Billy Porter (3,603 views)

[kaji]

Billy Porter (21 September 1969)
Vocal Range: B2-B5

Significant High Notes:

B5 (“Beauty School Dropout” Obsessed version, “For What It's Worth”)
B♭5 (“I Want You, Baby”, “Steppin' to the Bad Side”)
A5 (“Beauty School Dropout”, “Fake Your Way to the Top”, “For What It's Worth”, “The Rap”)
G♯5 (“Behind the Belters: The Making of the Dreamgirls Concert”, “Borrowed Time”, “I Want You, Baby”)
G5 (“Four Score/Abie, Baby”, “Hell or High Water”, “Let It Sing”, “Steppin' to the Bad Side”, “The Rap”)
F♯5 (“Beauty School Dropout”, “Let It Sing”, “Maybe I'm Amazed”, “O Holy Night”, “True Love”, “Use Me”, “World's Gon' Hav 2 Wait”)
F5 (“Auld Lang Syne”, “Awaiting You”, “Fake Your Way to the Top”, “Feel It to Heal It”, “Gethsemane”, “Hell or High Water”, “I Am A Spy”, “Maybe I'm Amazed”, “Use Me”, “Where Is Love?”, “World's Gon' Hav 2 Wait (Reprise)”)
E5 (“Four Score/Abie, Baby”, “Joy to the World”, “King of the World”, “Last Midnight”, “Love Is On The Way”, “Magic To Do”, “Show Me”, “Tomorrow's Another Day”, “True Love”, “Walkin' Down the Strip”)
E♭5 (“Beauty School Dropout”, “Feel It to Heal It”, “For Your Love”, “Hell or High Water”, “I Need You Now”, “Let It Sing”, “O Holy Night”, “Untitled”)
D5 (“Again”, “Four Score/Abie, Baby”, “Grateful”, “I Am A Spy”, “I'll Do Anything”, “King of the World”, “Love Is On The Way”, “Lullaby”, “Steppin' to the Bad Side”, “The Rap”, “Use Me”, “World's Gon' Hav 2 Wait (Reprise)”)
C♯5 (“Again”, “And All I Do”, “Borrowed Time”, “Everything's Coming Up Roses” Live at the Tony Awards, “For Your Love”, “I'll Be There”, “I'll Do Anything”, “I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “I Want You, Baby”, “Maybe I'm Amazed”, “O Holy Night”, “Show Me”, “True Love”, “Untitled”, “World's Gon' Hav 2 Wait”)
C5 (“Awaiting You”, “But The World Goes ‘Round”, “Cadillac Car”, “Defying Inequality”, “Destiny”, “Fake Your Way to the Top”, “Feel It to Heal It”, “For Your Love”, “Gethsemane”, “Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy”, “Hell or High Water”, “Home”, “I Have My Love To Keep Me Warm”, “Imagine”, “I Need You Now”, “I Want You, Baby”, “King of the World”, “Last Midnight”, “Let It Sing”, “Love Is On The Way”, “Low Down Blues”, “Luck Be A Lady”, “Lullaby”, “Magic To Do”, “Steppin' to the Bad Side”, “Take The Moment”, “Use Me”, “What You Need”, “Why We Sing”)
B4 (“Ain't No Party”, “And All I Do”, “And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going”, “Beauty School Dropout”, “Borrowed Time”, “Edelweiss”, “Everybody Say Yeah”, “Everything's Coming Up Roses” Live at the Tony Awards, “Feel It to Heal It”, “For What It's Worth”, “Four Score/Abie, Baby”, “Home”, “I Am Changing”, “I'll Be There”, “I'll Do Anything”, “I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair”, “I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “Joy to the World”, “Lady is a Tramp”, “Love Is On The Way”, “Love Yourself”, “O Holy Night”, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”, “Pegasus”, “Show Me”, “The Oscars 2020”, “Time”, “True Love”, “Untitled”, “Walkin' Down the Strip”, “Where Is Love?”, “World's Gon' Hav 2 Wait”)
B♭4 (“And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going”, “But The World Goes ‘Round”, “Cadillac Car”, “Cadillac Car (Recording Studio)”, “Destiny”, “Edelweiss”, “Fake Your Way to the Top”, “Feel It to Heal It”, “Finally Ready”, “Gethsemane”, “Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy”, “Home”, “I Am Changing”, “Imagine”, “I Meant You No Harm”, “I Need You Now”, “In This Corner”, “It's All Over”, “Joy to the World”, “Low Down Blues”, “Lullaby”, “Maybe I'm Amazed”, “O Holy Night”, “Pegasus”, “Take The Moment”, “The Oscars 2020”, “Time”, “Untitled”, “Use Me”, “What is Time?”, “Where Is Love?”, “Why We Sing”)
A4 (“And All I Do”, “Awaiting You”, “But The World Goes ‘Round”, “Carefully Taught”, “Defying Inequality”, “Don’t Rain On My Parade”, “Everybody Say Yeah”, “Everything's Coming Up Roses”, “For What It's Worth”, “Grateful”, “Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy”, “Heaven”, “I Am A Spy”, “I Have My Love To Keep Me Warm”, “I'll Be There”, “I'll Do Anything”, “Imagine”, “I Meant You No Harm”, “I Want You, Baby”, “Lady is a Tramp”, “Land of Lola”, “Last Midnight”, “Luck Be A Lady”, “Lullaby”, “Magic To Do”, “Not My Father's Son”, “On The Street Where You Live”, “Sex Is In The Heel”, “Tomorrow's Another Day”, “True Love”, “What A Woman Wants”, “What is Time?”, “What You Need”, “World's Gon' Hav 2 Wait (Reprise)”)

