Dave It is amazing that people in music for many years would make such a comment. It's so obivious that the key one sings in is determined by the melody notes that would fit the individuals voice range as you stated here.
With all of the things in music that can be complicating, this fact should be obvious to anyone with a year or more music and vocal experience.
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I'm not prejudiced, I hate everybody!! Ha ha! My Sister-In-Law had this tee shirt. She was a riot!!!