Top 10 Rock ‘N’ Roll Front Men: David Lee Roth
AskMen.com has a new “Top 10″ list of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll front men of all time. David Lee Roth was their eighth pick. Of course we think he deserves to beat most, if not all of the others on their list, but at least they didn’t make the mistake of leaving him out of the Top 10!
By Nathan Atnikov from AskMen.com:
You can have the chops, you can have the songs and you can have the savvy, but if you don’t have an engaging front man, you’ll never be one of the biggest bands in the world. AskMen’s top 10 rock ‘n’ roll front men salutes the 10 most charismatic, spotlight-drawing lead singers in history. If time, age and rock genre were no object, these are the 10 rock ‘n’ roll front men that would be leading us into the future.
No.10 - Steven Tyler
No.9 - Axl Rose
No.8 - David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth made a career out of being a ridiculous, loveable dork. Only after Sammy Hagar turned Van Halen into a bunch of sourpusses did we realize how much we loved Diamond Dave. Powered by Roth’s outsized personality, Van Halen became one of the biggest bands of the late ’70s and early ’80s, and Roth himself became known as a must-see performer thanks to his wild antics, howling voice and spinning rock-star karate kicks.
Roth left Van Halen in 1985 (either forcibly or of his own accord), inciting the single most classic rock ‘n’ roll argument of all time — Roth or Hagar? Where you stand on that issue pretty defines what you are as a rock fan, though cultural memory seems to recall Roth much more fondly than the man who replaced him.
No.7 - Trent Reznor
No.6 - Ozzy Osbourne
No.5 - Thom Yorke
No.4 - Bono
No.3 - Mick Jagger
No.2 - Freddie Mercury
No.1 - Robert Plant
Filed under: David Lee Roth, Van Halen
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April 1st, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Fuck Yeah diamond DAVE!!!! though you should be before thats pussy bono. sorry can;t stand the man!!
April 1st, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Pretty good list in my opinion, with two exceptions: why was Hagar left off? He wasn’t the goofball that DLR was/is, but he sure was energetic and charismatic (not to mention flat-out good). Second, how about Eddie Vedder?
P.S. We know how Nathan Atnikov feels about Hagar — how exactly did he turned VH into “sourpusses?”
April 1st, 2009 at 9:02 pm
well, thats a chickenf**t list. As everyone knows, Dave should… and IS #1. Dave is a f*ckin badass.
April 1st, 2009 at 9:05 pm
dave was so cool at one time! what the hell happened?
April 1st, 2009 at 9:13 pm
where is bon scott?
April 1st, 2009 at 9:57 pm
It’s obvious that Robert Plant tops the list of Rock and Roll front men. Robert Kicks Ass, DLR deserves to be at top ten but Hagar should also. Nathan does not know shit about Hagar’s efforts with VH turning them into Sourpusses My Ass. If it wasn’t for Hagar, VH would not have 4 straight #1 albums, A grammy, American Music Awards, Billboard award, 4 MTV awards and a lot of heart. DLR was a showman with charisma but also indeed ridiculous with such an ego.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Also Bono does suck ass and should’ve been replaced by Brian Johnson of AC/DC. Glad that Bon Scott was left off, he sounds too constipated.
April 1st, 2009 at 10:14 pm
Bruce Dickinson?
April 1st, 2009 at 11:29 pm
I can’t argue with spots 1-3 but I’m not so sure about the rest. I do think Brian Johnson ought to be on there. He & Sammy have some parallels - replaced a charismatic singer (although under considerably different circumstances) - but he didn’t change ACDC the way Sammy changed VH.
I think Sammy’s a great singer, and love his incarnation of VH as much as Dave’s, but I don’t think he warrants a spot on the list. He doesn’t have the charisma that most of the singers on this list do. Most of them epitomize the band they’re part of, whether you like the band or not.
April 1st, 2009 at 11:56 pm
This list is Bull S&%T Steven Tyler at 10 he should be above a lot of the names on that list ???
Who Made this list ??
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:41 am
Where is Roger Daltry? The Guy help write the book.
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:44 am
The Who’s Live At Leeds. The best live album of all time. It influenced Van Halen and changed Rock from 69 on. The Van Halen brothers have it as one of their all time favs. Nothing compares….Don’t comment if you haven’t listened to the album.
