The 27 greatest frontmen (and women) of all time

When you think about it, the horndog excess of Led Zeppelin could be easily stomached because of the artistry and composition behind the group's each and every song. But a good song isn't enough by itself to secure a legacy: You need performance to make it happen. And Robert Plant gave it during each and every performance. He screeched, he sweated, he cooed, and ultimately thrived on stage with that greatest-of-all-time vocal sneer highlighting what made the entire band so damn unique. Plant isn't much interested in Zeppelin-ing these days, but maybe it's for the best. The last thing we'd want him to do is tarnish his status as a rock legend.

While The Doors are forever synonymous with psychedelic indulgence, the group's heady weirdness found an unlikely hero in singer/poet Jim Morrison. His pretty-boy looks and detached cool while performing made him an unlikely-but-compelling focal point for a group whose artistry may very well have gotten lost in an ocean of garage-rock releases. The Lizard King was a conflicted creature, to be sure, but as the band's two albums made after his passing proved (one of them the sounds of them backing his spoken-word poetry), The Doors aren't the The Doors without Jim Morrison.

Every generation will have its share of exceptional rock vocalists, but few can hold a candle to the vocal caterwaul of Chris Cornell. Often playing guitar while belting out his soaring, scratching vocals that sounded exactly how they did in studio, Cornell was a hurricane of emotion every time he got in front of a microphone. While lost to us far too soon, his litany of classics — ranging from his work with Temple of the Dog all the way to Audioslave — has ensured that he'll be remembered as one of the most dynamic frontmen and vocalists of the modern rock era. Hands down.

The thing that secures Peter Gabriel in the hall of fame of great rock frontmen is just how bad he was at the start of the group's career. Crippled by stage fright (but not nearly enough as Anthony Phillips, who left the band shortly after its inception because of this), Gabriel found his voice by losing himself in theatrics — creating characters like The Slipper Man and Rael. They were all different, wacky iterations that allowed Gabriel to try on new vocal tics and forced the band to update their staging to accommodate him. The longer time wore on, the more confident he grew, and Gabriel's dedication to his craft helped push the band — and rock music itself — further than it had ever gone before.

While no one doubts Nirvana's legacy as being one of the greatest and most challenging rock bands of all time, the band's emphasis was almost entirely on singer Kurt Cobain. So no fault to drummer Dave Grohl, who tried to emerge from Nirvana's grunge legacy with a brighter, alternative rock sound. Goodness, did he make the Foo Fighters into a machine. Smiling and friendly — and filling up the band's music videography with clips both dramatic and slapstick-humorous — Dave Grohl has proven to be no slouch as a songwriter. He turned the Foos into one of rock music's most reliable workhorses and has used his undeniable charisma as the gravity that keeps it all together.

While Flavor Flav brought the hype and the humor, it was Chuck D's politically charged, blunt-force lyrics that helped elevate Public Enemy into a force to be reckoned with. While also moonlighting as one of the members of The Bomb Squad production group that made the clattering beats that helped Public Enemy stand out in the rap world, nothing quite matches seeing Chuck D live — making every word hit the crowd with maximum impact. He is a force to be reckoned with.

Seeing Against Me! live is nothing short of a tradition for some in the modern punk scene. The sharp guitar lines, the group vocal efforts — all of it makes for a thundering concert experience. Yet when singer Tom Gabel came out as transgender in 2012, some people were unsure how the remarkable change from Tom to Laura Jane Grace would affect the band's sound, if at all. There is nothing more punk than being your authentic self, and Laura Jane Grace is one of the most upfront, furious and energetic frontwomen in all of rock music. Their music since Laura's transition has been hailed as nothing short of boundary-breaking, and Laura knows how to rally up a mosh pit like it's nobody's business. Against Me! will always be remembered as one of punk music's stalwart bands.

