The Best Voices Top T(w)en(ty)

[The Seeker]

1. Steve Marriott

2. Roger Daltrey

3. Liam Gallagher

4. Eric Burdon

5. Paul McCartney

6. Steve Winwood

7. Janis Joplin

8. Dusty Springfield

9. Diana Ross

10. Aretha Franklin

11. Frank Sinatra

12. Tom Petty

13. Grace Slick

14. Jim Morrison

15. Elton John

16. Otis Redding

17. Mick Jagger

18. David Bowie

19. Roy Orbison

20. Sam Cooke

[TheLizard]

1. Freddy Mercury

2. Jim Morrison

3. Roger Daltrey

4. Aretha Franklin

5. Stevie Wonder

6. Otis Redding

7. Elvis Presley

8. Frank Sinatra

9. Roy Orbison

10. Eddie Vedder

11. Robert Plant

12. Grace Slick

13. Janis Joplin

14. Paul McCartney

15. Ian Gillan

16. Ray Charles

17. David Bowie

18. Jack Bruce

19. Bruce Springsteen

20. Mick Jagger

The hardest part for me was remembering this was a best voice list, not a favorite frontman/woman list. I wanted to put Springsteen and Jagger further up, but the 18 in front of them have better voices. Of course, if I vote again tomorrow, it'll probably change...

[edna]

1- Grace Slick

2- Frank Sinatra

3- Janis Joplin

4- Otis Redding

5- Karen Carpenter

6- Sam Cooke

7- Mick Jagger

8- Carly Simon

9- Eric Burdon

10- Elvis Presley

11- Aretha Franklin

12- Barbra Streisand

13- Freddie Mercury

14- Elton John

15- Alison Moyet

16- Chris Isaak

17- Robert Plant

18- Steve Winwood

19- Shannon Hoon

20- Scott Walker

[Tenacious_Peaches]

1] Karen Carpenter

2] Aretha Franklin

3] Sam Cooke

4] Celine Dion

5] Freddie Mercury

6] Julie Andrews

7] Marvin Gaye

8] Chaka Khan

9] Steve Perry

10] Patsy Cline

11] Pat Benatar

12] Barbra Streisand

13] Levi Stubbs

14] Alison Moyet

15] Otis Redding

16] Dusty Springfield

17] George Michael

18] Jackie Wilson

19] Melissa Etheridge

20] David Ruffin

[CanAm]

1. Julie Andrews

2. Barbra Streisand

3. Frank Sinatra

4. Nat King Cole

5. Karen Carpenter

6. Ed Ames

7. Patsy Cline

8. Ann Wilson

9. Linda Ronstadt

10.James Taylor

11.George Michael

12.Roy Orbison

13 Sam Cooke

14.Jackie Wilson

15 Aretha Franklin

16.Annie Lennox

17.Joni Mitchell

18.Marvin Gaye

19.Dusty Springfield

20.Freddie Mercury

Wow!!! 10 men and 10 women. Am I politically correct, or what?

[skybluesky]

1~Karen Carpenter

2~Sarah McLachlan

3~Ann Wilson

4~Michael Stipe

5~Steve Perry

6~Pat Benatar

7~Roger Daltrey

8~Dusty Springfield

9~Annie Lennox

10~Eric Burdon

11~Aretha Franklin

12~Linda Ronstadt

13~David Bowie

14~Joni Mitchell

15~James Taylor

16~Grace Slick

17~Janis Joplin

18~Eddie Vedder

19~Jim Morrison

20~Chris Isaak

[RonJonSurfer]

1. David Bowie

2. Jay Black

3. Jack Bruce

4. Freddie Mercury

5. Karen Carpenter

6. Joni Mitchell

7. Ian Gillan

8. Paul McCartney

9. Greg Lake

10. Paul Rodgers

11. Ann Wilson

12. John Fogerty

13. Pat Benatar

14. James Taylor

15. Bobby Hatfield

16. Stevie Nicks

17. Stevie Wonder

18. Elton John

19. Elvis Presley

20. Frankie Valli

[Steel2Velvet]

1. Roy Orbison

2. Dusty Springfield

3. Robert Plant

4. Jackie Wilson

5. Linda Ronstadt

6. Nat King Cole

7. John Fogerty

8. Marvin Gaye

9. Karen Carpenter

10. Frank Sinatra

11. Elvis Presley

12. Paul McCartney

13. (a young) Elton John

14. Sarah McLachlan

15. Sam Cooke

16. Janis Joplin

17. Steve Winwood

18. Roger Daltrey

19. Ray Charles

20. Bjork (Wasn't that the chef on the Muppets?)

Edited July 6, 2007 by Guest
I had too. A little girl MADE me!

[_Laurie_]

This is really an awesome list of singers....all with great voices, and many different styles, which is why it's so hard for me to put them in any kind of order....the styles range from Roger Daltrey to Frank Sinatra...but, I'll give it my best shot...

