100 Greatest Singers of All Time

Stevie nicks was number 98. Bjork beat her? She should have been in the top 20 at least and then getting beat by Bjork. Whoever made that list needs their head checked.
 
Yep, a lot of the readers' comments are hilarious...definitely room for lotsa differing opinions here. I suppose one can just take it or leave it.

Best,
Shelby
 
WTH??? Bob Dylan??? Bjork???? What a bizarre list! I agree that Aretha should be at or near the top, but there is a lot of that list that I disagree with.

Besides, even if she's not considered "of the rock era", the greatest singer of all time has got to be Ella Fitzgerald. Hands down.:)
 
I am always skeptical of lists like these. What is the basis? It's not vocal technicality, or else the whole category would be classical singers, not rock/pop. I understand that this is what they're writing about but it's kind of misleading by the title. ;)

Bob Dylan is one of the most interesting songwriters I've come across, but as a vocalist? Not so much. Again, Bjork has some very interesting concepts but I would consider her more of an artist than a singer. :confused:

And I'm sure all of the people who are anti-mainstream and pro-indie music are reeling at articles like these. :D
 
You know, I love Bjork (especially on that wicked-fun dance track, "Sexuality"). Nobody sounds like her and that really matters to me. But Ella, Sara Vaughn, and my personal fav, Nina Simone... If you've never heard them, check out their stuff and prepare to be amazed. Recently, I pulled out a Nina Simone's Greatest cd and really listened to her blues rendition of "My Man's Gone Now" from Porgy & Bess (I loved soprano Leontyne Price's operatic recording as a young girl). You can feel the woman's pain. My mom was a jazz hound and I grew up listening to the really great women singers; back when women singers were true song stylists, not over the top screaming, squealing, sound-alike mini-divas who don't so much sing as "choke a song to death (a term my mother used to use to describe the style of such show-offs)." Most singers today would have nothing to offer if they had to sing a song straight and really think about and feel the words. I don't think they could.
 
MarieCLS said:
I am always skeptical of lists like these. What is the basis? It's not vocal technicality, or else the whole category would be classical singers, not rock/pop. I understand that this is what they're writing about but it's kind of misleading by the title. ;)

Bob Dylan is one of the most interesting songwriters I've come across, but as a vocalist? Not so much. Again, Bjork has some very interesting concepts but I would consider her more of an artist than a singer. :confused:

And I'm sure all of the people who are anti-mainstream and pro-indie music are reeling at articles like these. :D
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True...there'll always be bias with stuff like this. Influenced by big-time industry sponsors and a sprinkling of some folks with integrity. It would also be cool to see a top 10 list from each of the forum readers here to see how varied it might be :)
 
I was raised old school. I say Frank Sinatra for all-time best male singer, and Judy Garland for best all-time female! :D
 
Yeah, where is Frank? Where is Luther Vandross? I agree with some of the choices though...where is Britney? KIDDING!!!
 
I've always found lists like these to be a bit of a popularity contest. C'mon ~ Jagger and Dylan?! Bono?! Steven Tyler?!?! You may like their music ~ fine ~ but they are NOT great singers. Stevie Nicks is hysterical. Don't get me wrong...I like her, but she doesn't sing, she bleats.

Steve Perry (waaay too low on the list) and Lou Gramm came to mind immediately. *thinks* There's Michael Bublé. I also love Bruce Dickinson, Geoff Tate, and Michael Kiske.

Christina Aguilera is kind of low on the list too. Putting Kurt Cobain ahead of her is laughable.

Axl is an interesting choice. I do like his voice, and I think he has great range, but I'm not sure he belongs on any top 100 list.
 
I agree that there are a lot missing and it's more of a popularity contest. I guess that's what it would be since the media tends to simplify things for the "average readers." This list probably would have been better as the "100 Most Influencial Singers of All Time."
 
How in the hell did Janis Joplin beat out Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston for that matter? :eek: Serioulsy? :confused:
 
JennieR said:
How in the hell did Janis Joplin beat out Mariah Carey or Whitney Houston for that matter? :eek: Serioulsy? :confused:
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:D !!!!!!!!!! My thoughts exactly.

Marie, I much prefer your title. Stevie Nicks isn't the best singer, but she is a huge influence, and I never pass up the chance to listen to her when I catch her on the radio.
 
Yes, I remember reading from other female musicians that Stevie has been a big influence to them. I think she's a great writer with some interesting concepts but have to agree that she's not the greatest singer.

Not sure how Janis got that far in the list. :D Great singer? Probably not. But, if we're going popularity wise, she's like a GODDESS to many women in rock. I never quite understood that but then again, I wasn't around when the genre was completely male-dominated.
 
There is old interview of Billy Idol on the B side of one his albums from many moons ago. Martha Quinn, of MTV fame, did the interview. In the interview Billy is talking about who influenced him and at one point he is talking about rock singers like Mick Jagger who "can't sing but sound great." DH and have laughed about this for years, because it is really true of a lot rock artists. Now some can really sing, and sound great (like Axl) but many really can't sing, or don't have great voices, but they still sound great and "we" enjoy listening to them, like Stevie Nicks. I think lists like this really aren't trying to capture who the technically great singers are, rather who listeners really want to listen to.
 
I can't believe Kurt Cobain beat Patsy Cline! And Mariah Carey was 79? Talk about a voice! She's an incredible singer...I think her and Whitney Houston should be in the top 10...easily....

And yeah...as someone said earlier...where is Dean Martin??
 
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