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:05 am
Theres a lot of English blokes in there
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:57 am
ask.com should quit asking crackheads for their opinions. I’m OK with 1-3 (hard to argue that), but Bozo before Diamond Dave? WTF? A lot of names should appear before bozo’s. That’s like putting Vince Neil in the top 10 for male opera singers. Crack Kills!!! Fuck You ask.com!!!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:42 am
Thom Yorke…WTF??
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:47 am
Any list with Trent Reznor in the top 10 needs to be completely disregarded.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:02 am
Sorry guys, just a question:
Plant, Mercury, Dave are ok.
But where are Bon Scott, Ian Gillan, Roger Daltry, Bruce Dickinson, Dave Coverdale, James Hetfield and Sammy Hagar on this list ?
Can you compare these guys above with
Reznor ,Yorke (?),Bono (???)
No way.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:24 am
I realize that these lists are created to incite debate…but TRENT REZNOR & THOM YORKE?
When I read that it kind of taints the list.
As a fan of all eras of VH, I agree with Dave’s inclusion. He was the first “entertainer” style of frontman, and while he was often copied, none of the Brett Michaels/Jani Lane lame-ass clones ever really challenged him. They merely exaggerated an aspect or two of his persona and called it their own.
I prefer Sammy because I don’t think I’ll ever hear such a powerful and raw set of pipes again, and besides, I really dig his own unique charisma. But good for Dave, I think he belongs on this list for sure.
And while there have been some good suggestions for names missing, I’ll ad my own: Paul Rodgers of Bad Company, Free, and Queen + Paul Rodgers.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:40 am
Mitch Malloy - Enough Said!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:02 am
This is a list of money makers and you guys have been manipulated to keep this site going….ha ha ha….
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:04 am
Mick is always number 1. Mercury 2 and Dave 3. After that I take Axl, Ozzy, than probably Steven Tyler. After that it’s just whoever. I’ve been listening to Rock for 40 years and I’ve never even heard of Thom Yorke. ???
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:15 am
Where is Vince Neil ?? Sammy is off of this list also…
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:27 am
BULLSHIT LIST! Dave should be # 1
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:33 am
Bono, Trent Reznor, and Thom Yorke ahead of Diamond Dave…Are you freakin kidding?!?!?!
Who did this list…Daltry,Hagar,Bon Scott, Bruce Dickinson,and Steven Tyler should all, be ahead of Bono, Reznor(are you kidding me),and Yorke…
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:39 am
GO DAVE!!
So good to see that one of the absolute BEST frontmen of all time is being regonized! How could he not? He is the most orginal frontmen since jagger and tyler. His attitude…stamina…creativity…and humor make him the unique rocker he is. As far as many not understanding why…thats your problem. He deserves this honor although I think it’s a shame that he came AFTER boring BONO. Ugh!
U2 sucks ok? I dont know one metal / rock head that listens to U2. I guess maybe if Dave had givin more political speaches and view points he would have done better. Remember a time when rock wasnt political? Exactly! That’s when I think of diamond dave man. No B.S and right to the point!
As far as why Sammy didnt make the list? Rockers with headsets dont make an impact. And if the lead singer of B.T.O didnt make the list…there’s no chance he will.
Again…it’s great to see Diamond Dave on that list.
The man truly deserved it….he’s come a long way.
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:57 am
Nathan needs to shut his pie hole !!!! Sammy whether you like him, or not made them better musically.. Now Nathan, go to the liquor store and get some Cabo and sit in the coner.
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:58 am
Dave should be top 3.
Who is Thom Yorke? Never heard of him.
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:59 am
Sammy should be top 300
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:01 am
WOW! That’s some list there! I would have thought Dave would be Top 4, but no complaints here. Goes to show all those Sammy lovers and anti Van Halen naysayers that Diamond Dave is among legendary company. But as the years go by Dave will be making his way UP the list!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:32 am
I’ve got no problem with eight of the names on this list. I would not have included Trent Reznor. And since I had to google Thom Yorke to find out who the f#!@ he is, he ABSOLUTELY DOES NOT BELONG IN ANY TOP TEN LIST!!!! Ditch him and Trent, replace ‘em with Roger Daltry and Bon Scott, and there you go!
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:58 am
Ask.com probably just didn’t want to limit their list to one style of rock. My reason for feeling that Dave should be higher on the list is because of the way he owned the stage and audience’s attention. As far as frontmen go, he had the full package. His voice might not be Plant-like, but it sure is original.
