The 20 Greatest Singers of All Time ("ROLLING STONE" Magazine, 2008)

[sparkyman91]

Jeff Buckley anyone?

[MsAppassionata]

What happened to Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Paul Rogers, Jackie Wilson, Ron Isley, Janis Joplin, et al?

[MsAppassionata]

Bob Dylan? Great singer? Great songwriter. Great lyricist. Yes. Great singer. No.

[kellerbier2]

Terrible list, bob dylan cant sing at all. Marley isnt much better. Jagger is a good vocalist and front man, terrible singer. Robert plant is also a good front man and vocalist, marginal singer. Roy orbison is good and unique but doesnt deserve to be on the top 1,000 list. Everyone else is great.

[klbp95]

How the hell can Freddie Mercury only be nr. 18 on this list!?

[HipHop226]

Sam Cooke is the Michael Jordan of singers

[SeddieXFactorFan]

No Whitney Houston or Frank Sinatra? That ruins the list.

[davidoffon]

Problem with Plant is he never grew nothing himself, he is a crop stealer, that ruins the taste of his food!!

[TheMOFOmer]

Ranking MJ As #25 is a joke

[frntfrnt]

there isn't Cat Stevens or Conway Twitty you can delete this video

[frntfrnt]

if Cat Stevens isn't in this video im gonna dislike it...

[blueseed11]

Paul at 11 blows and what no BRUCE DICKINSON???

[maestraretirada]

Next to mj and madonna, the legendary icon princess of pop britney spears

[mjjkingoflove]

R U crazy??! Where the hell is Michael Jackson??! And Freddie n 18??! Please!!!

[rozzalenda123]

cee lo green

[madshoejer]

I'm a huge fan of Bob Dylan, but better singer than Freddie? Come on...

[mrimproviser]

i think it's funny how there isn't any modern singers on this list. if any of these artists were to be around today, they wouldn't stand a chance. this is obviously based on popularity rather than talent.

[PrinzAviator]

@mrimproviser Most modern singers suck anyway. :)

[gmarvin271]

@mrimproviser

It's based on influence douchebag. If it was based on popularity it would be much different.

[gusyyy23]

True Top 3 :

#1 Presley

#2 Sinatra

#3 Crosby

no doubt.

[blueseed11]

@gusyyy23 hahaha fiftys rock an x mas tunes

[estebanribero09]

the 18 is the best

[MIKE59780]

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR FUCKING MIND!!?....WHERES MICHAEL JACKSON?

[PatrickJacobsen1]

Where's FREDDY???????????

[ThePenguinz0]

Vortex better be here..

[CeltiicFC]

THE GREATEST SINGER OF ALL TIME IS LUKE KELLY YE RETARDS.BOB DYLANS INFLUENCE.

[karan33774]

RETARDED LIST!!!

Whitney Houston should've been in the top 5!!!!!

[SkankinDevil89]

Robert Plant should be way higher on the list. at least in the top 5. he has a voice like no one else.

[SkankinDevil89]

Bradley Nowell. that is all

[1dcpony]

WHERE THE FUCK IS THE LIVING LEGEND?!?!? STEVEN TYLER?!?!

[Tntmadman530]

How can you not include Jim Morrison, are you stupid?

[d0n4l]

once again, rolling stone get it horribly wrong. just like their list of greatest guitarists

[chrismad77]

lol , jajajajajaj, where´s madonna???? michael jackson??????? and john lennon in n 5????? lol this is the stupidest thing i¨ve ever heard!!!!!

[RIPMJyourawesome]

where the F*** is Steve Perry?

[iamthewalrus9731]

WTCRAP IS THIS?!? Freddie Mercury at 18?!? No way! Hes number 1! Have u heard the man sing! 4 and a half octaves, people! This list is Jank! So is the top 100 Greatest Guitarist list! I mean They didnt even put Eddie Van Halen in the top 20 and he should at least be in the top 5! RollingStone is messed up, man...

[iheartmakkas]

@iamthewalrus9731 he never said they were in order ya fuckin nugget



[elamigoporky98]

WHERE THE FUCK IS EDDIE V????

[MrVocalist101]

so this list is telling me that mick jagger is more musicly important than bob marley, have they actually heard bob marleys lyrics?!?!?!

[smekeroze]

Freddi on number 18?!?WTF?!?!?

[Cankuwicasa]

Van Morrison, Jim Morrison, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters???????

