Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time
{{Short description|2008 American magazine feature}}
"The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time" is a feature published by American magazine Rolling Stone in 2008. The list presented was compiled by a panel of 179 musicians.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/mary-j-blige-4-35089/|title=100 Greatest Singers of All Time (2008)|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=December 3, 2010}} It was updated in 2023, and upgraded as "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time" list. The 2023 list was compiled by the magazine's staff and key contributors.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/|title=The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=January 1, 2023}} American singer Aretha Franklin topped the list.
When publishing the updated list in 2023, Rolling Stone noted that "this is the Greatest Singers list, not Greatest Voices list. Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent".
2008 list
=Top 10 singers=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%" |
| Rank
! class="unsortable" | Image ! Name ! Lifetime |
|---|
| align="center" | 1
| 150px | {{Sortname|Aretha|Franklin}} | March 25, 1942 – 16 August, 2018 |
| align="center" | 2
| 150px | {{Sortname|Ray|Charles}} | September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004 |
| align="center" | 3
| 150px | {{Sortname|Elvis|Presley}} | January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977 |
| align="center" | 4
| 150px | {{Sortname|Sam|Cooke}} | January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964 |
| align="center" | 5
| 150px | {{Sortname|John|Lennon}} | October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980 |
| align="center" | 6
| 150px | {{Sortname|Marvin|Gaye}} | April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984 |
| align="center" | 7
| 150px | {{Sortname|Bob|Dylan}} | May 24, 1941 – present |
| align="center" | 8
| 150px | {{Sortname|Otis|Redding}} | September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967 |
| align="center" | 9
| 160px | {{Sortname|Stevie|Wonder}} | May 13, 1950 – present |
| align="center"| 10
| 150px | {{Sortname|James|Brown}} | May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006 |
2023 list
=Top 10 singers=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%" |
| Rank
! class="unsortable" | Image ! Name ! Lifetime |
|---|
| align="center" | 1
| 150px | {{Sortname|Aretha|Franklin}} | March 25, 1942 – 16 August, 2018 |
| align="center" | 2
| 150px | {{Sortname|Whitney|Houston}} | August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012 |
| align="center" | 3
| 150px | {{Sortname|Sam|Cooke}} | January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964 |
| align="center" | 4
| 150px | {{Sortname|Billie|Holiday}} | April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959 |
| align="center" | 5
| 150px | {{Sortname|Mariah|Carey}} | March 27, 1969 – present |
| align="center" | 6
| 150px | {{Sortname|Ray|Charles}} | September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004 |
| align="center" | 7
| 150px | {{Sortname|Stevie|Wonder}} | May 13, 1950 – present |
| align="center" | 8
| 150px | Beyoncé | September 4, 1981 – present |
| align="center" | 9
| 150px | {{Sortname|Otis|Redding}} | September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967 |
| align="center"| 10
| 150px | {{Sortname|Al|Green}} | April 13, 1946 – present |
=Criticism=
The omissions of singers Dionne Warwick, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Bieber, Bill Withers, and Nat King Cole as well as the placement of American singer Michael Jackson, who placed 86th, were criticized.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/01/02/rolling-stone-200-greatest-singers-list-snubs-celine-dion-jennifer-hudson-justin-bieber-pink/10979617002/|title=Rolling Stone 200 greatest singers list snubs Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Bieber, more|newspaper=USA Today|date=January 2, 2023}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/article/celine-dion-rolling-stones-200-greatest-singers-list-2023-h6pgdhz8w|title=Céline Dion left off Rolling Stone's '200 greatest singers' list|magazine=The Times|access-date=January 3, 2023}} Singer Chaka Khan, who was ranked 29th on the list, called Rolling Stone editors "children of Helen Keller" and publicly expressed her outrage about being placed lower than Mary J. Blige, Adele and Mariah Carey.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.vulture.com/2023/03/chaka-khan-rolling-stone-best-singers-list.html|title=Chaka Khan Isn't Letting Rolling Stone Get Away With This One!|magazine=Vulture|accessdate=March 5, 2023}} She later apologized for her comments.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/chaka-khan-rolling-stone-apology-b2294917.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CRecently%2C%20I%20was%20asked%20about,categories'%20or%20on%20'lists.|title=Chaka Khan apologises for strong comments on Rolling Stone's 'greatest singers' list|magazine=Independent|accessdate=March 6, 2023}} Musician Van Morrison, who placed 37th, also criticized the list, claiming that singers Joan Baez, Solomon Burke and Bobby Bland should have all ranked in the top twenty.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/van-morrison-top-singers-list-b2289476.html|title='Let's face it, that's not reality': Van Morrison unleashes fury over Top 200 Singers of All Time list|magazine=Rolling Stone|accessdate=February 25, 2023}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/ 200 Greatest Singers of All Time (2023 edition)] by Rolling Stone