Rolling Stone has found itself under fire due to its list of the 200 greatest singers list. This is because several notable names missed the cut.
Find out which ones were snubbed below…
One of the biggest names to be left off of the list was Vocal Trinity member Celine Dion, who failed to make the list. However, Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston both made the top 5.
Another notable name left out was Judy Garland, who is widely regarded as one of the best singers of all time.
Other singers made the cut, but their placing also drew criticism. Barbra Streisand was placed at #147, ranking lower than Taylor Swift at #102.
“Rolling Stone needs to immediately exit the business of music journalism,” said Twitter user mtl_vocalist.
“The fact that Celine Dion isn’t anywhere in the top 200 is a crime against humanity,” said @elasticdijon.
Rolling Stone has since released a statement regarding their picks. In it, they said: “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.”
Rolling Stone’s Top 10 were:
1. Aretha Franklin
2. Whitney Houston
3. Sam Cooke
4. Billie Holiday
5. Mariah Carey
6. Ray Charles
7. Stevie Wonder
8. Beyonce
9. Otis Redding
10. Al Green.
I agree with the top ten, good choices imo. But I am surprised Celine Dion was left out of the entire 200 especially since someone like Taylor Swift, with little vocal talent, made the lower half of the list; and it should be a crime to rank Taylor Swift above Barbara Streisand. I haven’t seen the whole list but it seems like Celine Dion and Barbara Streisand should have easily been in the top 50.
Agreed with every single thing you said!
Agreed 200%!!! Also, where are Dionne Warwick and Donna Summer on that list???!!!!
To be fair they do explain their criteria. Those who become outraged either dont bother to read the intention behind the list or aint the brightest bubs in the box.
At the end of the day this ranking is not about who has the best voice. Otherwise it would look very different. Its also about artistry and cultural impact. Celine’s voice would arguably see her towards the top end of the list, but in terms of artistry, she doesn’t appear to have a great hand in the composition of her work, her bodies of work aren’t innovative or full of depth, she didnt popularize a vocal style in popular music like Whitney, Mariah and Beyoncé (i.e gospel inflections, melisma, rapid fire rap-sung bars) and beyond singing a handful of classic ballads that people occasionally like to sing at karaoke or on singing shows (although even here their popularity in these shows has declined) what is her comparative impact?
I dont agree with some of the ranking, but i 100% agree with the number 1 and i definitely agree with the likes of Stevie, Whitney, Mariah and Beyonce being within the top 10 for their combined talent, artistry and impact.
I wouldve had MJ in the top 10 for sure.
I think your assessment is off, because if there were any truth to it, Michael and Janet would be in the top 10. No way Beyonce’s impact is bigger than theirs. What they’ve done outweighs Beyonce’s voice and cultural contributions all day every day. And speaking of Celine, isn’t she tied with Whitney, Taylor and Beyonce for highest selling female in the U.S.? Celine’s vocal range and technique puts her miles ahead of Beyonce, and it’s impossible for Celine to sell 200 million records without making a significant impact across the industry.
The points youve made dont make my assessment “off” in the slightest. Rolling Stone have stated what their criteria is. But as with any framework it is subjective and open to interpretation by the “judges” at Rolling Stone who consider it in making this list. It is not a science, its their individual impressions, their feelings on subjects such as impact and genius.
They simply do not rate some of these artists in the same way you do. However theyve stated its not just about vocal capability. So for you to reply referencing comparative vocal capability indicates a need to read and process their tweets on the matter.
Kelly rowland should be definitly on that list!!
On what basis? Her solo artistry leaves a lot to be desired. Shes made some nice songs here and there, but her bodies of work havent been great in terms of innovation, or depth and as such shes made little cultural impact solo. Vocally shes talented but hardly top tier and you never hear anyone saying Kelly Rowland is their vocal icon.
Shes great and worthy of respect, but she doesnt belong on this top 100 list at all.
oKKK BUT THINK ABOUT THAT WHY PEOPLE NEVER NAME HER….BECAUSE SHE WAS WITH BEYONCE IN A GROUP IF PEOPLE PUT BEYONCE ON THE LIST THEY WILL NEVER PUT KELLY IN BECAUSE FOR THE MEDIA JUST ONE GROUP MEMBER CAN BE ON THAT LIST. SHE CAN DEFENITLY OUTSING A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE ON THAT LIST BUT YOU ARE RIGHT WITH THE MUSIC THING SHE IS NOT CONSISTENT ENOUGH!
“…..genius is transcendent.”
Not one lie *Aretha voice* *Sashays away* lol 🤳🏽🤣☕️🫖💋
#Slayriah #WhitneyTheVoice #ArethaTheeGOAT 👑
Chile the ENTIRE top 10 is blessed with a bevy of beautiful black folk, with the #1 & #2 spots rightfully reserved for the Queen and the Voice respectively. Seethe haters and racists lol.