[JimmySmithWesson]

I would have swapped Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin spots.

[MrSeasunder]

Wow I wonder what was the criteria that Rolling Stones used to select this Top 20 because I can never imagine any list of great singers that doesn't have Michael Jackson and Luther Vandross. At first I thought maybe it was the Top 20 of singers who are still alive but half or more of these singers have passed on. I really cannot believe this list

[dmbcd1]

where is the god of music Michael jackson

[1tmproductions]

Sam Cooke number one...Even Aretha says she never heard anybody sng like that...AAnd where is Ron Isley cmon

[karfoter19]

Freddie Mercury = No.1

ilias Greece

[188043]

Steve Perry?

[alvinsinge98]

What the firetruckin hell why is john lennon only at #5 it's a disgrace

[chookieJS]

Freddie. Fucking. Mercury. At. Fucking. Eighteenth. Place?!??!!?!?!? What the hell?

[poptart2345]

Where's Matt bellamy?

[Vertigo2903]

Sam Cooke is the greatest singer ever. Freddie Mercury is probably the only other singer in the same league.

[OhYouMeanMe1]

73 people disliked this video 'cause they knew that Freddie Mercury should be number one!

[manuellopez1956]

Where's Steve Marriott, Gary Puckett, etc? These lists are impossible to get right almost by definition

[gagamichaeljackson]

I think Rolling Stone needs to go check out Michael Jackson again because if u listen 2 his ballads u would c his voice is powerful and stunning.

[rishi167]

Are you kiddin' me...!!! Where is Michael Jackson....?? The King Of Music,He should've been on No. 1....!!

[ClaptonXisXGod]

well, everyone is complaigning thar freddie is only #18 and i agree totaly, but this is my time to shine... eh hem, boobs

[76niro]

ELVIS!!!!!

[jpturbo98]

wheres jim morrison from the doors



[Saxboyy92]

everyone has their own opinion. the list is good. its from rolling stone. at least they all made the list.

[grandmafrank1983]

Why is bob Dylan higher on the list than Otis redding and freddie mercury? bob was a great writer, he coulnt really sing though

[deserteacher]

bob dylan? a writer, yes; poet yes--singer?

[subhadeep150183]

Where is Roger Daltrey

[ThePailomirror]

where´s jannis joplin????????????

[scatta18king]

why is jagger on this list?

[sunnysoundblackpool]

@scatta18king  NO wheres maroon 5 !!!

[188043]

@sunnysoundblackpool You're an idiot

[CarlG0932]

Bon Scott????

[elamb10]

Is Michael Bolton one of the top 20? Your God damn right he is!

[Numbpk3r2]

I love Bobby D, but why is he on here... WHERE THE HELL IS ART GARFUNKEL?!?!?!!!?!

[miaa981]

1.Paul

2.John

3.George H.

4.Elvis

5.Fredie M.

[vannahspark]

where is michael jackson?

[TheJumpyPopcorn]

/watch?v=rpnPoF9pLNI&feature=r­elated - Best of all time. FACT

[MsTreysongz1]

where is celine!!

[real05098]

mj kick'em all !! where he is

[forzamilano94]

I don't give a flying fuck about all these "experts", I wanna see here the mesmerizing, deep, warm vocal only David Gilmour can provide! 

[nemetigergely]

Tina Turner is better than Freddie Mercury?! o.O

It's just a joke right?

[cassetadasweb2]

what is the name of smokey robinson song

[Livlovs2laf]

Im sorry but Bob Dylan may be an awesome song writer but he sings like crap! I dont get it how he can be higher than Stevie Wonder!!! and Freddie Mercury COME ON! He should be way higher and where the hell is Michael Jackson?!?!? He should at least be in the top 20!

[NoNameAvailable875]

I wonder where the fuck is Phil Collins, where MJ, where Elton John... What the fuck is wrong with you people??? This Rolling Stone magazine is really BULLSHIT..

[daewon1100]

Chester Bennington is missing

[SPCtacular1]

Bob Marley Really I love the guy but come on

and bob dylan

this is popularity not ability

[SPCtacular1]

Bob Marley Really I love the guy but come on

[moggy1231]

jan wenner of rolling stone also runs the rock and roll hall of fame and he has kept great bands like Kiss Rush Iron Maiden and Deep Purple out.

[psv1235]

freddie mercury number 1

[MAGICO240]

John Lennon and Bob Dylan are great songwritersbut their voice range is very shallow.

