Aretha Franklin tops Rolling Stone’s “200 Greatest Singers of All Time” list
Written by ABC Audio. All rights reserved. on January 3, 2023
Rolling Stone compiled its picks for the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, and Aretha Franklin has the #1 spot.
According to the magazine, the late singer was “[a] force of nature. A work of genius. A gift from the heavens.” It also praised her for having a voice that “is all that and more,” which it deemed one of the reasons “she remains the unchallenged Queen, years after her final bow.”
Coming in at #2 is Whitney Houston, or as Rolling Stone calls her, the “standard-bearer for R&B vocals.” Sam Cooke secured the #3 spot, and Billie Holiday, Mariah Carey, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Otis Redding and Al Green respectively round out the top 10.
The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time list includes a combination of classic and contemporary artists, chosen based on “originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy.”
Also mentioned are Prince (#16), Marvin Gaye (#20), Mary J. Blige (#25), Aaliyah (#40), Toni Braxton (#48) and Rihanna (#68).
Rolling Stone clarifies that “this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List.”
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