The Top 10/20 is decent but the rest is atrocious. They ranked Llama Can’t Sing higher than Brandy lmao as if
As long as they put my wife Whitney on
How come my homie Drake not on the list he sings. Guess he not sht
He sings but thats not his predominant form of expression as an artist so he wouldnt fit the criteria.
I disagree
What is there to disagree with? Drake entered the industry as a rapper and calls himself a rapper and predominantly makes albums of rap music. The fact that he chooses to express himself through limited singing from time to time doesnt make him a fully fledged singer. He could never successfully pull off a full length concert of pure singing devoid of vocal effects/adjustments.
Drake does not belong in a list devoted to singers as singing is not how he predominantly expresses himself as an artist. It is instead something he uses to embellish his work. He is no Lauryn Hill.
People just mad the Top 10 is all African Americans (except Mariah 1/2). We the best!
Mariah Carey is a proud African American women who’s white mother has abused countless times, she don’t connect with her white side. SHE IS ONE OF US
Not sure about that. She goes out of her way to look more White.
Frank Sinatra & Barbra Streisand can outsing anyone, but ranking is totally subjective so their list is just plain foolish and offensive. Everyone has their own taste, but Bob Dylan as a singer? Sorry, writer only
You’ve gotta read the criteria. This list isnt about who has the best voice. Voice is just a consideration here. Other things such as artistry and current cultural impact are taken into account.
Judy Garland made a HUGE cultural impact, but RS has focused on contemporary singers and ignored the true legends. She also had artistry. And Barbara, jeez no one can sing that well. I agree with Aretha – my fav. But Beyoncé doesn’t rank that high IMHO. Sam Cooke – perfect. Taylor Swuft – NOPE. She can’t sing on key!
I always thought Aretha was OVERRATED and this list proves it. I hope D’Angelo is on this list if Taylor swift is.
I do remember seeing d’angelo on there somewhere.
Ain’t s*** overrated about the Queen of Soul. Flawless vocals aside, her impact on culture and music is UNDENIABLE. Your faves could only wish.
You guys are dumb arguing over this s***.
Now we know which race is most gifted musically w/o privilege
12 percent population yet still running s*** 🤎
Except their own country of origin 😂🤣
Shayla stay gobbling on the B** tip. Talking about an obsessed tarmonkey 😣 an ashy ass shame
rolling stone’s list is compromised in 2 ways.first,they are paid to promote singers that are on their list.second,even though they claim these are the best of all time,they are obviously heavily biased toward modern singers.i could list the 78 picks that deserve to be on the list,or talk about how some are ranked way too low or too high.but i choose to concentrate on the greatest who have been inexplicably left off.no list can legitimately call itself the greatest without: nat king cole,bobby darin,johnny mathis,judy garland,connie francis,andy williams,sarah vaughan,dionne warwick,tony bennett,al jolson,keely smith,julie andrews,petula clark,doris day,eydie gorme,englebert humperdinck,tom jones,peggy lee,anne murray,carly simon,mel torme,celine dion,burton cummings,mama cass,barry gibb,lani hall alpert,christine mcvie,justin hayward,esperanza spalding.
TRUE all that.
Rolling Stone made a huge mistake when they overlooked the Greatest Voices of the past 50+ years. The INCREDIBLE – LINDA RONSTADT!! The voice of my generation!
I believe Linda is on the list.
Agree about Celine. She hasn’t written anything or produced. She’s literally a show pony with immense talent. The others and yes, including Taylor…all do that. Granted Taylor by far doesn’t have a top voice – I’m still surprised if they’re going off off “singers” she should be in top 20 at least. Her name is so powerful and she’s changed SO much for the artists in their benefit whether they admit it or not. She got streaming to up the pay for artists, she’s got people rewriting contracts as well as being the one and ONLY person to actually and probably make change to Ticketmaster. These are huge things.
I was listening to “Pussycat” by Missy the other day and she definitely should be up there. A Powerful voice doesn’t make someone a great singer IMO.
Coco from SWV is very underrated. A lot of singers on the list have great vocals for ballads but their voices hasn’t aged well for me.
No shade but Al Green should NOT be in the Top 10. His voice is NOT a gold standard. Beyoncé isn’t Top 10 either since all her R&B ballads are basically FLOPS.
Fâgg0t ass liar
B*tch move TF on then if you don’t agree.
No Celine Dion on list is beyond comprehension !!!
A load of rubbish!
I’m sorry. What about Joe Cocker, Linda Ronstadt, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Levi Stubbs (Four Tops) and Tom Jones! These are all great entertainers with their own unique vocal style, who made an impact in our culture. I am very pleased to see some under rated people like Donny Hathaway and D’Angelo. All these people have the ability to take a song and make it their own connection with you.
Linda (47) and Ella (45) are on the list.
