Rolling Stone has updated its list of the 200 greatest singers of all time. The list began in 2008 and is topped by Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday and Mariah Carey.
Various rock, hard rock and heavy metal vocalists are recognized including John Lennon (12), Freddie Mercury (14), Paul McCartney (26), David Bowie (32), Mick Jagger (52), Robert Plant (63), Chris Cornell (80), Steve Perry (82), Eddie Vedder (105), Roger Daltrey (109), Ozzy Osbourne (112), Rob Halford (129), Axl Rose (134), Ronnie James Dio (165), Iggy Pop (176), Bob Seger (181) and Glenn Danzig (199).
Anticipating fan backlash, Rolling Stone wrote: “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. Sure, many of the people here were born with massive pipes, perfect pitch, and boundless range. Others have rougher, stranger, or more delicate instruments… In all cases, what mattered most to us was originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy.”
There are numerous hard rock and heavy metal vocalists who didn’t make the cut. Some of the most notable omissions include AC/DC vocalists Bon Scott and Brian Johnson, Metallica’s James Hetfield, Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, KISS vocalists Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, Anthrax singers Joey Belladonna and John Bush, Ex-Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, Slipknot’s Corey Taylor, Pantera’s Phillip Anselmo and Queensryche’s Geoff Tate.
To be fair, the updated list also omitted various pop/R&B singers including Celine Dion, Pink, Jennifer Hudson, Nat King Cole and Dionne Warwick.
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