While you can talk about Wyclef's eccentricities and Pras' under-appreciated lyricism (even to this day), what made The Fugees work so well was how well the group worked together. All of these disparate voices coming together to make pointed, emotional and astoundingly funny songs. No matter how you tried to paint it, Lauryn Hill was the reason why you were showing up to the party, as her energy and charisma was virtually unmatched by anyone in the game at the time. Look up clips of the group playing the Apollo in the mid-'90s and see just how compelling a figure she is — owning the stage with a swagger and confidence that made us think for a time that she was going to be a part of anyone's legitimate "top five MCs" discussion. Even with her solo success and subsequent erratic performance history, she is — in some respects— still a part of that very debate.

As the mastermind behind not one but two funk collectives, George Clinton positioned himself as a kingpin of the pop-funk scene. But never once did he compromise his freaky vision — putting his sci-fi aesthetic front and center while making a point of making you get down and get funky. Frequently on stage in outrageous getups but never once neglecting his duties as a bandleader, Clinton was less of a consummate showman and more like funk's Pied Piper — leading people the world over to follow him down the deepest of boogie holes.

While the core songwriting of Stone Temple Pilots rests on the pivotal work of the DeLeo brothers (Dean and Robert), the band's surreal desert-trip rock numbers came to life due to the serpent that was Scott Weiland. Weiland was a notoriously strung-out showman who oozed sex appeal but managed to sell the songs each and every time. He knew a thing or two about surreal lyrics, certainly, but watching him live in leather pants and gloves and almost nothing else while dancing erotically in front of his bandmates brought an energy to a rock group that was as close a spiritual successor to Perry Farrell's offbeat weirdo magic than any other contemporary. You'll be missed, Scott.

Defiantly quirky and intentionally bizarre, David Byrne's observational, deliberately un-emotional songwriting style was — to put it simply — rather unusual even by late-'70s standards. While the Talking Heads' sound could be described as brainy, subversive and offbeat, Byrne made every gesture and movement into a piece of performance art. This was captured thrillingly in one of the most important rock concert films of all time, "Stop Making Sense." While the band is filled with distinct personalities (and, of course, The Tom Tom Club), Byrne remains its otherworldly center — guiding and orchestrating the group through his offbeat vision of the world that is truly like no other.

Long before the TV show "The Osbournes" turned him into a punchline, the Ozzy Osbourne that metal fans fell in love with was a man of blistering intensity, his eyes locking onto the audience with the intensity of a cult leader. While many of his antics (both on- and off-stage) have become the stuff of legend, he remained the unquestioned main attraction of Black Sabbath. While his solo career was littered with amazing guitar collaborators, nothing will ever match the underworld intrigue that was watching Ozzy Osbourne perform live with the Sabbath.

While many know Lionel Richie as a talented pop songwriter, The Commodores have had many a hit without that special Lionel touch. While The Commodores were a group effort from top to bottom, the casual energy that Lionel Richie exuded on stage is something that's hard to compete with. With his immaculate 'fro rarely out of stage lights, Richie remained a stunning performer, hitting amazing soul high notes one second while dancing in sync with the rest of his band just a moment later. Then, of course, there were the iconic Commodores ballads like "Easy" and "Three Times a Lady," which were penned by Richie alone and have cemented him as one of the most iconic frontmen of his generation.

It's easy to think of Justin Timberlake and remember him for all of his post-*NSYNC work, which ranges from his films to his solo albums to his numerous Jimmy Fallon appearances. Yet even when he was with that boy band that the Backstreet Boys declared as their rivals, Timberlake gradually moved on from being the pretty-boy lead into a substantial artistic contributor, co-writing some songs on their sophomore album and even stepping into some production roles by the time 2001's "Celebrity" came out. No wonder he was the lead vocalist on nearly every track.