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:22 am
Trent Reznor and Thom Yorke?? Don’t know about it. Agree with the Bonn Scott comment, and Brian Johnson of AC/DC deserves a vote.
Dave deserves to be closer to the top 5! Sammy: Top 10.
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:54 am
Trent Reznor?
He should not be in front of DLR, or on the list at all!
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 am
This is well deserved for Dave, after all, classic VH does belong in the same paragraph as Led Zep, Sabbath, Stones…..etc.
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 am
UNREAL…Dave should be #1,WHY,PLANT IS GREAT,BUT R.P IS RETIRED AND LET THE BEST BE THE BEST…WHO THE HELL IS TRENT REZNOR,OH WELL I KEEP LOOKING FOR GOOD QUALITY ANSWERS? DLR BEST FRONT MAN EVER HAVE A NIVE DAY
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 am
Trent Reznor??!!!
Anyway … Wolfgang’s mother … went back to complete MILF status.
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Not really a fan but, where is Rob Halford oR Joe Elliot ?
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 am
I do agree with you dave,dlr should be #1 or close to it. Its very noticable that over the years DLR proved himself as being the best front man of all times,His enthusiasm,and persona leads the way,Anyone else out there can shake,rattle,high kicks,an move his way to (many)woman as he can?……very fun
April 2nd, 2009 at 10:57 am
bono is the most overrated frontman of all time!
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:00 am
Van Halen..Time for some new hits,ROCK ON ON…WITH David Lee Roth..very cool
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:22 am
Are you kidding me?? How did “boring Bono” get a spot ahead of Roth? Jagger, Plant and Roth would be neck to neck for first place.
April 2nd, 2009 at 11:31 am
DLR is BY FAR, the best front man that has ever lived. He is extremely entertaining and fun to watch. Even though those that ranked ahead of him (with the exception of Bono), are pretty good, they don’t EVEN come close to DLR. I believe even having Bono on the list is a typo!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:16 pm
If there are great pics of Dave like this one floating around, why are there just bad shots at Rolling Stone, Billboard ETC. ????
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Where is Eddie Vedder, Layne Staley, Roger Daultry. Though it is hard to pull anyone off this list except Steven Tyler…I could care less about him.
Aerosmith sucks!!!! Unless you’re a 13 year old girl who pretends Rock and Roll is her favorite music.
I would also put somebody from Pink Floyd, but I don’t want to single anyone out in that band…as they never did either really. They are strictly a group in my opinion…and the greatest band of all time!
April 2nd, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Where’s Leif Garrett?
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Not gonna waste my time commenting. Ooops already have. while I’m here; Bono?! F*ck off. Trent Reznor?! F*ck off. Thom York?! F*ck off. In fact who’s list is this? F*ck off.
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:31 pm
the radiohead guy and trent reznor WTF porco dio! what about dee snider and steven tyler….
more motorhead than radiohead!
April 2nd, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Who the fuck is Thom York?
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:52 pm
This list is pretty lame. It’s great to see Dave on it but Sammy deserves to be on it too. The rankings are a bit off as well. I agree Bono is listed much higher than deserved compared to Roth and Tyler.
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Thom Yorke? Trent Reznor? wtf?
To me, being best front man isn’t about the best vocal, but who put on the best live show and had the personality and confidence to pull it off.
Steven Tyler at 10 is a crime. Who cares if you like their music or not - he has managed to keep his mug in the mainstream for a really long time.Live he is great.
Dave is the prime example of a rock front man.. bold, confident and has a smart mouth to back it up. He should have been #1. During the 80’s he had more imitators than anyone. Who do you think Brett Micheals,Stephen Pearcy,Vince Neil and a slew of others were trying to emulate?
Pearl Jam made great records but Eddie Vedder gets drunk at live shows and mumbles political crap during the show..to much wine buddy.
Dave should definatley be #1 - leave 2 & 3 blank because no one is close to him as a front man !
