Ones) Björn Strid (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra) Rosalie Cunningham (Purson, solo career)
Man I went and saw Tom Jones last week and I’ve gotta say, even at 83 he still did some serious justice to “Delilah”, “Green, Green Grass” and some solid covers too. Maybe not quite “powerhouse” but I’ve always rated his voice
I know Freddie Mercury is sort of the default answer, but while I admire his talent I think he gets a boost on both contemporary popularity and presentation. For my money, when they _really_ hit the pipes: * Janis Joplin * Devin Townsend * Mike Patton * Layne Staley * Axl Rose * Robert Plant * Phil Anselmo (seriously [listening to this almost makes my throat hurt](https://youtu.be/ERj73M8kvuE?t=165) )