When Gwen and her brother, Eric, formed No Doubt back in Orange County, Calif., they were playing ska music at a time when grunge was ruling the airwaves. This left them as quirky outsiders at a time when flannel-draped moodiness sold in droves. Touring with countless other male-fronted bands, the young Gwen Stefani learned to hold her own with the boys — providing outrageous stunts, crazy vocal runs and an energy that just couldn't be contained. As the band grew in prominence, so did Stefani's confidence — being able to take on roles like the brat, the ingenue, the punk and the lover all within the course of a single album or can't-miss-it stage show. Even in this day and age, her distinct style has yet to be replicated, and No Doubt's legacy is all the better for it.

Some called it rap-metal. Some just called it alternative hard rock. But, at the end of the day, the guitar pyrotechnics of Tom Morello and the pointed political fury of vocalist Zack de La Rocha is the kind of creative collaboration that defies labels. Although his trademark shouting is what he's most remembered for, the way that de la Rocha was able to sometimes bring his rhetoric down to a whisper helped ground the hard rock riffs and relentless drums that surrounded him. The band's recorded output barely lasted a decade, but de la Rocha's command of a stage and the audience in front of him was a truly rare gift.

Forlorn yet romantic, fey yet self-important, it's hard to think of a group that lived with as many contradictions as The Smiths did. The rhythm section and guitarist Johnny Marr managed to craft a nice slice of underground guitar-pop that did well in the U.K., but poet and performer Morrissey was the driving force behind the band's appeal. Morrissey fit in literary references, wry jokes and obtuse observations into his lyrics, his themes proving both fatalistic and funny — often at the same time. Then, when it came to performing live, his scattered on-stage shimmies and too-loose clothes made for a spectacle that had to be seen to be believed. Love him or hate him, you can't deny that he's a true rock icon.

While his performances may be locked in nothing but video and audio recordings these days, one quick glance at Bon Scott strutting his stuff, and it's fairly obvious that this man had swagger. Casually speaking, and then later screeching his words, Bon Scott proved to be an incredible leader to AC/DC as he proved to be wholly believable as a college rock god but also smart enough to know to never outshine Angus Young. Scott let the iconic guitarist do his iconic chicken walk and didn't focus on trying to upstage him. Bon Scott oozed a sleazy kind of charm, and while Brian Johnson was an admirable replacement, his success as a singer can be tied directly to the party-rock template and attitude that Scott set before him.

While some to this day still dismiss Courtney Love's artistic accomplishments, her confrontational, snarling musical style was never meant to please everyone. She was bratty and brash, sloppy and unafraid. Yet Courtney, if anything, was a student — absorbing anything from Riot Grrrl to her husband Kurt Cobain's distinct style. Even during a 1994 performance of "Violet" on "SNL," she briefly segued into a cover of The Crystals ultra-controversial girl group classic "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" without batting an eye. With this, she proved that she knew her roots as a bellicose, feminist songwriter. Whatever your opinions are on Love, you can't deny her power or her presence.

Even before telling a London audience in 2003 how ashamed she was of President George W. Bush and igniting a controversy that lit America aflame (chronicled in the documentary "Shut Up and Sing"), Natalie Maines was already considered one of the more remarkable country singers to come out of the early-'90s bluegrass scene. What made Maines so distinct was her larger-than-life personality: one that was bubbly, comedic and no-B.S. All at the same time, which is something she was unafraid to plaster in the band's music videos. Her voice may not have been as traditionally pretty as some of her contemporaries, but she sang the hell out of her material and gave her words an authenticity that was sorely lacking from country radio at the time. These days, the girls are still touring, still performing and still being remembered as one of the biggest selling country groups of the modern era.

When you look at Queen's entire discography, it is remarkably scattershot. For every guitar-stomp stadium classic or opera-pop sidebar, there's a dabbling of '80s synth-pop or an instrumental piece that veers close to the side of cheesy. Yet for Queen to be full of so many songwriters with distinct personalities in and of themselves, it's still a remarkable feat that Freddie Mercury has managed to capture the world's attention the way he has. While diminutive in stature, his unadulterated showmanship made it seem like he was visible from space — reeking of a confidence that can only be described as otherworldly. It's not just that Mercury oversold every Queen song in existence; it's that every rock frontman from here until the end of time will be compared to Freddie Mercury in some way or another.