[Chi2007]

Where is Steve Perry and Michael Jackson? Stevie wonder and Freddie Mercury are top 5 singers.

[puremusic4u]

@mannycampas

Michael Jackson is on the list look by your self

wright rolling stone magazine Michael Jackson #25

[FacultyBob]

Thom Yorke should be number 1 then Kurt CObain should be number 2 Eminem should be number 3

[PrincessIsCrazy]

Freddie 18? Mick 16? They shoud be higher...

[SuperArenas00]

missing the greatest singers...SHIT!!! Freddie no 18 ??? are u crazy?

[Stonekingification]

Steven Tyler????

[roxybadalutei]

n now its jaclyn victor..hehe..check her vids out..jaclyn victor's awesome performances 1 & 2...plus gemilang finale..

[theludaboy]

what song does elvis sings :$

im sorry but im not listing to his music but this number is very great :)

[Threevihate]

fuck rolling stone magazine !!!! freddie number should be N1

[000500006]

Why is Freddie way down? His voice is one of a kind top 5 at least.

[bosoxfn1316]

Ok...rolling stone does not know good singing. Ex: bob dylan just talks...and where the heck is steve perry? They just chose successful artists

[55810082]

#5=#1

[beardigady]

Freddie Number 1!

[mannycampas]

@NBKBTK Aretha and Marvin arent rock! Why are they here it says "The 20 Greatest Singers Of All Time" i dont see the word "Rock"

[mannycampas]

wow this list is so stupid!!! like 2 or 3 of these singers actually beping on the list! Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Mariah Carey, and Michael Jackson are missing! Its not a real list without them

[Illankai]

Freddie Mercury should have been higher up. One of the best I ever witnessed to keep the crowd mesmerized. I have been to many other concerts, but nothing like Queen and Freddie. There is something wrong here in this selection.

[ZBGM0]

@Illankai You have to understand that this is a list of GREATEST SINGERS (most important, famous, influential etc.) and not the list of BEST VOCALIST. If you make a list of best vocalists, then of course nobody comes even close to Freddie.

[joshhopkins21]

@Illankai cant believe they have tina frickin turner and mcjagger before freddie...this list is bullshit

[puffpuffdustbunny]

he has a really strong voice but not really unique

[71oldschool]

This list is a joke! A bad one at that. There are people who should not even be on this list like Lennon, Elvis and esp Bob Dylon. Dylon, are you kidding? Maybe a poularity contest but definitely not for vocal ability. I do agree that Freddie does deserve to be higher

[dallashousley12]

where the hell is maynard from tool, he should be number 1

[juices1234]

Little Richard. Scares. The. Fuck. Out of me.

[markbusk]

i love bob dylan but if its a singing contest he shouldnt be on this list! It may not be "rock" but Jeff Buckley for quality of voice should be on this list!

[Toushiro740]

i agree with Tommy and shame on yall for putting Stevie Wonder at 9 and Paul McCartney at 11 yall have lost yall minds shoot Smokey is better than bob dylan

and Al green should have been closer to number 1 as well Marvin Gaye is right where hes suposed to be and whoa now hold on what about Celine Dion,Whitney Houston,Elton John,Diana Ross,Nat King Cole and yall are nuts Elvis should have been number 2 Ray should have had number 3 and ok wait its clear to me now its a black person made this

[TheFoti400]

Freddie at 18 this list is a fucking joke.

[LBRofWu]

@TheFoti400 Exactly, Freddie doesn't belong on the list AT ALL. Axl Rose and Lemmy Kilmister are both FAR more talented singers/vocalists. Neither are listed.

Elvis should be #1, he is the fucking KING of rock.

[dallashousley12]

@LBRofWu freddie totally belongs on here should be farther up he is fuckin amazing better than axl rose on a bad day

[rj689]

where is david ruffin, ella fitzgerald, sarah vaughn, whitney houston, micheal jackson, rodger hogdson and many more. and how the hell is john lennon before marvin gaye an im a huge fan of john lennon.

[MasterTterb98]

Why isn't Bon Scott on this list.

He is one of the greratest voices in Rock n Roll

[MasterTterb98]

@ 4:54, the bass player isn't playing, although you can hear the bass

[tommymercury]

is really Freddie on 18th place?!? are we going slighly mad? everybody knows he's the number one!

[PrinzAviator]

@xxSaRaJaCksOnxx They put MJ at #25.

