Many folks ask me “which famous singers have had singing lessons”, and the answer is “many!”. Here are just a few.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but I figured it would be worth looking at some different famous singers who each had singing lessons along the way that helped them to achieve their full potential and success.
1. Michael Jackson
MJ worked with voice coach Seth Riggs for many, many years (32 by Seth’s recollection – source). Seth helped him put his voice together both as an adult (versus how he used to sing as a child singer) and to help him on tour with the demands he would place his voice under to perform his material.
You can hear an oft-cited recording of Michael working with Seth:
2. Stevie Wonder
Stevie is another singer who worked with Seth Riggs for many years, almost since the start of his career. I recall hearing that Stevie had endured some vocal issues early on in his career that prompted him to seek the help of Seth, but I can’t find the written source to corroborate this (so consider it anecdotal for now!).
You’ll notice a LOT of similarities between the range and ease of singing that MJ and Stevie both had. Now in both cases they are talented artists with a great ear and wonderful performance approach, which counts for a lot, I just want to point out the relative ease of sound that is very much a signature stamp of a well-put-together voice.
3. Luciano Pavarotti
Pavarotti did indeed have lessons, but he didn’t start until he was 18/19 years of age. Now normally that is relatively late for operatic stars to get their “official” vocal training start, but his father was both a wonderful singer AND educator at home (thereby inducting the young Luciano early into the ways of opera), and Pavarotti had a unique instrument. In Leone Magiera’s book ‘Pavarotti: Up Close’, he discusses that Pavarotti could sail up to Eb5/E5 in a connected full voice (albeit untrained) at 18/19 in his first voice lesson – this is incredibly unusual, and indicates an agile nimble instrument with the potential to achieve ease of range that most do not have straight-off-the-bat.
Despite all this, Pavarotti stated it took him at least 6 years to master his first bridge/passagio (source: ‘Great Singers on Great Singing’ by Jerome Hines) and that it is INCREDIBLY frustrating at first, but you MUST stick with it, and that other routes that are tempting will never give you security of voice that you seek… well put Luciano!
4. Beyonce
Beyonce is relatively well known to have had extensive voice coaching and undergone extreme vocal training regimens from a young age. David Lee Brewer trained her for at least 11 years of her early life (allegedly living with the family for some of that time), and another voice coach Tom McKinney has also been associated with Beyonce.
What to bear in mind…
In all of the above cases, they all had a) exceptional voices from an early age, b) an extraordinary work ethic to capitalise on their innate facility. The one take-home you should have from this is not “you gotta be born with it”… on the contrary, ANYONE can develop their voice to be worthy of people listening, if only you have the work ethic and serious attitude to capitalise on it and develop it for yourself.
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