By means of analyses of singers from the genres of vaudeville, gospel, blues, American popular song, musical, jazz, country, folk, rhythm & blues, rock 'n' roll and soul, this book gives impetus to an engagement with popular music that combines Cultural Studies with Musicology. In a detailed and nuanced way, the essays describe how vocal means of expression develop, and how they have influenced each other beyond genre boundaries, and how they shape and reflect images, cultural stereotypes and collective identities.