The one redeeming thing about this list is that they finally, finally, finally included Linda Ronstadt. All it took for her to be recognized was her getting a terrible disease that robbed her of her incredible voice and her ability to sing. Honestly, I don’t know why RS has disliked her so much over the years.
Of course, no Ann Wilson, no Annie Lennox, no Steve Winwood, no James Taylor.
Also, sheesh, the inclusion of extremely obscure performers and the nonsensical order. I doubt John Lennon would think that he was a greater singer than Elvis Presley. There are only two rock singers I can think of that other performers consciously imitated: Elvis and Buddy Holly. Even Michael Stipe has an “Elvis voice” that he uses sometimes. In my opinion, that is the clearest sign that one artist recognizes the primacy of another.
I wish RS would do a list of really solid singers and another list of “Interesting Singers You Should Listen To.” I’m sure I would still have quibbles with it, but I think that would solve a lot of the problems.
Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Edith Piaf, Roberta Flack
Once again, Rolling Stone goes over the top for Dylan and Lennon (great talents, icons, but better voices that McCartney???) and lists a bunch of singers who don’t deserve to be on this list (Lou Reed is literally….literally tone deaf). Where is Tony Bennett? James Taylor? Where is Nat King Cole? Where is Art Garfunkel? Don Henley? Dion chosen over Frankie Valli? How about Sting? Steve Winwood? Michael Stipe mumbled most of his lyrics. Sinatra’s nickname was literally “The Voice” and yet he’s not in the top 10? Another nonsense list by RS designed to try to stir controversy in an attempt to remain relevant.
Are you F****** serious? Elvis Presley #17? Are you so f***** up with being politically correct that you actually miss out on the truth? IF you had functioning ears, or a genuine heart, or had any rhythm, there is no way you could place Elvis Presley below #1, mayyyyybeeeeee, #2! I beg you, only because nothing else will move you, to go back and listen again to the voice of the King, Elvis Presley. If you are calling out the greatest singers, then you must incorporate the sound of the voice, the way the voice moves you, the way the voice translates the words to feeling, the way a singer leaves the audience in stunned silence, or to tears, the rhythm of the voice, the highs and lows of the voice, the full unadulterated power of the voice. When it’s all said and done, there is only one King, one true King of Entertainment, the Greatest Voice ever known to humans, the One and Only, Elvis Presley.
Where’s the biggest American band, the Eagles? Or at least Don Henley.
This list is obviously a piece of garbage… I mean… they put Rihanna on 68 ROFL… SZA is on the list with 2 albuns out (i dont know her!)… Beyonce #8 lol even a BTS member and Taylor Swift is on it… come on! The best selling female artist of all time Globally wasn’t included… cause she doesn’t write her songs? Neither did Whitney… this list is 💩💩💩
Whoever created this list is a bunch of idiots Céline Dion should definitely be in the top 10 above Christina Aguilera and yes Beyoncé she should be right below Whitney Houston. Her range and pitch is impeccable. Fold up your magazine and walk away you have no idea what you’re talking about
IF TOM JONES SANG JUST A LITTLE BETTER HE WOULD HAVE MADE THE LIST.
Whoever produced this list was completely stoned out of their mind. To leave Celine Dion off the top 10 list is insane.
Some of the 200 I never heard of but I believe Petula Clark is the one who makes my toes curl and curling toes is pretty rare for those of us with xy gametes.
Leaving out Judy Garland, putting Paul McCartney way below John Lennon, politically listing only black singers at the top and putting Streisand anywhere but the top TWO – just a few reasons why this list is BS. And your dumb comment about voices versus singers makes no sense.
Having Frankie Valli off the Rolling Stone 2023 Top 200 singers list, when he was judged 80th on a prior Top 100 singers list by Rolling Stone magazine is a severe mss and injustice. He is still touring and doing 1 nights at 89 years old. What a legacy.
Looks like the top ten list looks like it was created by malcolm x or Louis farrakhan or some BLM activist
The singers list is a farce. Julie Andrews is one of the greatest singers of all time. Her octaves range was over 4 which is amazing by itself. In point of fact, she was a great actress too. I don’t think Rolling Stones saw the “Sound of Music”. Others like Nat King Cole, Celine Dion, Judy Garland, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Cher, etc. not being on that best 200 Rolling Stone singer list which is a farce.
This also includes who is the best actor, actress, movie, dancer, inventor, boxer, baseball player, football player, basketball player, golfer, tennis player, etc. or any other list someone or a group of people make up. Lists are not good. It tends to glorify people that are alive and it sometimes ignores people throughout history who have died. I agree when Anne talked about Barbara Streisand and Celine Dion
being in the top 50.
I cannot believe that Barbra Streisand was not at the top of your list. Many mediocre singers are above her. I did not know the question was what singers are the most popular right now.