[NBKBTK]

This is only rock so thats why Micheal Jackson isn't on here because he was Pop

[xxSaRaJaCksOnxx]

I think they didn't put MICHAEL JACKSON cuz he's too high to be on the list..

[19esmiopa50]

this list is a complete joke - where is Michael Jackson, Nat King Cole, Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Whitney Houston, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Mariah Carey, Toni Braxton, Carly Simon, Johnny Mathias, Sade, Andy Williams, Barbara Streisand, Anita Baker, Sarah Vaughan etc etc - there are so very many great singers and artists from many genres ...

[Toushiro740]

@19esmiopa50 yep all those should have been in this list but i figured it out its a black person who made it lol

[touzinsky]

@19esmiopa50 something smelling like little boy's butts kept him off the list.

[xxx1v3tt3xxx]

Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Paul McCartney, Robert Plant and John Lennon should've been higher.

[zackypooofillinois]

how is plant in the top 20 and joe cocker is 97... they are so similular its dumb to have such a stretch. unless it's just a list and not like a countdown...

[krakauerdav5]

to all u michael jackson fan- stop complaining that he's not there, mj had a good voice for the type of music he sang in the 80's but if you think that he was good with the jackson 5 then no, i disagree completely. who wants to hear that mousy immature voice coming from a ten year old, not that if people are young it means they can't sing, but you'd rather hear the singing from people who actually feel the pain and emotion in their voices.

[legodarknight101]

Why isn't Bob Dylan and Robert Plant a lot higher? Outrage!! OUTRAGE!

[Rasta19856]

ok wtf robert plant is isnt even in the top 10

[Gogh007]

@Rasta19856 No kidding! Led Zepplin might be the hardest band to cover. I think it is mostly due to Plant's voice

[Rasta19856]

WOOT BOB MARLEY

[Gogh007]

Sting? Michael Jackson? Al Green not top 5?

[Rasta19856]

@Gogh007 hey bob marley is up there YAH

[nimitz1983]

@Gogh007 Sting? Naaaa. Michael Jackson deserves to be on here though especially. Bob Dylans not even top 100 material hes one of the greatest songwriters ever but in no way a great singer not even good in my opinion.

[RobPic914]

As much as I agree that this list is mainly based on popularity, it's also based on the amount of influence these singers had. For example, Ray Charles deserves to be where he's placed, not only did he have an incredible, soulful voice with extremely unique phrasing, he influenced tons of other amazing singers, like Steve Winwood and Joe Cocker. As for Dylan, no he didn't have a great voice, but he had an extremely influential and unique voice, instantly recognisable.

[juffan]

Didn't think McCartney or Lennon would be there, glad they are.

Jagger is on there because he was the first to ooze sex appeal in his voice, but I still don't think he belongs.

Finally Dylan gets some respect, but even in Rolling Stone it doesn't show just how good his voice could be. Take a look at the songs Isis, Girl from North Country, or Billy 4 and you can see just how good he was.

[mdmruehl]

Haha, in what world can Dylan sing as good as Mercury or McCartney? For shame Rolling Stone, for shame...

[varsamgg]

god

[AppleSaysNo]

Holy Lord! Rolling Stone doesn't know what they are doing, they are supossed to put Good singers here. What happened to Steve Perry and Michael Jackson? Steve perry has one of the best voices here. 1.Steve Perry 2.Michael Jackson 3.Elvis Presley 4.Eretha Franklin 5. Paul McCartney 6. Little Richard 7. Bob Marley 8. Freddie Mercury 9. John Lennon 10. James Brown... Steve, and michael got some voice.

[juffan]

@AppleSaysNo It seems they picked some of the most influential and most important singers for their list. Steve Perry and Michael Jackson are both great singers (and I would probably rather listen to them than some people on this list), but essentially they are just ripping off Plante and Little Richard. They put their own mark on their music too ofcourse but this list is looking at the people who did it first, and did it best. They probably belong on this list but it's no big deal they aren't

[Sec13S]

Lol this just goes to show, black people have great singing voices XD

[deriknirvana]

frddie is best

[liznadia164]

FAKE and whta about Michael jackson ??.. JUM

[popsucks13]

@liznadia164 Michael Jakson sucks and his not rock

[liznadia164]

