Singing and playing is not bad. I do lead sometimes. I always prefer some nice in ears and a boom stand. I started by just singing parts of a song I knew as I played and it went from there.

Are you straining to get on the mic? Put it in a position that suits you, don't change anything about how you play

Yeah Gar... I need to work on the set up. It's got me moving around in unnatural ways.. :).

Helm and Henley were naturals at both of the arts and that doesn`t always come easy for most of us drummers.Just practice and have perseverance and the chips will start to fall in your favour.You have to think outside of the drum box for vocal phasings as we have a tendency to sing like we play so practice is paramount here as many have already suggested on this thread.You have to be able to separate the two idioms...

Wayne

Check out Levon Helms discussions on the topic on YouTube.

Singing over straight forward drumming isn't too difficult, but I just don't do it because I don't have the best singing voice. What am I saying? I'm a great singer! :D

Mike you forgot one of the best of the best Don Brewer, awesome song writer, Drummer, and Vocalist, musician, [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMsIrKjSM6Y"]Grand Funk Railroad - We're An American Band LIVE - 1974 - YouTube[/ame]

I dont play drums that good and my voice is terrible, but I can do both at the same time pretty easily and Im kinda proud of it. When the singer is absent, I do all of the vocals while playing drums. It is really fun, just wish I had better pipes.

I've been singing lead and background vocals while playing for many years. A good solid boom stand with a unidirectional mike, like an SM 57 eliminates drums coming through the vocal mike. My biggest problem was and is remembering lyrics...There is definitely an "Autopilot" mode you have to perfect to pull it off. And.. it's HARD to sing "American Band" and play it...

its natural to me, but then again, i always was a front man even behind the drums