Anyone who knows much about me knows I am a big Oaks fan.

Okay, I didn't go back to Calvin Newton or any of those guys, but stayed with the two most recent. (Which still covers app 50 years.)

Smitty has a lot of fans (including Duane Allen himself I think.) However, I think Duane is much better. Smitty seemed like a great guy, but I couldn't really get into his voice. Even Duane's wasn't much to my liking when he first joined. (He was too classical at that point.) He finally ignored some of his classical training and went back to the voice I like somewhere in the late sixties.

Okay, the topic name is a little off as far as when Smitty started , but it should be close. It was a little before I think. It seems like it was 1956 or 1957.

I thought Smitty was one of the top four or five leads that I have seen. I realize that everyone has a different idea of what "good" is, and I have already admitted that I know little about notes, etc.

Ben and I had a similar conversation this afternoon.

Answering this question is much like asking, "Would you rather have a nice medium rare NY strip steak or a couple of lobster tails?"

I just can't answer this question. I rank Smitty a bit ahead of Duane as a lead singer. His voice seemed to know no limits. However, Duane is also one of my favorite lead singers. He has a bit more power than Smitty, but doesn't have the range or the "sweetness" in his voice that was one of Smitty's trademarks. Although I liked Smitty better as a total package, Duane may have been a better fit with the Oaks after he'd been there a couple of years.

So, Q-Man, again I just can't answer your question . . . but it sure is a good question!

I admit that Smitty had the ability to go into head voice or falsetto seemingly effortlessly. I understand he was a great guy too. You are right that some of it is according to taste. (As is pretty much any "favorite" thing tends to be. :)

As far as range, if we are talking vocal range I think Duane easily beat Smitty. (At least later). Duane has sung over three octaves. (His high notes of course are more head voice after a point.) If you are talking styles, maybe not.

I believe that Willie, Golden , Fairchild, and Harper would all say that Smitty was a better singer than Allen. And so would Duane.

Easily??? I don't think so.

Dean

Someone who grew up on the 4th row of Will Rogers Auditorium in Fort Worth in the 50's and 60's like I did wouldn't be asking this question! I'm sure Duane was sitting a few rows away from me and he knew the answer!

It would be hard for us to hear down here on earth. ;)

Well, I have never heard Smitty sing a low D or C and an E or so above high C. :)
I guess that doesn't mean that he couldn't.

I have to go with Duane ....although I have recording with both, I personally prefer Duane's "sound" over Smittys.

Duane Allen will go down as one of my all-time favorite lead singers period, but Smitty Gatlin led the Oaks through some of the best singing the quartet ever did. I'll go with Smitty.