In January 2023, Rolling Stone announced American singer, songwriter, and pianist Aretha Franklin as the greatest singer of all time. Following the global success of her 1967 single "Respect," the Queen of Soul established herself as the greatest ever pop, rock, and soul vocalist. Whitney Houston, known by many as The Voice ranked second, followed by Sam Cooke, who was given the title the King of Soul by his fans. In general, American performers from the soul, R&B, and jazz genres, who for years laid the groundwork for contemporary popular music, make up the majority of the 200 vocalists who were chosen.
Top selling artists worldwide
Rolling Stone placed John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney of The Beatles at number 12 and number 26, respectively. As of August 2022, the Liverpool based band that rose to fame in the 60s held the title of the top selling artist worldwide, with 183 million units of certified sales. Elvis Presley, with a total of 139 million units sold, is still one of the best selling artists, and made it into the top 20 of Rolling Stone's greatest singers of all time.
Who didn't make Rolling Stone's list?
Fans of Canadian singer Celine Dion have expressed their anger that she was not included in Rolling Stone's greatest singers list. Dion, who had massive hits in the 90s, such as My Heart Will Go On and It's All Coming Back To Me Now, is known for her impressive vocal range and is the best-selling Canadian recording artist and French-language artist of all time. Fans of Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, and Sting are also unhappy that the aforementioned artists did not make the much awaited list.
The 200 greatest singers of all time according to Rolling Stone as of January 2023
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Rolling Stone. (January 1, 2023). The 200 greatest singers of all time according to Rolling Stone as of January 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 22, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356944/greatest-singers-of-all-time-rolling-stone/
Rolling Stone. "The 200 greatest singers of all time according to Rolling Stone as of January 2023." Chart. January 1, 2023. Statista. Accessed December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356944/greatest-singers-of-all-time-rolling-stone/
Rolling Stone. (2023). The 200 greatest singers of all time according to Rolling Stone as of January 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 22, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356944/greatest-singers-of-all-time-rolling-stone/
Rolling Stone. "The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time According to Rolling Stone as of January 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 1 Jan 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356944/greatest-singers-of-all-time-rolling-stone/
Rolling Stone, The 200 greatest singers of all time according to Rolling Stone as of January 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356944/greatest-singers-of-all-time-rolling-stone/ (last visited December 22, 2024)
The 200 greatest singers of all time according to Rolling Stone as of January 2023 [Graph], Rolling Stone, January 1, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356944/greatest-singers-of-all-time-rolling-stone/
