Singers who DON'T look how they sound/look EXACTLY how they sound

[kidsick5000]

Sparks - for years, I was aware of a song "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us". Often on Simon Bates' Golden Hour.
In my head, it was sung by a woman that looked like Hazel O'Connor. Finally saw them on some TOTP2 kind of show.
"That woman looks kind of manly. And she's married Hitler"

[purlieu]

Mark Hollis. That deep, soulful, untouchable voice - whether he's belting it out, or barely above a whisper - seems so wrong coming from a cheeky cockney chap.

Doubly so when you hear his speaking voice.

[Bobtoo]

For people who DON'T look how they sound, Rick Astley instantly springs to mind,

Wasn't that an urban myth put about by PWL's marketing people? He sounded very much like a 26 year old tea boy to me.

[Jumblegraws]

Ian Curtis. The first time I heard "Love Will Tear Us Apart", for some reason I imagined him looking like the wrestler Goldust.


Conversely, oddballs like Danny Elfman, Mark Mothersbaugh and Frank Zappa all look exactly how they sound to me. Weird Al, too. Wacky buggers.

[George White]

In the "Fascinating creatures. Sounds like a lady, but really it's a man..." corner are Neil Sedaka and David McAlmont.

Also, Jon Anderson who I imagined to be a red-haired Barbara Dickson type.

[The Bumlord]

Stretch - Why Did You Do It?

Listen: https://youtu.be/X4UD1sK5a1U
Watch: https://youtu.be/zY7f5nxuKts

WHAT THE FUCKING COCK

[Ferris]

Van Morrison looks nothing like he sounds.

Pete Doherty looks exactly like he sounds.

[Keebleman]

Stretch - Why Did You Do It?

Listen: https://youtu.be/X4UD1sK5a1U
Watch: https://youtu.be/zY7f5nxuKts

Ah yes, the fake Fleetwood Mac!

[TheMonk]

I got a huge surprise when Give It Up came round on these recent TOTP repeats, and it turned out that KC of Sunshine Band fame is white. I've got no idea why I ever thought otherwise, who I'm getting mixed up with, or how I'd got this far without ever actually seeing a picture of him, but there you go.

Yes. Some years ago I went to one of those 70s package shows.
I was in absolute shock when KC walked out and looked like this.

[Funcrusher]

KFC, more like.

[George White]

In the "Fascinating creatures. Sounds like a lady, but really it's a man..." corner are Neil Sedaka and David McAlmont.

I did presume McAlmont was a lady, but also blame the video for his Diamonds areForever cover. https://youtu.be/5sKAtyzwM_0?t=100

[Jockice]

Feargal Sharkey. If you'd only heard him and not seen him, would you think he looked anything like that?

[George White]

Yes, but it's the accent too. He sounds like a skinny Norn Iron lad.

[Glebe]

Before I knew what Black Francis looked like I wasn't imagining Divine without makeup crossed with a baby. I don't remember what I imagined, but it wasn't that

Funnily enough, my brother imagined him as being a scrawny, Iggy Pop figure.

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

I think teenage Steve Winwood singing those early soulful renditions of Gimme Some Lovin' and Keep On Running takes the cake.

Not to mention:

https://youtu.be/TG32gmIIsVo

How the fuck does a white teenager from Birmingham get to sing like that??

Steve Marriott was similarly unnerving. A little blonde cockney fella with the voice of an African-American deep soul belter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUuuHLaSLR0

[chveik]

this little fella

[Twed]

Steve Marriott was similarly unnerving. A little blonde cockney fella with the voice of an African-American deep soul belter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUuuHLaSLR0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tNoSmlnxwQ This is the most difficult performance by him to reconcile, IMO.

[DrGreggles]

Angry Anderson

[holyzombiejesus]

Nick Drake looks exactly how he sounds.

[Keebleman]

Nick Drake looks exactly how he sounds.

I disagree: the first song of his I heard was River Man and I wasn't expecting that husky murmur.  I thought he would've sounded like Art Garfunkel, only less butch.

[holyzombiejesus]

I disagree: the first song of his I heard was River Man and I wasn't expecting that husky murmur.  I thought he would've sounded like Art Garfunkel, only less butch.

I disagree: the first song I heard of his was Northern Sky and he looked exactly as I expected as I'd seen his photo on the sleeve of the record before playing it.

[manticore]

This is me shaming myself publically, but in the spirit of people earlier in this thread thinking white singers were black, I had just taken for granted until the other day that the person doing the wonderful emoting on The Great Gig in the Sky was a black american woman. The fact that I'm not a particular Pink Floyd fan doesn't excuse this.

There is no reason to assume that a white englishwoman couldn't sing like that. Here is Clare Torry talking about it, in case you haven't seen this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTBqf4iklaQ&fbclid=IwAR3RxJ2AH-AqqdQnvP6xKFpfdm1IK7YKCnj9Q3v7HqBPGN_dMcHzY3dzD9c

[Ballad of Ballard Berkley]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tNoSmlnxwQ This is the most difficult performance by him to reconcile, IMO.

Incredible.

[alan nagsworth]

Ian Curtis. The first time I heard "Love Will Tear Us Apart", for some reason I imagined him looking like the wrestler Goldust.

Hahahaha :D

[non capisco]

^ Fucking hell, that's amazing. And I can completely see why Jumblegraw thought that.

[Icehaven]

Puressence were well known for looking nothing like how they sound, particularly the singer, who looks and talks like a typical Manchester Liam Gallagher, but sounds like this
https://youtu.be/bqBDbnoEJjU

It was weird going to see them in the 90s and the crowd were largely goths and pre-emo emos all absolutely worshipping this bunch of blokes in sports jackets and indie-schmindie haircuts.