Frontman

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Frontman (also "front man") is a term referring to the lead singer or band leader of a music group. When the lead musician is female, the term frontress is occasionally used for more accuracy. Although its use is rarer, references to it seem to be consistent. The term frontwoman is also seen. Usually, the front man is the most famous member of the group; however, this is not necessarily true in all bands. The term comes from the singer's usual position during a concert, which is in front of the stage and in front of the other band members. His chief responsibility is most commonly lead voice, and he is also the one who does most of the communication with the audience between songs. Some use the term "frontman" interchangeably with "singer", while others use "frontman" only to describe someone who sings and plays an instrument for the band (such as James Hetfield or Kurt Cobain). The term "frontman" usually only applies to bands with 3 or more members, as opposed to duos, in which both the members are generally considered "frontmen".

A musician is usually called a front man when he sings the majority of the songs of the group. For example, George Harrison is not considered a front man, since John Lennon and Paul McCartney usually sang tunes during their tenure in The Beatles. On the other hand, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden sings most of the songs, therefore, he is dubbed a front man. Sometimes the majority of a group's creative input comes from the front man; these front men are often recognized or referred to as band leaders, such as Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails.

[edit] Famous front men

[edit] Frontresses/Frontwomen

[edit] See also

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