Once considered a pop singer with the greatest vocal range in all of history (stretching from F1 to B♭6), Axl Rose is a trashy egoist who also just so happens to be a dynamite performer with a penchant for bandanas and leather pants. Referring to himself as serpentine in his own lyrics, it's clear that whether you love him or hate him, Rose knew exactly what product he was selling. Even with the numerous band shakeups and controversies over the years, Guns N' Roses has managed to persevere. That's largely thanks to Rose's hubris, indulgence, and absolutely undeniable talent.

Wild. Manic. Potentially insane, even? For the Armenian-American nu metal progressives that were System of a Down, the group's cut-and-paste style of hyper-political riff-rock was given a distinct and bizarre voice in the form of frontman Serj Tankian. During SOAD's heyday, Tankian seemed to create new vocal characters right before your eyes. His swings of emotions over the course of a song sometimes bordered on manic, but in a short amount of time, he has proven himself to be a modern nu-metal godfather that hung his hat up well before we wanted him to. While the band isn't likely to get back together anytime soon, Tankian's short time in the spotlight has helped carve out a wholly distinct part of the nu-metal landscape. For that, we'll always be thankful.

There are singers on this list, and there are certainly performers. In discussing artists taking center stage and guiding a band's sound, there's no one on this list who can even remotely rival Iggy Pop. Sure, the stage-diving and glass-cutting stories are the thing of legend, but have you seen him dance as if on two broken legs? Watch as he looks at the audience less as a group of people that needs to be more entertained and more as a potential place for him to jump later. He truly becomes one with the music when he performs. While the Stooges are undeniable proto-punk kingpins, Pop's wild-eyed leadership is what helped cement the band as a unique talent that cannot be ignored.

For a lot of fans, it's somewhat difficult to reconcile the two different eras of Heart. In the mid-'80s, they decided to go mainstream with their balladry and of-the-era trend-chasing that resulted in easy chart-toppers but few songs that truly will be remembered. The era before then, though, had guitarist Nancy and vocalist Ann Wilson basically existing as the closest musical progeny of Led Zeppelin to ever exist. They have a litany of great songs, but those late-'70s works — from "Magic Man" to "Crazy on You" and beyond — were stunning rock staples and led by Ann's powerful, stadium-filling voice. The clarity of her sound, the passion in her vibrato — it was the total package. While Nancy Wilson is a lightning talent in her own right, Ann remains one of the most empowering frontwomen of all time.

Some may call him saintly and some may call him insufferable, but Bono is really everything you want in a band leader and more. He's bombastic. He's overly emotional. He's talented. He's a relentless showman, and it appears that he will stop at nothing to make sure every single eyeball is on him when he's on the stage. Sometimes his earnestness might come off as naiveté, but few bands have been together and touring for as long as U2 has. Bono has literal decades of experience of being able to whip a crowd up into a frenzy. You can question some songs or even whole conceits, but whether he's The Fly or just plain Bono, the man in the sunglasses is one thing and one thing only: absolutely undeniable.

For a band as young as Paramore is, one might be surprised to find Hayley Williams in the conversation of greatest frontpeople ever. Yet anyone who's stuck around knows why she's here: she is absolutely uncompromising. As Paramore has shed and gained members over the years, its always been Williams who has shaped their style — often reforming the group's whole aesthetic over and over, which is in part why the group started out as hardcore emo rockers and have evolved into effective '80s-indebted synthpop hitmakers. On stage, she is on par with Gwen Stefani in terms of the amount of energy she pours into each and every performance. The best part is that even this far into their career, it still feels like Paramore is just getting started.