If you are looking for songs that have been recorded by singers who didn’t take singing lessons, you’re not alone. The internet is full of songs from stars who didn’t take singing lessons, and if you’re looking for a great example of this.
However, since it’s impossible to know for sure whether someone has ever taken a vocal lesson, we’ll speculate a bit in this article.
Most Old School Blues Singers
You can hear the grit and pain in these singer’s voices. While this is often a more natural, primal sound, it’s also often times not very healthy and leads to vocal issues down the line.
However, that can add more texture to the sound, furthering the sound they’re looking for. It’s a weird cycle that I can appreciate, but don’t recommend.
Bob Dylan?
Bob Dylan is one of the more iconic names in songwriting, but most people would be surprised if he did considering his tone, texture and phrasing.
There’s no doubt – the man is a legend. He’s a heck of a songwriter that’s made more of an impact on the music world than I have, so I’m not criticizing. Just an observation.
Many of the Alternative Rock Singers
At least in the beginning, many of the alternative rock singers likely didn’t have voice lessons. Singers that I suspect fell into this category are the lead singers of Nirvana, the Spin Doctors, Everclear, and Fuel.
This suspicion comes from hearing some of their live recordings, as well as hearing about some of them having vocal damage.
Look, touring can be hard enough when you aren’t singing more aggressively. But I feel like if they had lessons (and heck, if the right type of lessons were even available back then), they would have had fewer issues and longer careers.
All that said, I’d like to emphasize that all of this is mere speculation and said with the upmost respect for all singers mentioned. Most of them I really appreciate and enjoy. So yeah, this isn’t said in criticism, but more as a guess.