Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/

 

...she doesn't belong in the top 200.

 

What in the world was the rubric used for this

 

Otis isn’t 1?

 

So much to complain about on this list that I will try not to bother beyond how egregious it is to skip Sarah fucking Vaughan.

Focusing instead on positives:

Legit gleeful that Sandy Denny was included.

 

Full list below. I always find the RS website a nightmare for stuff like this.

200. Rosalía
199. Glenn Danzig
198. Billie Eilish
197. Burna Boy
196. Paul Westerberg
195. Poly Styrene
194. Kelly Clarkson
193. Brandy
192. Anohni
191. Jung Kook
190. Frank Ocean
189. Joan Baez
188. Fela Kuti
187. Bonnie Raitt
186. Ofra Haza
185. Alicia Keys
184. Karen O
183. Solomon Burke
182. Jazmine Sullivan
181. Bob Seger
180. SZA
179. Martha Wash
178. Tabu Ley Rochereau
177. Patty Loveless
176. Iggy Pop
175. Lana Del Rey
174. Buddy Holly
173. Marianne Faithfull
172. Juan Gabriel
171. Odetta
170. Chris Stapleton
169. Sylvester
168. Debbie Harry
167. Marc Anthony
166. Morrissey
165. Ronnie James Dio
164. Sandy Denny
163. Bobby “Blue” Bland
162. Françoise Hardy
161. Brenda Lee
160. Mercedes Sosa
159. Mississippi John Hurt
158. Carrie Underwood
157. Robert Smith
156. George Strait
155. Corin Tucker
154. Dion
153. Mahlathini
152. Michael Stipe
151. Martha Reeves
150. Bryan Ferry
149. Wanda Jackson
148. Levon Helm
147. Barbra Streisand
146. Ruth Brown
145. PJ Harvey
144. Darlene Love
143. Luciano
142. Russell Thompkins Jr.
141. Christina Aguilera
140. Bono
139. Rocío Dúrcal
138. Merle Haggard
137. El DeBarge
136. Lauryn Hill
135. IU
134. Axl Rose
133. Neil Young
132. Loretta Lynn
131. Jeff Buckley
130. Courtney Love
129. Rob Halford
128. Florence Welch
127. Tammy Wynette
126. Donny Hathaway
125. Joe Strummer
124. Robert Johnson
123. Karen Carpenter
122. Donna Summer
121. Jackie Wilson
120. Charlie Rich
119. Barrington Levy
118. John Fogerty
117. Patti Smith
116. Chet Baker
115. Erykah Badu
114. Chrissie Hynde
113. La India
112. Ozzy Osbourne
111. Fiona Apple
110. The Weeknd
109. Roger Daltrey
108. Caetano Veloso
107. Lou Reed
106. Bill Withers
105. Eddie Vedder
104. Aaron Neville
103. Leonard Cohen
102. Taylor Swift
101. Gladys Knight
100. Elton John
99. Clyde McPhatter
98. Bob Marley
97. Usher
96. Chuck Berry
95. Vicente Fernández
94. Toots Hibbert
93. Stevie Nicks
92. Anita Baker
91. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
90. Gal Costa
89. Selena
88. Jimmie Rodgers
87. Diana Ross
86. Michael Jackson
85. Johnny Cash
84. Lata Mangeshkar
83. Amy Winehouse
82. Steve Perry
81. João Gilberto
80. Chris Cornell
79. Emmylou Harris
78. Janis Joplin
77. Bruce Springsteen
76. Wilson Pickett
75. D’Angelo
74. Patti LaBelle
73. Héctor Lavoe
72. Muddy Waters
71. Roy Orbison
70. Ronnie Spector
69. Youssou N’Dour
68. Rihanna
67. Dennis Brown
66. David Ruffin
65. Minnie Riperton
64. Björk
63. Robert Plant
62. George Michael
61. Umm Kulthum
60. Kate Bush
59. Howlin’ Wolf
58. Lady Gaga
57. Brian Wilson
56. Barry White
55. Tina Turner
54. Willie Nelson
53. Miriam Makeba
52. Mick Jagger
51. Sade
50. Joni Mitchell
49. Rod Stewart
48. Toni Braxton
47. Linda Ronstadt
46. Mavis Staples
45. Ella Fitzgerald
44. James Brown
43. Ariana Grande
42. Teddy Pendergrass
41. Etta James
40. Aaliyah
39. Louis Armstrong
38. Curtis Mayfield
37. Van Morrison
36. Kurt Cobain
35. Dusty Springfield
34. Thom Yorke
33. Bessie Smith
32. David Bowie
31. Luther Vandross
30. Hank Williams
29. Chaka Khan
28. Mahalia Jackson
27. Dolly Parton
26. Paul McCartney
25. Mary J. Blige
24. George Jones
23. Smokey Robinson
22. Adele
21. Nina Simone
20. Marvin Gaye
19. Frank Sinatra
18. Celia Cruz
17. Elvis Presley
16. Prince
15. Bob Dylan
14. Freddie Mercury
13. Patsy Cline
12. John Lennon
11. Little Richard
10. Al Green
9. Otis Redding
8. Beyoncé
7. Stevie Wonder
6. Ray Charles
5. Mariah Carey
4. Billie Holiday
3. Sam Cooke
2. Whitney Houston
1. Aretha Franklin

 

Seriously give me Celine over almost every other female on this list, find me one on here even close to her range

Stevie Nicks and Lady Gaga lol, surely this list is a joke

 

No Joey Ramone is pretty wild

 

You think people would learn that these lists are fueled by their anger, including myself don't worry

Whitney and Mariah in the top 5 is correct at least

 

Why is Kelly Clarkson so low is what I wanna know

 

Lots of singers whose vocals aren’t exactly the reason people like their music in the first place. Bob Dylan, Robert Plant, Taylor Swift, Van Morrison, Lady Gaga, Lou Reed, Lana Del Rey, Michael Stipe, Paul Westerberg…

 

Bob Dylan, famously good singer.

 

90% of these people cannot do Total Eclipse of the Heart or My Heart Will Go On yet Bonnie and Celine are benched. I'm throwing hands at Rolling Stone

 

From the intro blurb;

Before you start scrolling (and commenting), keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List. Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent. Sure, many of the people here were born with massive pipes, perfect pitch, and boundless range. Others have rougher, stranger, or more delicate instruments. As our write-up for the man who ended up at Number 112 notes, “Ozzy Osbourne doesn’t have what most people would call a good voice, but boy does he have a great one.” That could apply to more than a few people here.

 

Where the fuck is Fergie

 

hey she can sing when she wants to which makes her whole whole vibe more fascinating

 

Skimmed through the list and LOL

 

I think Bob Dylan absolutely makes the top 20

 

Only quoting you because you posted the blurb, none of this is directed at you. I read it before I read the list and it made it even more baffling to me. Taylor Swift is objectively not a better singer than Kelly Clarkson. It almost seems like they were really going for best performer which would still make the list wild but some of it would be a bit more understandable

 

Also lol at Stevie Nicks and Gaga not being good singers

 

Proving the rule that nobody who calls women “females” has ever had an intelligent thing to say.

 

…can she though?

I will never be able to un-hear her “Gimme Shelter” with the Stones.

 

I even call bullshit on this logic, though. Like, if that's the criteria they're using, someone like Tom Petty should absolutely be on this list. Not a classically "great voice," but so distinct and so full of attitude and feeling.

 

Anyway, Jeff Buckley all the way back at 131 is the most egregious part of this list for me. A guy with legitimate operatic vocal control, range, and ability outranked by 100+ lesser singers.