We always talk about the 'overall' range of many singers.
Lots of guys like Tate and Halford, they have their lowest and highest notes at different points in their career, so it doesnt really count as 'range in their prime'.
I thought it'd be fun to try to document the ranges of rock vocalists in their respective primes.

What I have so far is this...keep in mind this only range in full voice. No falsetto.

Rob Halford:
D2 (Nightcrawler)
A5 (Ram It Down)

Chris Cornell:
D2 (Beyond The Wheel)
G#5 (Cold Bitch)

Jackie Wilson:
B2 (I'll Be Around)
E5 (Light My Fire)

Robert Plant:
A2 (Going To California)
G#5 (Since I've Been Loving You [Copenhagen 70])

Axl Rose:
B1 (Get In The Ring)
G5 (Rocker)

Freddie Mercury:
F2 (Somebody To Love, All Dead All Dead)
F5 (All God's People)

Jeff Buckley:
G2 (Dream Brother [live in Chicago])
G5 (Grace)

Jimmy Gnecco:
E2 (Dizzy)
F5 (Live Again [live in Nashville])

Ian Gillan:
A2 (Bird Has Flown)
E5 (Men Of War)

Michael Kiske:
E2 (Keeper Of The Seven Keys)
G5 (Eagle Fly Free -live 1989)

Geoff Tate:
C2 (Spreading The Disease)
G5 (Queen Of The Reich [live in Tokyo])

Elvis Presley:
B1 (Such A Night)
C#5 (Big Bossman -live 1975)

*Yawn*

TBH, I don't think DDD is the best place to discuss vocal ranges. Along with some of the false information there, this is just totally subjective. With people like Curiosity and Wanted Dead or Alive gone, I don't think this thread is going to get many replies.

I think the subjectivity would be a problem, since most of the arguing would be "What time period is this singer's prime?" I mean, it might be interesting for you (and I find it interesting, myself) to look at what the range of some of your favorite singers were when they were at what you consider to be their prime, but I don't think this is the sort of topic that's going to result in something all that rigorous.

Exactly!

Everyone used to love talking about range. What happened?
We always talked about overall range, so why not 'initial range', especially since it's a topic that hasnt been addressed much...

I do like studying singers, not just here. Most of the people interested about the topic are gone anyway.

Part of it is, how you calculate prime? Many people will tell you that Mercury's vocal prime was just before he died. What about Halford, how far does his prime stretch? Or Dio?

I think it's obvious for most singers.

Halford, 1974-1988 (the D2 was hit later on his career)
I'd say Mercury's prime was roughly 1979-1991
Dio...shit, pretty much his whole career...

So you don't think Painkiller or the preceding tour was part of his prime?

Well his live performances in 1990, from what I've heard, are mostly pretty terrible.

That was after Painkiller.
Even if you didn't, he has E2 in "Monsters of Rock", plus a few full G#5s and A5s.

Kiske had a full G5 too.

And if you count Merc's prime for that long, you have got way more stuff than C5.

Plant has plenty stuff lower than E3.

The highest I believe is full for Gillan is D5.

If we counted that whole period, wouldn't that just be uh... his entire modal range of F2 - F5 (or was it F#5?)?

Exactly.

As a Mercury fanboy, I support this!