Don Dokken had a recent chat with Antihero Magazine, where he spoke about his voice and the difficulties he is facing as he gets older.
Here’s what the singer said about his voice:
“Yes, it’s been a problem. We get older, and our voices are not like they were when I was 27 or 30 or 35 or 40. When you get older, your voice is not as high as it used to be, so you lose your high notes.
And I know every singer in this business, there’s only a few singers that I know that when I see them live, I say, holy sh*t, they sound just as good as they did when they were 30, and now they’re 70. Klaus Meine [Scorpions] still sings amazing. He’s got an amazing voice. He still sounds the same. So I guess it’s a God thing. Maybe God just gives people a gift.”
He added:
“You see Glenn Hughes go out and do Deep Purple E songs. And Glenn Hughes, he’s almost 70. He sings amazing. Ronnie James Dio, to almost the end of his life, when he had cancer, he did a concert at Radio City Music Hall [with Heaven & Hell] and he was fighting cancer, and he still sounded amazing, just like he did forever. So I guess some people are blessed and some people are not.
“In my world, I have good days and I have bad days, and I don’t want to put the blame on anybody. But when you’re flying on an airplane for five hours in a pressurized cabin, and then you go to a hotel and the air conditioning’s on, and it’s 100 degrees outside, and then you go in your room and it’s 60 degrees, then you get back on a plane, your voice goes out.”
14 comments
if he knows he sounds like shit..why not let someone else sing and he can just amble up on stage and play that asinine one note guitar solo he tried to play in that last video 🙂
The excuses are hilarious. Give it up already.
Unless you smoke or drink, as men get older their voices typically go up in pitch overall. They might not have the high notes, but…
Don made no mention of warming up or practicing. Back to basics?
So what keeps these guys going out and “singing”? Desperately need the money? Desperately need to be in front of an audience?
Dude don dokken is 70 yrs old and to be 70 he sounds great ..and hes not broke lol u dont sell millions of albums and suddenly broke
.his net worth is over 10 million..and he lives across the street from kiss singer bassist gene simmons .that should tell ya he not broke .
As long as concert promotoers keep booking Dokken, and fans keep turning up at the gigs, Don can`t afford to turn down offers. He probably did not save up a retirement fund back in the 80s, and he is not rich these days.
Don, get a humidifier to use at home and a portable one for the road. The dry air is a killer. Do some vocal exercises when you are not touring to strengthen and stretch your voice. Dont just assume the voice will show up when you need it. Take care of it when not using it. Dont smoke or be around smokers. Those folks who you hear that sound the same as 30 years ago ALL have a routine that they stick to to take care of those pipes.
And he knows all that
Dokken took opera based lessons from the same guy that later taught Geoff Tate, Maestro David P. Kyle.
Yeah, I don’t really get a sense that he’s taken the best care of his instrument. Even now, do you think he’s working with a coach? Personal trainer? Proper warm-ups and whatnot?
If he’s using a CPAP, that could be a problem. It completely kills my upper register. Sounds crazy, but if I take a couple days off from using it, my voice comes back. I’ve read some medical studies on it and it is a proven fact that a CPAP changes your voice.. Mostly by dessicating your Larynx. Anyway, just a thought.
He’s also a heavy smoker. Maybe he should’ve mentioned that. In addition to age that killed his voice. I always loved Dokken but it’s painful to hear him live
I’ve read all of your comments and have a little insight here. It is a fact Don’s vocals have not sounded up to par for many years. Don and I shared the same vocal coach back in the 80’s whose name is Ron Anderson. I am certain that Don utilizes the thinning out and warm up exercises as he was trained. Its like he said some people have longevity while others do not. I turned 60 this year and my voice is better than it ever has. Will the Sun Rise When it’s over? We will see but when your voice tanks and you have to make the many excuses as Don here has well forget the SUN its OVER.
David Lee Roth sounds amazing!!