Highest, Loudest and Overall Best Belters

Posted: 3/7/04 at 1:32pm

Hey! Who are the Best overall belters on Broadway now and then!?

For Highest Belters (Not Mixing) I would say
Idina Menzel - wicked, wild party
Linda Eder - in general
Alice Ripley - side show
Julia Murney - wild party
Heather Headley - aida, dreamgirls
Stacey Francis - footloose
Liza Minnelli - flora
Donna Makhecknie - chorus line
Loretta Divine - dreamgirls
Dolores Hall - best little whorehouse
BJ Crosby - Smokey Joe's Cafe

For Loudest
Ethel Merman - duh
Linda Eder
Patti LuPone - evita, sunset
Jennifer Holliday - dreamgirls
Lilias White - the life, dreamgirls
Delores Hall - best little whorehouse

What are the highest belt notes? Is it F? used in "Maybe This Time" ( I know, the Movie version) by Liza, and Idina Menzel in "Wicked"? Updated On: 3/7/04 at 01:32 PM

[Suttonfosteronline]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 1:45pm

What about MISS SUTTON FOSTER?

I think I recall her belting a note her two in "her day" ...

Love Patti Lupone, also ... Betty Buckley is a belter ... Heather Headley's belting in AIDA blew me away, such passion with that.

[ShineOn]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 1:56pm

Since when does HIGHEST mean "best" as far as belting is concerned? A classic belt is NOT a high belt... that's a new phase thats taken over the main stream of Broadway and it's not even true belting... it borders on mixing and screaming. *sigh*

I have a friend who asked Sherie Rene how she managed to 'belt' through The Last Five Years every night and not kill her throat. She laughed and said, "Honey, I'm not 'belting'..." Yeah...

Hell, Ethel Merman pretty much created the belt and she refused to sing anything above the C over middle C. She only sang the D above that ONCE. (...and all she did was belt... woman couldn't sing legit.)

...And Julia Murney has an INCREDIBLE belt, but even when she gets to a certain point, she's still mixing.

Posted: 3/7/04 at 2:02pm

Point well taken! I didn't mean that the highest was the best, I stated it wrong! I know that most of the best belting isn't above C, but you hav to admit when a belter is able to belt above that, and possibly hit f in full chest tones, it's exhilerating!

[ShineOn]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 2:10pm

Okay... do you mean to tell me you actually think Alice is hitting those notes in "full chest tone"? Alice barely has a chest voice when she's in her lower register... that still til this day confuses me.

In a case such as Julia or Linda, I can agree. Still, these people are usually mixing, not full on belting.


Okay, and I just NEED to say that Linda Eder's whistle tone is HOT. That high F she hits in La Mancha makes me weak in the knees.

[onceadancer2]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 2:13pm

Actually, the best singer for smoothest belt, best chest tones and audibility was the long forgotten Gertrude Niesen. No recordings of her are around any more. Too bad, she was the best!

Miriam

[wickedfan]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 2:28pm

i love patti lupone and also idina menzel. They are great. Ethel Merman I think was probably THE belter of all time. I mean, she could be heard from the back of the house back when there were no body mics.

[BroadwayBaby3]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 2:51pm

SUTTON FOSTER and LINDA EDER are the best. Idina Menzel, Coleen Sexton, Linda, and Kerry Butler are some of the highest.

Posted: 3/7/04 at 4:01pm

yikes, i needed to add

laurie beechman - joseph, annie, cats
sharon brown - joseph, dreamgirls, jekyll & hyde
(both original narrators in joseph)

[jcr279]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 5:16pm

I actually think Alice IS singing all those notes in her chest voice.....you can hear that it isn't a mix. Give another listen to "Tunnel Of Love" or "Who Will Love Me As I Am". THAT is certainly all chest voice. I don't mind a mix but it needs to sound like a belt. Coleen Sexton also has a great belt voice. I think maybe it is confusing using the word "belt". When I first read the thread I knew what it was about. Belting nowadays also means singing super high all in your chest voice. Anyway, I've rambled on....sorry.

[Galinda]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 5:22pm

yesh. idina menzel, kerry butler, and sutton foster. my goddesses. don't know much about the others. gavin's good, too!...but....

