Thread: Greatest singers of all time

I apologise if this topic has previously been debated, but I couldn't find any other post that discussed this topic. Who in your opinion are the greatest singers of all time? They can be anyone, male or female, from any genre of music, whether a solo artist, front man/women or part of a band.
It doesn't matter if you can't settle on one person, neither could I.
I'll start the ball rolling with a few choices of my own

Frank Sinatra
Freddy Mercury
Nina Simone
Ella Fitzgerald
Stevie Wonder

Originally Posted by Bruce Wayne

I apologise if this topic has previously been debated, but I couldn't find any other post that discussed this topic. Who in your opinion are the greatest singers of all time? They can be anyone, male or female, from any genre of music, whether a solo artist, front man/women or part of a band.
It doesn't matter if you can't settle on one person, neither could I.
I'll start the ball rolling with a few choices of my own

Frank Sinatra
Freddy Mercury
Nina Simone
Ella Fitzgerald
Stevie Wonder

Barbarba Streisand, Celion Dion, Aretha Franklin, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Michael Jackson.

Doo Wop era: Frankie Lymon considered to have the smoothest voice; The Drifters rated best group.

Motown: Male: The Temptations and The Four Tops: Female: Diana Ross and The Supremes (Motown's first hit--Mr. Postman (Orlones?)

Classic rock: The Beatles, The Stones, Led Leppelin, The Doors, Creedence, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, The Eagles, The Who

Solos: Hendrix, Joplin, Clapton,

Class of their own: Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Patsy Cline, Roy Orbison


Two singers worth mentioning: New Yorker Johnny Maestro (lead singer of the Crests, who were one of the firt integrated Dop Wop groups and lead singer of the Brooklyn Bridge) and Pittsburgh native Jimmy Beaumont (lead singer of the group The Skyliners) both had golden voices.




Mr.Universe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofD9t_sULM

Mr. America
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFq5O2kabQo

Mr. Golden Voice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E284Q...eature=related

The Group with the Sound
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAPEf...eature=related


The Kid with the Angel Voice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q96ylFiQK_I

I think the best singer of all time (so far) is Freddy Mercury, but my favourite singer is Matt Bellamy. Some say he sounds like a cat withan umbrella up its . . . well, I don't need to finish that. It's understandable; his voice isn't for everyone, but I think it's incredible, especially in Exogenesis Part 1: Overture and Unintended. Micro Cuts is a ridiculously hard song to sing, too, but it's really harsh on the ears.

Jeff Buckley is another of my faves, but I wouldn't say he was a brilliant vocalist.

Nancy Sinatra.

I love Eric Burdon's voice (The Animals), but I've only heard The House of the Rising Sun.

Danny Elfman's voice is beautiful as well – to my ears, at least.

So, the greatest? Freddy Mercury for me .

Nick Drake, John Martyn, Joni Mitchell, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Dr John, Aaron Neville, Tina Turner, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Tom Waits.... I can't stop... there ae so many...

Some of my favourite Canadian singers I think belong in the above company:

Jim Cuddy
Leonard Cohen
Sarah Mclachlan

Best of the best:



Best of the best:

‪Thank You Mr. DiMucci‬‏ - YouTube






Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Johnny Cash,

Jim Morrison
Dusty Springfield

Greatest showmen/women, greatest singers, or most distinctive styles? 'Cause Mick Jagger, Jimi Hendrix, Tom Waits, Roger Daltrey, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison don't belong on a greatest singers list, although they are all brilliant in the other two ways.

I'll second Jackie Wilson, Freddie Mercury, Frank Sinatra and John Fogerty, and add to the list:

Big Joe Turner
David Lee Roth
Little Richard
Fats Domino
Howlin' Wolf
Roy Orbison

Mark E. Smith, Patti Smith, Tina Turner, Billie Holiday, Al Jolson, Doris Day, Kurt Cobain, Max Cavalera, Kim Deal, Iggy Pop, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Johnny Cash, Nancy Sinatra etc...

i think that the point of this thread by now is that there are too many great singers to count.

Tough call. I don't know enough about the great operatic singers, and in many cases we have no recordings to compare them with contemporary singers.

Another great to add is possibly Bobby McFerrin?

Sammy Hagar was a better singer than DLR, though DLR had attitude.

Originally Posted by Custard

I love my cat! Isnt she cute? .

Custard, a pure white cat looking just like yours became the target of a red-tailed hawk the other day in New York City. Luckily, the cat weighed about fifteen pounds; and after swooping down and carrying it about fifty feet into the air, the hawk was forced to release it because of its weight. The lucky cat landed in a neighbor's yard and was returned to its owner. A bit bruised and scratched and shakened, the cat is recovering from the ordeal








I have a cute dog that sings on command. All I have to do is tell Squirt to sing, and he raises his tiny head and his beady black eyes to the ceiling (or sky--outdoors) and belts out this howling tune.

I doubt he qualifies as a great singer. Although, in the world of canines, he just might be one. I know he would be an instant hit on youtube (he looks like a cross between Little Richard and Charlie Sheen), but I am refraining from turning him into a star. He might start demanding expensive food.

Karen Carpenter. Mary Martin.

Or, if you like pop: Michael Holbrook Penniman. Imogen Heap.

And Michael Jackson rules also.

As an added topic, how about some of the most underrated singers. Anyone heard of Mark Murphy the jazz singer? Talent wise he's definitely up there with Sinatra, but somehow he is unknown to a lot of people

There can be only one 'greatest'. Lanza. Everyone else is a wannabe.