Top 10 Pick: Favorite Rock Singers

The Dreamer’s Brigade ten favorite rock singers were never pop singers; they were always legitimately ROCK singers.  

We start our top ten with Steven Tyler – the United States’ equivalent of Britain’s Mick Jaggar.  Next on our list at number nine (9) is Pat Benetar.  Pat is a power-packed little stick of dynamite that can deliver a song beautifully and intensely at the same time.  Very few female artists use their instrument (voice) like Pat Benetar.  Steve Perry is our 8^th favorite singer because his vocals gave Journey passion and longevity.  His signature croon was so important to the band that they found a sound-alike as his replacement.  Ann Wilson, the female version of Robert Plant is our number seven (7) pick.  With Ann, it’s not just her powerful vocal chords, it’s the charisma that makes her a complete package.  Next, is Roger Daltery at six (6).  Roger was punk before we knew what punk was and interpreted Pete Townsend’s lyrics with his own brand of tough English translation. 

Geddy Lee fills the top five (5) spot with his unique, high-range vocal style as the lead singer for the rock band Rush.  Geddy’s sound is another that defined the band as iconic.  Our fourth (4) favorite is Mick Jaggar, who as an expectant great-grandfather, is in his 70s, and is still going strong.  We chose him because he is the original rock entertainer.  In third place is Elvis.  If Mick is the original entertainer, Elvis was the original Rock ‘n Roll voice.  In fact, rock had not been named when Elvis earned his first award for ‘Country and Western’ music.  Elvis started it all.  Freddie Mercury turned rock music into theater.  In fact, Freddie once said that Queen to be the ‘Cecil B. Demille of rock music’.  Freddie’s operatic voice and flamboyant personality brought it all to life. 

Number one (1) on our list is Robert Plant.  He is the ultimate rock singer and vocally led the Hammer of the Gods.  And, over the years, Robert continues to push his sound into new genres giving voice to music that we haven’t heard before.

Long story short:

10. Steven Tyler

9. Pat Benetar

8. Steve Perry

7. Ann Wilson

6. Roger Daltery

5. Geddy Lee

4. Mick Jaggar

3. Elvis

2. Freddie Mercury

1. Robert Plant

Who are your favorite rock singers? Why?

Top 10 Pick: Best Guitarists

10. Lindsay Buckingham (Tasteful and simple)

9. Alex Lifeson (Electronic affects expert)

8. Pete Townsend (Power-chord master)

7. Keith Richards (Overall style and ability to play all styles)

6. Jeff Beck (Jazzy precision)

5. Brian May (Extremely melodic)

4. Slash (Genuine enthusiasm)

3. Eric Clapton (Slow hand and can say more with one note than most guitarists can say in a verse)

2. Jimmy Page (Great riff master)

1. David Gilmour (Ethereal and eclectic)

Each of the players on our best guitarists list is an expert in their own style of music.  We included them because many musicians borrowed playing styles of others and adapted them to create new styles of play; they serve as an inspiration to fellow musicians. Lindsay Buckingham made the list at number ten (10) because of his tasteful yet simple style.  We chose Alex Lifeson to be number nine (9) because he’s an expert at electronic effects like no one else on our list.  Pete Townsend comes in at eight (8) as the power chord master.  This style of play is probably what makes The Who such a great “guys” band.

Some guitarists seem to have the ability to play all styles of music.  The best at this is Keith Richards coming in at number seven (7).  Jazzy precision is how we would describe the play of Jeff Beck making him our number six (6) pick.  Brian May’s extremely melodic play was more than just note playing.  His counter melodies to Freddie Mercury’s melodic genius created a partnership like no other placing him at five (5) on our list.  Genuine enthusiasm garnered Slash the number four (4) spot on our top 10.   

Eric Clapton holds the number three (3) spot because of his ability to say more with one note than many guitarists can cay in an entire verse.  Jimmy Page, although not precise, is the greatest riff master and brought lead guitar showmanship to a new level putting him at number two (2) on our list.  Finally, The Dreamer’s Brigade chose David Gilmour as the best guitarist because his style is ethereal and eclectic.  His playing takes you places outside of the song structure.

