The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time

Rolling Stone magazine ^ | Rolling Stone

[DallasBiff]

Aretha Franklin described her mission as a singer like this: “Me with my hand outstretched, hoping someone will take it.” That kind of deep, empathetic bond between artist and listener is the most elemental connection in music. And you can think of our list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time as a celebration of that bond. These are the vocalists that have shaped history and defined our lives — from smooth operators to raw shouters, from gospel to punk, from Sinatra to Selena to SZA

[AFret.]

I’ve never heard of 99.3% on that list.

---

99.4% here.

Dean Martin should be #1. Finest voice this country has ever produced.

[Michael.SF.]

I wish I could see the entire list w/o scrolling through the crappy website. I notice that when scrolling some numbers are left out. 100-85 for example.

Did not see Van Morrison for example. If you are going to include: Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, John Lennon, Michael Stipe, Bono, Joe Strummer, then Van needs to be there.

Did I miss him?

[CathyWhite]

Ella Fitzgerald

[Michael.SF.]

RE: Bobby Hatfield

One of the best ever. Saw the Righteous Brothers in Long Beach when I was 16. They were awesome.

Check this out for a bit of fun: First time hearing Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers

[szweig]

I sorta think of Eva Cassidy and Jackie Wilson at times such as these.

[Fresh Wind]

The thing about lists like this is that as they are updated, the real greats always stay on the list, always near the top. The lesser “greats” will mostly fall away and be replaced by another crop of the latest fad performers.

A perfect example is K-Pop boy-band star Jung Kook. Will he still be one of the “greatest” in 10 years? I doubt it.

And how about the one (#200) who is praised for “heavily incorporating Auto-Tune — not to mask her voice, but to instead emphasize the nuanced texture of her performance, which fluidly shifts from ferocity to playfulness to sorrow.” Cut me a break. Auto-Tune is a crutch for mediocre singers.

[waterhill]

Bruce and Ronnie James Dio.

[HonkyTonkMan]

Good ones. Would add Amy Winehouse to the list as well.

[dfwgator]

Poland’s Czesław Niemen

Dziwny Jest Ten Świat (This World is Strange)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVp0BB6J-HI

[Drew68]

Cut me a break. Auto-Tune is a crutch for mediocre singers.

Auto-tune was a useful tool to save time and money in the studio. When a good singer flubbed a note, they could fix it without re-recording the whole song over again, straining the singer's voice and increasing the likelihood of more bad takes.

It has since been overused to make bad singers sound good, or to add those horrible chipmunk or robot voices.

[waterhill]

Greg Allman
Ronnie Van Zandt
Doug Grey

That right there

[waterhill]

Van is so cool

[dfwgator]

A singer and a band who should have been much bigger than they were

Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays

Here’s Where The Story Ends
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHsip5xOenQ

[waterhill]

I loved Amy

[Fresh Wind]

One good thing about the list...Billy Joel isn’t there.

[dfwgator]

Teddy Pendergrass, when he was lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes is in my eyes one of the absolute best. He emoted soul and emotion like no one else.

"You Got...You Got...You Got....What I Need!"

[dfwgator]

this.... one only need to watch a live version of Nessun Dorma by Pavoratti to see (in my opinion) he is the greatest voice of all time. Many great rock voice... all pale in comparison to Pavoratti...

Nobody holds a candle to...

[left that other site]

Philip Baily of Earth, Wind, and Fire.

[dfwgator]

Marilyn McCoo of The Fifth Dimension.

[Carriage Hill]

No argument there.