10 Greatest Classic Rock Singers Of The '80s

Prince has always been a weird case study in the world of rock. While many are quick to place him in the soul and R&B category, the way he commanded the stage and led his band the Revolution owed a lot more to someone like Steven Tyler than Stevie Wonder. Though the style might change multiple times at a Prince concert, his erratic voice always made the crowd move.

Coming to the forefront in '82, Prince is the one responsible for kicking the decade off properly with albums like 1999 and Purple Rain, which turned pop rock into a fun filled party again. Instead of the pretentiousness of some arena rock bands, Prince always felt like the great ringmaster of music whenever he took the stage. He may get credit for his all-around musicianship, but the real shock came when he opened his mouth, with a voice that sounded like a man dropping all his inhibitions.

Sure, the ballads like "When Doves Cry" may not fit as snuggly in the rock category as something like Van Halen, but you just can't deny songs like "Let's Go Crazy" even if you tried. At a time when rock was starting to get stale, Prince restructured the genre in his own image of music, sex, and all things Purple.