Namely Nostalgic: A Voice Worth Hearing

1984 was the year that Michael Winslow broke out on the scene as the character Larvell Jones in the movie Police Academy. Subsequently, he has become one of the most sought after and talented vocal impressionists in the world. His ability at recreating sounds is stunningly accurate.

His vocal effects vary from soaring airplanes, machine guns, closing doors and squeaky chairs to musical instruments such as dead on accurate drum effects, the violin and the harmonica to animals such as bees buzzing, horses galloping and dogs barking. His vocal range can reach deep bass levels all the way up to the piercingly high pitch.

He has a great ear for accents from countries all over the world and has a roster of celebrity impressions including Cheech and Chong and Jimi Hendrix. In fact his impression of Wolfman Jack is the best I've heard since Johnny Brown AKA Nathan Bookman did his own version on the talent show episode of Good Times where JJ stole the scene during a set of stand up.

It takes a certain accurately perceptive ear and mailable vocal cords to be able to pull off duplicating sounds of other things and other people with such realistic results. There are of course others with Winslow's abilities. Dee Bradley Baker comes to mind. But from what I can gather nobody has presented their talents in terms of quantity and caliber that has outweighed Winslow's. And that became evident recently when I came across a video from the official Michael Winslow channel on YouTube where he does the entire history of the

sounds that typewriters have made over the years.

Who else but Michael Winslow would even attempt such a feat? And who else could pull it off so entertainingly?

-Gabe is a contributor to Just My Show and a blogger at Down In The Attic