Significant Low Notes:

F♯3 (“Beauty School Dropout”, “Borrowed Time”, “Carefully Taught”, “Destiny”, “Edelweiss”, “Heaven”, “I Am Changing”, “I Have My Love To Keep Me Warm”, “I'll Do Anything”, “Last Midnight”, “Maybe I'm Amazed”, “Not My Father's Son”, “Sex Is In The Heel”, “Show Me”, “Time”, “Tomorrow's Another Day”, “Untitled”, “Why We Sing”)
F3 (“Cadillac Car (On the Road)”, “Defying Inequality”, “Fake Your Way to the Top”, “I Am A Spy”, “I Need You Now”, “I Want You, Baby”, “Love Is On The Way” At the Corner of Broadway + Soul version, “Low Down Blues”, “Luck Be A Lady”)
E3 (“Again”, “But The World Goes ‘Round”, “Carefully Taught”, “Everything's Coming Up Roses”, “For What It's Worth”, “Four Score/Abie, Baby”, “Grateful”, “Hold Me in Your Heart”, “I Am Changing”, “I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair”, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”, “Playbill”, “Show Me”, “True Love”, “What A Woman Wants”)
E♭3 (“For Your Love”, “Home”, “I Need You Now”, “I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “Time”, “Wait.”)
D3 (“A Powerful Man”, “But The World Goes ‘Round”, “Don’t Rain On My Parade”, “Grateful”, “I Am A Spy”, “I'll Be There”, “Let It Sing”, “Luck Be A Lady”, “On The Street Where You Live”, “Pegasus”, “Playbill”, “What is Time?”)
C♯3 (“Not My Father's Son”)
C3 (“Gethsemane”, “I’ve Gotta Be Me”, “Land of Lola”, “Sex Is In The Heel”, “Sunday”, “Take The Moment”, “What You Need”)
B2 (“Borrowed Time”, “Lady is a Tramp”, “Pegasus”)
........................................
Blue marks notes sung in head voice.
Underlines marks notes found in harmonies and backing vocals.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable Notes }
B5 (“I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair” ^[2])
G♯5 (“Land of Lola” ^[3])
G5 (“In This Corner” ^[2])
B♭2 (“I Am A Spy” ^[1][5])
A2 (“Land of Lola” ^[1])
G2 (“I Am A Spy” ^[3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Album Ranges }
Grease! (The New Broadway Cast Recording) (1994) - F♯3-B5
Untitled (1997) - B2-G♯5
Myths and Hymns (1999) - B2-F5
Dreamgirls In Concert (2001) - F3-B♭5
Hair (2004) - E3-G5
At the Corner of Broadway + Soul (2005) - C3-G5
It's Only Life: A New Musical Revue (2006) - C3-D5
Kinky Boots (Original Broadway Cast Recording) (2013) - C3-B4
Billy's Back on Broadway (2014) - C3-C♯5
Billy Porter Presents The Soul of Richard Rodgers (2016) - B2-B4

[glo]

This man is a mezzo.

[kaji]

Aug 18, 2020 12:39:21 GMT glo said:

This man is a mezzo.

Yeah, I gotta agree. I listened to his entire discography, and even now after his voice darkened considerably and lowered (reflux damage and what's not) it still sounds very androgynous at least. Very high tessitura. 

Also hii!!! I think I recognise you from Youtube from under ILAF's videos? I'm Kaji, you might remember me from our conversations in the comments. 

[glo]

Hi Kaji! We meet again.

I loved his performance at NYC Pride 50!