singers who smoke

Yeah, the effects of smoking on vocalists really varies so I can't say whether it's a goood or bad thing.

and it's kind of hard to tell in some cases (I'm thinking of Aretha Franklin in particular) if smoking is the culprit or just aging/weight gain/whatever.

i know me either really. but who's voice has it like really damaged for ex.

britney smokes but i don't think that really matters.

I think Kelis smokes.. her voice is totally gone now, if you listen to "Get Along With You" and then anything off of Kelis Was Here it's really apparent..

lol Kelis

http://celebslam.buzznet.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/george-michael-waisted-gossip.jpg

ohnoes

he doesn't sing with his nose LOLOLZ

uh, Dylan?

he's not really a "singer" is he.

Lou Reed - gave up smoking in the 90's but you can hear the toll it took on his voice. Even more so with Bowie - I think he still smokes? While searching for information I found this:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2007/1108072bowie1.html
...different kind of smoking though.

he so handsome!

Iggy got busted at the same time - fuck knows what his mugshot looked like...

oh yea actually i never specified what kind of smoking so dat counts

Rene Pape smokes and he sounds fucking amazing.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/74/Wpsiatwin.jpg
http://blogonoco.googlepages.com/tosh_legalf.jpg/tosh_legalf-full.jpg

(Nat King)Cole was a heavy smoker of KOOL menthol cigarettes, smoking up to three packs a day. He believed smoking kept his voice low. (He would, in fact, smoke several cigarettes in quick succession before a recording for this very purpose.) oops.

You left out the punchline.

too soon

Mark Lanegan's voice improved with age, and I assume that was with smoking and not the other shit he took.

other than the angle that smoking makes one's voice more 'rough', 'gruff', or raspy, which fits that style of music, the idea that smoking makes anybody sound better is laughable.

(and yes, I realize that was the angle most everyone was going from).

The Dangling Cigarette - a picture thread

Even more so with Bowie - I think he still smokes?

He gave up about four years ago, six months before his heart attack.

leonard cohen must smoke. his voice has become deeper and deeper with every album. which is fine i think whereas the same holds true for joni mitchell and it isn't good at all. rough male voices which can hardly follow a tune anymore seem ok but females who have lost their voice neither sound sexy nor especially pleasing to the ear. any exceptions?

Bryan Ferry?

Yes, definately Ferry - you can hear the effect it's had on his voice and maybe on his face too, he looks a lot older than he is.

Kate Bush surprisingly was smoker - she smoked from her mid teens up until 2001.

yes!! that's true. actually i can hear it, in the nasal way she goes from note to note. used to be much more nimble. and obviously her range has diminished.

females who have lost their voice and still sound sexy... that IS tough. geez, leonard's voice got a little ridiculous over the years. i mean it sounds great and everything but sometimes it's like a little TOO low.

Marianne Faithful

not really. it's the raspy voice of an old woman.

may be chan marshall. her voice has changed over the years towards lower registers. she definitely smoked until recently, maybe she still does. her voice is extremely sexy though i am not sure if it has become sexier over time.

It was mainly the cocaine that changed Faithfull's voice, but she was also a chain smoker, Marlboros being her prefered brand, which will screw up anyone's voice. She only quit this year, I think?

And this thread wouldn't be complete without mention of Mark E Smith.

Me for 10 years, until this year. Now I can yodel probably 10 times better.

Ian McCulloch:

http://dropd.com/issue/12/Electrafixion/smoke1.jpg http://dropd.com/issue/12/Electrafixion/smoke2.jpg

those are Electrafixion-era pics... *shudder*... but the several times I've seen him with the Bunnymen he's always had a few cigarettes during the shows.