April 2nd, 2009 at 3:48 pm
dave was so f’in cool back then.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Wow DLR was so freaking high in that vid.
idk what was up with that list. Tyler should be in the top 5 Bono maybe top 1000, maybe, but this list is crap. Way to be a Sammy hater. he should SOOO be on this list.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:18 pm
nathan atnikov; you said it all,
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:22 pm
You gotta be kidding me. I put Roth at #6 maybe even #5. My list goes as follows: #1 Plant #2 Ozzy #3 Freddy #4Mick
#5 Roth. Get Yorke outta here, I didn’t even know who the hell he was until I googled him. Bono,on the list but never in front of Dave. Trent Reznor shouldn’t be on here either.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:22 pm
OH YEAH, no DALTRY?-BOLLOCKS!!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Yea, where’s Vince Neil or James Hetfield???? Bono…..I’m so sick of this guy.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:25 pm
Yea, Daltry too. Reznor and Yorke????????? Please
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:27 pm
Alice Cooper, Bon Scott…..I could go on. Yorke???? Really??/?????????????
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
somebody must want a led zepp reunion? first page is rated #1 guitarist and now plant #1 front man. what about alice? what about Bon Jovi and Ian gillan? they always forget about people.
April 2nd, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Dave Rules!! Deserves a best position on the list!
Trent Reznor?? Thom York???? WTF?????
I Miss Paul Stanley…
My “Charisma frontman/showman” list:
No.10 - Axl Rose
No.9 - Steven Tyler
No.8 - Bruce Dickinson
No.7 - Bono
No.6 - Ozzy Osbourne
No.5 - Paul Stanley
No.4 - Robert Plant
No.3 - David Lee Roth
No.2 - Freddie Mercury
No.1 - Mick Jagger
Sammy Hagar? No.20….
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Trent Reznor…NO Bono…..NO Thom Yorke…..Is that Yoko Ono’s evil cousin? Ozzy….No,he has more effects than Star Wars.
DLR in Top 3.
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:31 pm
These lists are stupid! Thom York!!! WTF!
April 2nd, 2009 at 5:36 pm
The votes are in…U 2 is n NOT a rock band
April 2nd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Oh man where’s the rest of this concert, and why haven’t I seen this one before.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:01 pm
That video is hilarious. Have you ever seen anyone smile with their upper and lowe teeth so far apart?
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Thom Yorke and Trent Reznor before DLR?
Are you F*cking kidding me?
Where is Sammy Hagar?
Sammy has more energy in his C*ck than those 2 “pussies” ever think they could in any realm of music.
Trent Reznor is only famous for 1 song, that “f*ck you like an animal” song. And Radiohead doesn’t even belong in this category.
That writer is a faggot, and you can tell him I said he is!
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 pm
Paul Stanley, Don Henley, Sammmy Hagar, David Lee Roth, Robin Zander, John Fogerty, Joe Walsh,
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:16 pm
What about The Hoff dammit. Its an outrage.
April 2nd, 2009 at 7:42 pm
you forgot ‘The Captain and Tenille’……..
April 2nd, 2009 at 8:53 pm
Where the hell is Getty Lee?
Hagar has fronted to major bands and is working on his third one.
His resume alone makes him top 5!!!
April 2nd, 2009 at 9:35 pm
Man I gotta go with Mercury. Watch some of his live videos. I’ve never seen a crowd so moved by one man. Freddy owned that crowd when he was on stage. This isn’t the great “rock” moment to list but watch “Love of My Life” from the Wembley concert. The entire stadium is singing while Freddy conducts them. Roth has his due. He’s on the top 10. I can see why people not seeing Dickinson on there would be pissed.
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:27 am
replace Yorke and Reznor with Mike Patton and HR (Bad Brains).
April 3rd, 2009 at 5:53 am
Paul Stanley? Bon Scott?
April 3rd, 2009 at 7:56 am
Paul Stanley?????????????
Kiss is/was a joke. I liked when they went disco…they suck. And he has no business anywhere near this list.
Oh…and Don Henley??? Where the Eagles even a Rock and Roll band? I don’t think so!!!
Vince Neil??? Please.
Remember… this is a list spanning all time. Not just the 80s
April 3rd, 2009 at 8:53 am
DAVE IS THE BEST FRONTMAN………. HE’S ROCK AN ROLL
April 3rd, 2009 at 10:24 am
For energy Dave is #1. Then Mercury #2.
Plant is on there because he is part of led Zep.
Is Ozzy considered a front man even if the albums have his name on it? Ozzy is a solo artist. For his work with Sabbath he is #3.