[jcr279]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 5:25pm

I forgot to mention....as far as the highest note sung in chest voice: I think Lillias White sang an A flat in Once On This Island at the end of "Pray".

Posted: 3/7/04 at 5:32pm

omygod! lilias belted an A flat?!? when was this? in the recent production or years ago?!?

As far as Alice goes, yes i think she flat out belts it. "WHERE IS MINNNNNNNE?!?!" in Tunnel of Love, as well as just about every other song on the Unsuspecting Hearts cd, especially "she's gone" and "solid silver platform shoes"

as well as "celebrate" on the elegies concert cd....damn! Updated On: 3/7/04 at 05:32 PM

[jcr279]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 6:40pm

I agree with Shoshana and Leslie. I saw them in "Babes In Arms" when they were both at CCM and they are wondeful performers. Leslie sang "Johnny One Note" and I remember thinking how can that huge sound come from her tiny body. Shoshana sang "My Funny Valentine" and i had chills. They both need lead roles in a show and soon!

Yes Robactorguy- I LOOOOVE to hear Alice on that part in Tunnel of Love. I also have a version of her and Anthony Rapp singing "Take Me Or Leave Me" and Alice belts the best note ever!!!

[Phantom05]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 6:44pm

- MANDY GONZALEZ

- Heather Headley

- Idina Menzel

- Linda Eder

- Patti LuPone

- Elaine Paige

.....Those are my picks!!!

See Ya!

Phantom05

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 6:59pm

Idina's belt gives me chills like no one else.

Sutton and Carolee (Carmello) are great also. Kerry can belt high but always makes me nervous, like she's not going to hit the notes.

[starlight2]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 8:24pm

oh my gosh YES! saw Leslie in "Urinetown" and she is AMAZING!Acts and Sings like a pro ( would have made a greeat Liza in Boy From Oz, me thinks) Saw her, Orpha's husband, John Jeffrey Martin, Jordan Ballard, Justin Bohan, in "Grease" at PaperMill too last summer and it was so much fun seeing a group like that together on stage. Did you see "Grease" or the Tour of "Urinetown"?

[Bway_Mill_Fan]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 9:49pm

i agree with everyone here. they should do a compilation CD.

Heath, i LOVED that! it was like "Hello?!"

speaking of which, Patti LuPone is doing a show here in Princeton next weekend. Updated On: 3/7/04 at 09:49 PM

[Corine2]

Posted: 3/7/04 at 11:36pm

Kerry Butler
Sutton Foster
Merman

[CJR]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 2:11am

Donna Lynne Champlin
Jennifer Holliday
Debbie Gravitte
Michele Pawk
Roxane Carrasco
Bianca Marroquin
Idina Menzel
Carolee Carmello
Emily Skinner
Julia Murney
Linda Eder

*******************

Heath, i LOVED that! it was like "Hello?!"

*confused* (even though I know that wasn't directed at me)
Is there someone else on the boards named Heather? Or am I just a complete moron?

[EddieVarley]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 7:50am

Andrea McArdle, she STILL hit's all the notes!

[robbiej]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 10:30am

But what of the Delicious Dolores Gray and the Stupendous Susan Johnson????

Now those were some old school belters!

[twogaab2]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 12:42pm

I saw Delores Grey on stage in "Kismet" w/Hal Lindon. The voice was HUGH!!! Never saw Johnson, although from what I could tell on record it was very large. Karen Morrow is still singing as well as she did when she sang in "I Had a Ball"-truly astounding sound and techique. As for Mermam, the basis for her sound was definatly based on a "mix", listen to many of her earlier recodings (30's and 40's) if you don't belive me or better yet listen to her demo cover of "Little Lamb" on the last relese of the OBC "Gypsy" CD.

At least that's what I think. I may be wrong.

TWOGAAB
"A Class Act" will never die!

[Bway_Mill_Fan]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 12:42pm

Heath, i LOVED that! it was like "Hello?!"

*confused* (even though I know that wasn't directed at me)
Is there someone else on the boards named Heather? Or am I just a complete moron?
-----------------------------------------------------

no, he's Sutton's webmaster. Also, Heath as in Heath Ledger.

[CJR]

Posted: 3/8/04 at 2:12pm

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooh! lol