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THE POP FIX PRESENTS: Top 100 Singers Of All Time

by Erin Darling 15 September 2009 23 Comments E-mail Erin Darling

It’s that time again, people. Award season. And instead of honoring Jay-Z, Taylor Swift and Britney Spears for their contributions to recent music and pop culture, THE POP FIX has decided to compile a list of musicians who have permanently left their mark on popular culture, influencing the current generations of superstars and wannabes. Although this may be shocking, music actually did exist before Kanye West. Just don’t tell him we said it.

This project was inspired by the “Rolling Stone” version of the 100 best singers. We hate to admit it, but basically we thought it was a joke. Sadly, it wasn’t. And although it’s understood that people will probably never agree on a list of the top 100 singers the world has ever seen (and especially with who lands at number one) THE POP FIX and fellow contributors comprised of music writers, former music students and music producers thought we could make a better list based on the following criteria:

1. First of all, and most importantly, actual singing ability…ie: As much as we love his wailing, Axl Rose will place below Freddie Mercury.

2. Pop culture importance of the band the singer fronted (or their own pop culture significance, if unattached to a band) ie: John Lennon of The Beatles will place above Karen Carpenter of The Carpenters.

3. Originality, or more specifically the “there will never again be anyone like this” factor. ie: Bjork and Tom Waits are prime examples of this, but they will probably not crack the top 20 due to the “popular culture” factor.

So, with these thoughts in mind, we began our top 100 list. Enjoy the fruits and edits of our labor…

THE POP FIX PRESENTS: THE TOP 100 SINGERS OF ALL TIME

1. Ella Fitzgerald

ella-fitzgerald

2. Aretha Franklin

3. James Brown

4. Frank Sinatra

5. Elvis Presley

6. Michael Jackson

7. Freddie Mercury

8. Janis Joplin

9. John Lennon

10. Billie Holiday

11. Al Green

12. Etta James

13. Judy Garland

14. Robert Plant

15. Ray Charles

16. Jeff Buckley

17. Stevie Wonder

18. Whitney Houston

19. Prince

20. Paul McCartney

21. Mariah Carey

22. Johnny Cash

JOHNNY CASH 1

23. Stevie Nicks

24. Smokey Robinson

25. Ann Wilson

26. Joe Cocker

27. Pat Benatar

28. Marvin Gaye

29. Steve Perry

30. Jimi Hendrix

31. Bob Dylan

32. Bono

33. Bjork

34. Roger Daltrey

35. Barbara Streisand

36. Joni Mitchell

37. Chuck Berry

38. Celine Dion

39. Elton John

40. David Bowie

41. Tina Turner

42. Christina Aguilera

christina_aguilera

43. Mick Jagger

44. Luther Vandross

45. Steven Tyler

46. Garth Brooks

47. Tony Bennett

48. Elvis Costello

49. David Byrne

50. Roy Orbison

51. Rufus Wainwright

52. Allison Kraus

53. Emmylou Harris

54. Bobby McFerrin

55. Sting

sting

56. Carole King

57. Diana Ross

58. Brian Wilson

59. Jim Morrison

60. Rod Stewart

61. Grace Slick

62. Sly Stone

63. Mick Jones

64. Dolly Parton

65. Billy Joel

66. Debbie Harry

67. Morrissey

68. Eddie Vedder

69. Annie Lennox

70. Perry Farrell

perry-farrell-gavin-degraw-travis-barker-dj-am-plane-crash

71. Maynard James Keenan

72. Sarah Brightman

73. Phil Collins

74. Patti Griffin

75. Cyndi Lauper

76. Bonnie Raitt

77. Barry White

78. George Clinton

79. Anthony Kiedis

80. Karen Carpenter

81. Axl Rose

82. Ozzy Osbourne

83. Tori Amos

84. Scott Weiland

85. Buddy Holly

86. Tracey Thorn

87. Eva Cassidy

88. Thom Yorke

89. Julie Andrews

90. Cat Stevens

91. Neko Case

92. Norah Jones

93. Peggy Lee

94. Mary J. Blige

95. Daryl Hall

96. Bill Withers

97. Joanna Newsom

98. Justin Timberlake

99. David Lee Roth

100. Julian Casablancas

julian

23 Comments »

  • Rudy said:

    awesome

  • Sarah said:

    you guys got it rightttttt finaly.

  • Caitlin Baker said:

    No one will beat the king which is Elvis Presley.;”

  • Bryan Jenkins said:

    Tina Turner will always be a legend in music history.:;*

  • Sofia Baker said:

    Tina Turner offers a great vocal range and such powerful voice.`~

  • XAVA said:

    Interesting compilation, very useful. Thanks

  • Aimee Chapman said:

    Tina Turner is one of the living legends of music,.:

  • Zachary Graham said:

    Elvis Presley is the only King, there would be no other music artist like him*-,

  • LED Torch  said:

    i kinda like the hair of Tina Turner, she has a great voice too`;`

  • Catnip : said:

    tina turner is a living legend, she always makes great and powerful music-:,

  • Mike B said:

    With the three criteria listed, Elvis and Michael should be 1 and 2, respectively. Tina Turner should also be on this list, as well as, George Strait and Michael Smith of the Cure.

  • TONY said:

    YOU HAVE THE GALL TO SAY YOU KNOW MUSIC MR.SAM COOKE, NAT KING COLE , BILLY HOLIDAY, MEL TORME, DONALD FAGAN, PETER GABRIEL, REBA MCINTIRE, DAVID RUFFIN, SADE, KATE BUSH, OTIS REDDING, YOUR LIST WITHOUT THESE PEOPLE IS CRAP YOU CAN’T TALK ABOUT IMPACT OR MUSIC HISTORY WITHOUT THEM AND A FEW OTHERS

  • rilenixx said:

    maynard james keenan is the most talented up there

  • Esole said:

    Not to mention Thunderdome.

  • Tact Switch %0B said:

    there would be no other king of rock and roll like elvis presley, he is the best and a legend `::

  • jonathan said:

    What ever happened to the greats: Jenny Lind, Helen Forrest, Jo Stafford, Annette Hanshaw, Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire just to name a few whose contributions even many of those on the list will (or would if alive) admit to being major influences on their own contributions . . .

    There are a ton more missing . . . and as for many of those listed? Their vocal talents are less than adequate !

  • Famosis said:

    Add Donny Hathaway. Hands down one of the
    best “singers” of all time.

  • zildjian crash said:

    It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks

  • Surveillance Guru said:

    You know what, your posts are usually a good read, but for me, this time around I feel like it is put together a little hasty.I may be wrong about it, but this one just doesn’t flow like other posts. Sorry about that.

  • Benton said:

    Hi there! Don’t you use Twitter? I would wish to follow you if that has to be fine. So i am undoubtedly taking pleasure in your blog and expect new posts.

  • Brendon said:

    I’ve study some good things in this article. Definitely worth book-marking for revisiting. I wonder what amount effort you’d put to create such a wonderful beneficial web site.

  • Jim said:

    Much better job on this list than that made by Rolling Stone magazine. This seems to not forget the sheer level of talent and popularity of vocalists such as Ella F., Frank S., and even Barbra S. Whitney and Michael seem placed appropriately as well.

  • Jim said:

    But you did leave out Nat King Cole. And btw Bobby McFerrin over Sting, that makes no sense.

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