1 | Aretha Franklin
2 | Ray Charles
3 | Elvis Presley
4 | Sam Cooke
5 | John Lennon
6 | Marvin Gaye
7 | Bob Dylan
8 | Otis Redding
9 | Stevie Wonder
10 | James Brown
11 | Paul McCartney
12 | Little Richard
13 | Roy Orbison
14 | Al Green
15 | Robert Plant
16 | Mick Jagger
17 | Tina Turner
18 | Freddie Mercury
19 | Bob Marley
20 | Smokey Robinson
21 | Johnny Cash
22 | Etta James
23 | David Bowie
24 | Van Morrison
25 | Michael Jackson
26 | Jackie Wilson
27 | Hank Williams
28 | Janis Joplin
29 | Nina Simone
30 | Prince
31 | Howlin' Wolf
32 | Bono
33 | Steve Winwood
34 | Whitney Houston
35 | Dusty Springfield
36 | Bruce Springsteen
37 | Neil Young
38 | Elton John
39 | Jeff Buckley
40 | Curtis Mayfield
41 | Chuck Berry
42 | Joni Mitchell
43 | George Jones
44 | Bobby "Blue" Bland
45 | Kurt Cobain
46 | Patsy Cline
47 | Jim Morrison
48 | Buddy Holly
49 | Donny Hathaway
50 | Bonnie Raitt
51 | Gladys Knight
52 | Brian Wilson
53 | Muddy Waters by Ben Harper
54 | Luther Vandross
55 | Paul Rodgers
56 | Mavis Staples
57 | Eric Burdon
58 | Christina Aguilera
59 | Rod Stewart
60 | Björk
61 | Roger Daltrey
62 | Lou Reed
63 | Dion
64 | Axl Rose
65 | David Ruffin
66 | Thom Yorke
67 | Jerry Lee Lewis
68 | Wilson Pickett
69 | Ronnie Spector
70 | Gregg Allman
71 | Toots HIbbert
72 | John Fogerty
73 | Dolly Parton
74 | James Taylor
75 | Iggy Pop
76 | Steve Perry
77 | Merle Haggard
78 | Sly Stone
79 | Mariah Carey
80 | Frankie Valli
81 | John Lee Hooker by Bonnie Raitt
82 | Tom Waits
83 | Patti Smith
84 | Darlene Love
85 | Sam Moore
86 | Art Garfunkel
87 | Don Henley
88 | Willie Nelson
89 | Solomon Burke
90 | The Everly Brothers
91 | Levon Helm by Jim James
92 | Morrissey
93 | Annie Lennox
94 | Karen Carpenter
95 | Patti LaBelle
96 | B.B. King
97 | Joe Cocker
98 | Stevie Knicks
99 | Steven Tyler
100 | Mary J. Blige

asg said:

Oh god, enough with KURT COBAIN already number 45 of all time? Mary J? nice to see Levon Helm, didnt think anyone who worked at Rolling Stone or read it had a clue who they were

As big of a Nirvana fan as I am Kurt wasn't the best singer and shouldn't be anywhere near that high if on that list at all. And how the hell did Bob Dylan get so high? His voice is very plain compared to the majority of people below him.

Bobby Dylan @ 7, c'mon now.

There's a lotta' Shock and Awe..."awe shit", that is, on this list. I'm surprised this was even printed.
This surely isn't based on vocals alone.

StarMon said:

Considered the musicians who voted, lol.

This list sucks

We can debate order and who is missing and who shouldn't be included 'til the cows come back to the barn to fertilize the floor. And a lot of it would no doubt be very credible criticism.

But overall at first glance I find this list intriguing, as it mixes quite well the extraordinarily talented singers with those who sound incredible despite their textbook flaws. It also seems to place some lower that can blow the doors off the joint but that don't have nearly the richness of catalog in which to stretch and shine.

Yes, I like my gravel roads to go unpaved (Bob Dylan/Tom Waits). And I like my super highways to hum like a greased mother fu**er (Marvin Gaye/Sam Cooke/Prince).

Obviously there are many, many great singers not listed here, because there will always be many more great singers than there are great songs. Just like there are many more great actors then there are great writer/directors.

To me it's mostly about the material. And this list seems to somewhat speak to that. Aretha Franklin without that incredible body of work in the 70s isn't nearly as interesting to listen to, even with that remarkable voice.

And there's always a bit of a bias here, because not enough diversity is called upon to construct such lists.

-- please help me --
[Edited 11/12/08 19:50pm]

What is this list based on? Vocals? Number of hits? Their career?

What?

30 | Prince

this shit is wrong as hell

Timmy84 said:

..Is that what that is.

StarMon said:

Yes.

junebug18 said:

Who the fuck knows?

Alej said:

I actually think that one is pretty accurate. I may not agree on who is in front of him, but he shouldn't be in the top twenty.. There are far better singers out there. not sayin he isn't one of the best, but there are people vocally better

No George Michael?

who's Stevie Knicks?


and yes, Kurt Cobain is certainly a better singer than Karen Carpenter. by all standards established on the Planet Naboo. that's also why people like Chaka Khan didn't even make it into the top 100.


thatsfuckingridiculoushorseshit

BombSquad said:

She's one of the chicks from Fleetwood Mac, who had a very successfull career. She became more mainstream when Destiny's Child samples one of her tunes and Lindsay Lohan did a cover of that particular.

MikeMatronik said:

is she somehow related to Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Knac?

BombSquad said:

Dude i did not notice the K!

Dumb rolling stone guys!

frank sinatra ???

kev1n said:

exactly. also Billie Holiday or Bing Crosby. those are people who defined what is "singing" in the genre which is today know as pop music

a ridiculous list

Where´s Madonna?!?!

kcwm said:

Not sure if this is in any particular order.

bsbd2luvr said:

For me that's the only one missing. Glad they got Karen Carpenter.

Where's LaToya?

BombSquad said:

The fu*k he is. Seriously she had a voice as smooth as velvet.

superspaceboy said:

And she did Stand Back...an obligatory prince-related download song!

MikeMatronik said:

I meant Karen not Stevie.

bsbd2luvr said:

That makes the list even more shittier.

superspaceboy said:

I think BombSquad is being sarcastic.




I love them both

Where's Ann Wilson?