@popsucks13 YOU ARE WRONG...I DON'T THINK SO BESIDES THIS A LIST OF 20 GREATEST SINGERS OF ALL TIME RIGTH' BUT NOT SPECIFIC IS A ONLY ROCK LIST SOOOOO!! AS YOU KNOW MICHAEL JACKON IS RECOGNIZED BY GUINEESS WORLD RECORDS AS " THE MOST SUCCESSFUL ENTERTAINER OF ALL TIMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!! DO U UNDERSTAD??? THE MOST AND NOT BODY COMPARE WITH HIM BECAUSE HE WON ALL IN THE INDUSTRY MUSICAL CARRER SO KEEP SILENCE !!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[popsucks13]

@liznadia164 He still sucks 

[liznadia164]

@popsucks13 u!!! wrong!!! jUm...:S

[popsucks13]

@liznadia164 still sucks and I don't understand what understad means retard!!

[blackcathunter007]

@popsucks13 it means you know nothing about music or ur psycho listening to only one genre.These are some hard rock songs of michael jackson :

1.Give in to me (with slash)

2.Dirty Diana (with Steve Stevens)

3.Beat It (with eddie van halen)

4.Black or white (with slash)

5.D.S. (With slash)

6.Come together (beatles cover)

7.another Day (with lenny Kravitz)

[popsucks13]

@blackcathunter007 No that pop songs who Michael was featuring whit them u fool

[jimmybrown11111]

More than half the people on the list were good artists but couldn't sing for shit... 1. Javier Solis 2. Tom Jones 3. Aretha Franklin 4. Engelbert Humperdinck 5. Eydie Gorme 6. James Brown 7. Stevie Wonder 8. Jerome Anthony 9. Lou Rawls 10. Placido Domingo 11. Frank SInatra 12. Sam Cooke 13. Whitney Houston 14. Ben E. King 15. Liza Minnelli 16. Nat King Cole 17. Smokey Robinson 18. Roy Orbison 19. Wilson Pickett 20. Elvis Presley

[94GeorgeS]

Where is Luther vandross and Michael Jackson as a child

And also Bon Dylan really?

[jimmybrown11111]

@94GeorgeS its singers not artists

[94GeorgeS]

@jimmybrown11111 Im pretty sure Micheal Jackson as well as being an artist does in fact sing

[jimmybrown11111]

@94GeorgeS I said that because people make the mistake of putting big and successful artists in these lists when the list is specific to good singers and the beatles don't make the list or michael jackson along with many other successful artists who can't actually sing for example any rap artist or bob dylan.

[onewithtaste]

no morrison??

robert plant will always be #1 in my book.

[beardigady]

Oh and what song is Robert Plant singing??????

[beardigady]

I love it how the Tina Turner didn't even make the song "Rolling on a river", and also The Rolling stones as so fucking stupied they said RESPECT by Aretha Franklin was the best song ever, when It was really made by Otis Redding.

[beardigady]

1. Freddie Mercury

2. Robert Plant

3. Elvis

4-1000000. I don't give a fuck.

[Mrrockandroll1000]

Rolling Stone...they seem to be biased towards certain bands.

My top 5 would be

1. Freddie Mercury

2. Brad Delp

3. Jon Bon Jovi

4. Steven Tyler

5. Steve Perry

But thats just my opinion :)

[gkjh9519HD]

The real list:

3. Eddie Vedder

2. Layne Staley

1. Mike Patton

[jimmybrown11111]

@gkjh9519HD  interesting, Layne Staley would definitely make my top 50 and that shows a lot, i dunno about vedder, maybe top 200.

[cspj12]

by "greatest" they mean "most famous" which is really fucking lame.

real list:

1: Freddie Mercury

2.:Bradley Nowell

3. Nick Drake

[wicksanu]

@cspj12 or by vocalist they mean performer either way this list is dumb

[kazziu]

Check Freddie Mercury "How can i go on" sang with Caballe, and tell me this isn't the best vocal in history.

[wick2107]

i like how in the tags it says stevie ray charles ...forgetting wonder and i saw "stevie ray" wondering whens SRV come into this

[ribinfo]

oh god bob dylan!great writer.awful singer!

[wick2107]

@ribinfo highly influential singer...thats what these go by. Let's face it, the way he used his vocals was one of the biggest influences he made on music....the biggest obviously bein lyrics

[vincemonroy]

Frank Sinatra??? Enough said.

[botsbotoi]

Rolling Stone's list is ridiculous to say the list. If by the term greatest singer it means voice quality or something like that , it should have included the names Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Mathis. And if by that it means impact on culture and music industry, either Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley should have taken the lead.