Friday, March 07, 2025

Sing me a song, you’re a singer


I've always been a great fan of singers, probably more than of guitar players, and on the top of my list you’ll find David Coverdale, Ronnie James Dio, Robert Plant, Geoff Tate, John Bush (Armored Saint, Anthrax), Brent Smith (Shinedown), Ray Gillen, Oni Logan, Mats Levén and of course Bruce Dickinson and Paul Di’Anno of Iron Maiden.

Live on stage.
Photo by Åsa Urberg.
I’ve been blessed to have worked with great singers through the years, and I have enjoyed performing and writing with or for them so much. We have Lars Gudmundsson, Jari Valentino, Per Linzander, Paul Zanichelli, Jimi Roxx, Mats Brodd and, probably the most well known, Dan Dark - all different but all very competent vocalists and frontmen.

So why the hell do I sing when I don't have even nearly the same ability doing that as when I play the guitar? And when my physics and my life obviously aren’t designed for me to sing (referring to me more or less constantly having trouble with my voice and the for singing required body parts), and when I know so many great singers?

I’ve also always had a special thing for the ones of my favourite singers who also are great guitar players, like John Sykes, Dave Meniketti, John Norum, Jerry Cantrell and Pepper Keenan, and great guitar players that maybe aren’t my absolute favourite singers like Gary Moore and Zakk Wylde and great songwriters that are also guitar players/singers like Kai Hansen and Nicke Andersson. Always been drawn to the simplicity, minimalism and the straight deliverance of thoughts and feelings when you perform what you write yourself. And mainly, I like, or rather need, the challenge, I need to push myself, I need to be striving to keep me at it, to go on - and I can assure you I’m working my ass off with my vocals of my solo stuff.

Finally back recording vocals
again after a long absence.
Well, that’s my excuse for singing and now for some news: During Christmas and New Years holidays  some sht hit me, again, I was having a nice time off skiing in the north of Sweden and I got something in my breathing system, again, it knocked me down, got fever for days,  it hit my throat, hoarse voice and so on. So that pulled me back, again, but now it seems like I’ve beaten it, I’ve been able to do my workout the last month and was up skiing again last week with no problems and this week I started to record vocals and it seems to be working. So after months of being off it seems I’m on. 

RnR.
/ PM