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:13 am
8,9,& 10 should be 1,2 & 3
April 3rd, 2009 at 11:44 am
How do they figure it was Sammy that turned van Halen into sourpusses? HAs Sammy EVER looked like he wasn’t having the time of his life? And with Chickenfoot coming, it looks like he and Mikey still are…..
April 3rd, 2009 at 12:19 pm
What about Celine Dion!
Though I guess she doesn’t have a band!
LOL!!
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
And the beat goes on.
April 3rd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
The is NO question David is better than:
No.7 - Trent Reznor
No.6 - Ozzy Osbourne
No.5 - Thom Yorke
No.4 - Bono
I think the only two that can deliver like David are Mick and maybe Freddie.
Plant is a great singer but not the greatest front man.
Its either David Lee Roth or Mick Jagger. Now one else worked the crowd/stage like them.
April 3rd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
And David Bowie, though not a heavy metal singer, was the most talented theatrical perfomer in rock.
April 3rd, 2009 at 9:24 pm
“Only after Sammy Hagar turned Van Halen into a bunch of sourpusses” ==> Funny stuff!
April 4th, 2009 at 8:55 am
That’s video makes Dave look like a slightly retarded pot head. Oh, wait.
April 4th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Gave up on these lists several years back when it was either FHM or Maxim tried to tell me that Queen Latifah was more “desirable” than Cindy Crawford and then Rolling Stone tried to tell me that Ike Turner was a better guitarist than EVH. I think this list would be more crdible it had the following.
10 George Michael
9 Barbara Streisand
8 Barry Manilow
7 David Lee Roth
6 Celine Dion
5 Elton John
4 Liberace
3 Cher
2 Michael Jackson
1 Bette Midler
April 5th, 2009 at 8:05 am
Daltrey, Morrison, Ian Anderson, Ian Gillan, Keith Relf. Would be interested to see the criteria for the making of their list…never even heard of askmen.com.
April 5th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
I like plenty of what Sam did with VH but come on guys. Those asking why he’s not on the list, are you really putting him next to the likes of Plant, Mercury and, yes, DLR? This is not a Sam v Dave thing, but sorry, no way.
April 5th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
And how come no-one’s mentioned Angus Young?
April 6th, 2009 at 11:37 am
Hi Ducky/dirty Duck,
I’m a metal/rock adict, but i also listen to U2 and think they are just great! So now you no one……ha,ha.
Bono is a very nice guy with MEGA charisma. More than they entire list together.
I like Diamond Dave but to me he is somthing like a quizemaster/karatekid/singer.
Sammy Hagar is the musician, the Van Halen songs with Roth are great but the ones with Hagar are real songs.
I would say, fuck dat list, its al about music and having fun.
Roth and Hagar are great in there own way, and Bono………………..well, he is from another planet.
April 7th, 2009 at 1:04 pm
I’m sorry but any list that doesn’t include Jagger, Daltry or Morrisson (who could easily be 1-2-3 depending on preferences) is just not credible and worth arguing over..
April 10th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Vince Neil and Joe Elliott might be the two worst singers ever. Singing is part of being a front man and they are terrible live singers as are Paul Stanley, Trent Reznor and Bon Jovi…
Not in any order
Bruce Dickenson
Robert Plant
Eddie Vedder
Freddie Mercury
DLR
Steven Tyler
Axl
Mick Jaggar
Roger Daltry
Young James Hetfield
April 10th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
freddie-dave-plant.how could thay get that wrong?
April 10th, 2009 at 5:17 pm
bono who?
April 13th, 2009 at 8:03 am
Fucken a Van Halen #1
April 14th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
This is a bullshit list! Where the hell is my main-man Robin Zander of Cheap Trick? Nahh, just kiddin’…Actually, come to think of it, Zander can sing the shit out almost any type of song, even today. I wouldn’t put him on a top ten list, though.
April 14th, 2009 at 4:41 pm
Dave should be closer to #1, gotta be in top 5 easily, however at least they got #1 right = Mr.Plant hands down, even during his solo efforts!
Both frontmen command the stage even with two of the best guitarists right next to em!
TELL ME who can pull that off these days?
April 19th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Lots of good choices. How about Geoff Tate, Ronnie James Dio, David Byron?
May 7th, 2009 at 10:31 am
No way! Trent Reznor above David Lee Roth!?!?
This list is a joke!!!