Aretha Franklin tops the music magazine's list of the 200 best singers ever. The selection is not without its critics. To the surprise of many, Celine Dion did not make the list.
Aretha Franklin was named the greatest singer of all time by US music magazine Rolling StoneImage: Captital Pictures/picture alliance
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The 10 greatest singers of all time
According to US music magazine Rolling Stone, these are the greatest singers ever.
Image: Gary Gershoff/MPI/Captital Pictures/picture alliance
1 - Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin is the undisputed "Queen of Soul." Her musical and cultural contributions over a career spanning more than five decades included hits such as "Say a Little Prayer" and "Respect." The latter song became a feminist and civil rights anthem. Given her influence and her vocal versatility, it's small wonder that Rolling Stone magazine has ranked her first on its list.
Image: Gary Gershoff/MPI/Captital Pictures/picture alliance
2 - Whitney Houston
Her unique voice launched the US pop and soul singer to a global career. With hits like "I Will Always Love You," Houston (1963-2012) shaped the sound of the 1980s and 1990s. Her vocal range spanned three octaves, and her trademark was coloratura singing. Houston sold more than 170 million records and won six Grammy awards for her music.
Sam Cooke (1931-1964) is considered the "King of Soul," who paved the way for other Black music legends like Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. Cooke landed a string of hits starting in 1957. Today, the singer and civil rights activist is best known for his song "A Change is Gonna Come," an anthem of the movement.
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4 - Billie Holiday
A voice for which the words "style-defining" and "authentic" seem too weak. No one could interpret songs like she did. Billie Holiday's influence on jazz is still felt to this day. In addition to her distinctive vocal technique, it was above all the intensity of her performances that made Billie Holiday a role model for countless other women singers.
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5 - Mariah Carey
The singer with the powerful voice spanning five dizzying octaves has been a hitmaker since the 1990s. Her tracks "Always Be My Baby" and "Hero" have become absolute classics. She's also known as the "Queen of Christmas," with her song "All I Want for Christmas is You" (1994) dominating the charts every year starting in November.
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6 - Ray Charles
The US singer Ray Charles started his musical education while at a school for the blind in Florida. In the 1950s, Charles developed his own individual style of soul music, which incorporated elements of gospel and blues. His trademark was a smoky, nasal singing style. The multitalented global star won 10 Grammy awards over the course of his long career.
Stevie Wonder is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the past 50 years. Over the course of his career, the soul and pop singer has set new standards. Wonder began playing and composing music at an early age, and started recording when he was 11 years old. In 1963, at the age of 13, he became the youngest artist to have a US number one hit, with the single "Fingertips."
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8 - Beyoncé
"Queen Bey" began her meteoric rise in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child. As a solo artist, she landed hits like "All The Single Ladies," "Formation" and "Crazy in Love." She is also the most awarded singer in Grammy history, having won 28 of them.
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9 - Otis Redding
Otis Redding was one of the most influential soul singers of the 1960s. His emotional soul ballads remain unforgotten. But he also covered rock 'n' roll hits like "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" or "A Hard Day's Night" in his own distinct style. Aretha Franklin created an anthem of the US civil rights movement with her version of his song, "Respect."
The American singer, songwriter, reverend and record producer is best known for recording a string of soul hits in the early 1970s, including "Take Me to the River," "Tired of Being Alone" and his biggest hit, "Let's Stay Together."
Legendary US soul singer Aretha Franklin, who died in 2018, tops Rolling Stone magazine's new list of the 200 greatest singers of all time.
Updated list
The magazine published an updated its list of greatest singers to start the new year. The last time Rolling Stone published a similar list was in 2008, when it ranked what its critics considered the 100 greatest singers of all time. Back then, the ranking came under fire because 99 of those listed were from the English-speaking world.
Second and third on the current list are R&B star Whitney Houston and soul pioneer Sam Cooke, who sang one of the most important songs of the US civil rights movement, "A Change is Gonna Come."
Regarding the now-published update, the authors wrote: "Before you start scrolling (and commenting), keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List."
List sparks controversy on social media
Despite that caveat, some critics were mystified by glaring omissions, particularly the fact that five-time Grammy winner Celine Dion didn't make the top 200.
"Respectfully, not including Celine Dion, arguably the best vocal technician of all time, in this list is borderline treasonous," wrote music producer Jamie Lambert on Twitter, for example.
British tabloid The Daily Mail wrote: "There doesn't appear to be any big surprises in the Top 10 of the RS list, other than Dion being snubbed."
The 54-year-old Canadian singer, who recently announced she had to halt her tour due to a rare neurological disorder, has not commented on the matter so far.
On social media platforms such as TikTok, posts with the hashtag #rollingstone express many readers' dissatisfaction with the list itself and selected placements within it.
Fans of singers such as Justin Bieber, Jennifer Hudson, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Sting, Nat King Cole and Dionne Warwick have criticized those omissions as well.