There are a lot of guitarists that were left off this list as experts in their own sound.  We give honorable mention to Joe Satrioni, Buddy Guy, BB King, Eddie Van Halen, Ingve Melonstein and Joe Perry to name a few. 

Do you have a favorite guitar virtuoso?  Why would you choose him or her?

Call the Cops….to Say Thank you!

Members of The Dreamer’s Brigade recently saw the movie The Purge.  In this movie, all law is suspended for 12 hours, essentially creating all sorts of horrors.  This reminded us that in addition to military men and women, The Dreamer’s Brigade has also forever been supporters of local law enforcement; they are first line of defense protecting us from domestic hostilities, and are the first responders to any situation that we encounter on an everyday basis here at home.  Like our military, they are very well trained, very well equipped, and educated to assess the situations they encounter and then respond with appropriate actions.

Essentially, local law enforcement makes it possible for us to achieve our dreams by upholding the laws meant to prevent chaos.  As in The Purge, we’d be so focused on survival that we wouldn’t be able to pursue our aspirations without them.  

Say “thank you” to a city police officer, sheriff or highway patrol the next time you see one.  They deserve recognition for their service too.

Dream On

According to Webster’s dictionary, dreams are most often defined as a ‘visionary creation of the imagination’.

As the Dreamer’s Brigade, we naturally are very passionate about dreaming.  We believe that dreams are a blueprint by which our creative lives are directed.  With dreams, one’s abilities are endless.  As humans, we first dreamed of sailing across the ocean and created the boat.  We wanted to fly, so we created an airplane.  We wanted speed, so we invented a fast car.  We wanted a community of others and so built great cities.  All these wonders started with a simple dream!  A dream can be a simple vision, a big picture, an ordinary thought, or a revolutionary idea – your dreams are just that, YOURS.

I wanted to be in a band, so I created the Dreamer’s Brigade.  I dreamed of making music, so I wrote songs and learned to play instruments.  Then, I put it all together and created, Born in America.  The blueprint of Born in America was that of our forefathers.  Freedom here, freedom now and freedom forever!

As Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”  Dream on readers, and never lose sight of how powerful your dreams can be.  

Born in America: The Song

The song Born In America is the title track of The Dreamer's Brigade's first album.  This song was inspired by the movie ‘Revolution’ starring the infamous Al Pacino.  I like to call this particular song my ‘freebie’, because I wrote the words and music in a very short period of time. It was an amazing experience.

The recording of the song, however, was much more a challenge for me than the lyrics themselves.  After all was said and done, there were over 20 different versions of the song including one that incorporated a duet with a young lady I was recording at the time.

I chose the version that’s on the Born in America CD because it had what I considered the best overall elements of the recordings, and well, because I enjoyed this version - it just felt right.

I consider the song Born in America my very own personal ‘National Anthem'.  This song supports, reiterates, and speaks to my personal belief in the creation and evolution of the ‘American Dream’.

God bless America and God bless the American Dream. 

The Brigade’s Beginning

Though we are a bit newer to the online world, the original creation of the Dreamer’s Brigade is roughly 8 years in the making.  Wow, 8 years— time flies when you’re having fun!

As the Dreamer’s Brigade, our hope is to create a revolving door for fellow musicians and singers to lend their talents and skills by using the Dreamer’s Brigade as a central ‘outlet’.  We wanted to be here as a sort of starting point for new or ‘undiscovered’ artists that share our passion for music, and the inspiration it creates.

In hopes of both engaging and entertaining listeners, our theme revolves around the American nostalgia, while our music focuses on a traditional folk-rock feel.

Why "Dreamer's Brigade"? The name was developed in reverence to Led Zeppelin:
- Led Zeppelin meaning light and heavy.
- The Dreamers' being the light, ethereal and eclectic.
- The Brigade being heavy and militant.
The way we saw it, these were euphemisms for both words and music.

Born In America is the just the first in a series of The Dreamers' Brigade projects.  The task of doing everything on the album from start to finish in order to establish true credibility can be trying at times, but it is definitely a labor of love with so much more to come!

Come, join the Dreamer’s Brigade.