1. Aretha Franklin

2. Otis Redding

3. Bill Withers

4. Roger Daltrey

5. Dusty Springfield

6. Elton John

7. Freddie Mercury

8. Grace Slick

9. Frank Sinatra

10 Paul McCartney

11 Linda Ronstadt

12 Karen Carpenter

13 Marvin Gaye

14 Stevie Wonder

15 Janis Joplin

16 Ray Charles

17 Elvis Presley

18 Eric Burdon

19 John Fogerty

20 James Taylor

[Sweet Jane 61]

The top 10 I would not change, but the bottom 10, I could change the order depending on my mood..

1-Freddie Mercury

2-Ann Wilson

3-Aretha Franklin

4-Otis Redding

5-Nat King Cole

6-Annie Lennox

7-Chrissie Hynde

8-Janis Joplin

9-David Bowie

10-Bruce Springsteen

11-Dusty Springfield

12-Jim Morrison

13-Patsy Cline

14-Elton John

15-Robert Plant

16-Stevie Nicks

17-Elvis Presley

18-Roy Orbison

19-Sam Cooke

20-Karen Carpenter

[MindCrime]

1. Robert Plant

2. Jim Morrison

3. Tom Petty

4. Freddie Mercury

5. Mick Jagger

6. John Fogerty

7. Bruce Springsteen

8. Roger Daltrey

9. Steve Miller

10. Paul McCartney

11. David Bowie

12. Eddie Vedder

13. Joe Strummer

14. Joey Ramone

15. Joni Mitchell

16. Ann Wilson

17. Stevie Nicks

18. Paul Rodgers

19. Steve Winwood

20. Bill Withers

[bazooka]

Easy as that!

bazooka's super-subjective list.

It is incredibly hard to separate singers from the material they recorded. Many might have ranked higher if I liked their particular songs better.

1. John Fogerty

2. Paul Rodgers

3. Ann Wilson

4. Linda Ronstadt

5. Jackie Wilson

6. Aretha Franklin

7. Sam Cooke

8. Roy Orbison

9. Eric Burdon

10. Chrissie Hynde

11. Patsy Cline

12. James Taylor

13. Annie Lennox

14. Bill Withers

15. Marvin Gaye

16. Otis Redding

17. Janis Joplin

18. Mick Jagger

19. Steve Winwood

20. Stevie Wonder

Conspicuous by his absence from the nominations: Van Morrison

Edited July 7, 2007 by Guest
I keep changing my mind

[Lucky]

1. Elvis Presley

2. Frank Sinatra

3. Karen Carpenter

4. Patsy Cline

5. Sam Cooke

6. Bobby Hatfield

7. Ann Wilson

8. Pat Benatar

9. Steve Perry

10. Elton John

11. Dusty Springfield

12. Dinah Washington

13. Frankie Valli

14. Stevie Wonder

15. Annie Lennox

16. Linda Ronstadt

17. Paul McCartney

18. Otis Redding

19. Joni Mitchell

20. Sinéad O'Connor

Whew. I was still trying to decide if this meant the BEST voices (as in technically best, able to hit and sustain the notes, purity of the voice, etc.) or the best voices SUITED for rock. Very different lists, in my mind. That's why some that I consider great voices aren't on my list, while some artists I don't care much for are. I went for technically best voices.

[bluesboy]

1. Sinatra - those 1950's Capitol sides...

2. Patsy Cline

3. Roy Orbison

4. Joni Mitchell - rock's pure voice

5. Nat King Cole

6. Aretha Franklin

7. Elvis Presley - '55 - '56

8. Linda Ronstadt - the early years were dynamite

9. Otis Redding

10. Dinah Washington

11. Jackie Wilson

12. Ray Charles

13. Marvin Gaye

14. Jim Morrison

15. Barbra Streisand

16. Dusty Springfield

17. Eric Burdon

18. Elton John

19. Julie Andrews

20. Karen Carpenter

[OLD 55]

1. Roy Orbison

2. Elvis Presley

3. Nat King Cole

4. Bobby Hatfield

5. Karen Carpenter

6. Sam Cooke

7. Freddie Mercury

8. Jackie Wilson

9. Dusty Springfield

10. Patsy Cline

11. Barbra Streisand

12. Celine Dion

13. Aretha Franklin

14. Marvin Gaye

15. Ed Ames

16. Frankie Valli

17. Otis Redding

18. David Ruffin

19. Frank Sinatra

20. Linda Ronstadt

[blind-fitter]

1) Karen Carpenter

2) Scott Walker

3) Elizabeth Fraser

4) Chrissie Hynde

5) Björk

6) David Bowie

7) Joni Mitchell

8) Dusty Springfield

9) Elvis Presley

10) Chris Isaak

11) Joe Strummer

12) Liam Gallagher

13) Alison Moyet

14) Aretha Franklin

15) Sinéad O'Connor

16) Joey Ramone

17) Ray Charles

18) Janis Joplin

19) Otis Redding

20) Annie Lennox

V. difficult. I selected on the basis of who has given me the most pleasure just from listening to the voice (or potentially might). Once you get below #10, that becomes quite hypothetical. It's a flawed system: my head tells me that , yes, Freddie Mercury is a far better vocalist than Joe Strummer, Joey Ramone, Liam Gallagher, but I can't imagine listening to just him and enjoying it much.

Anyone from the Top 10 could sing the Telephone Directory and make it sound wonderful....

[xHeatherx]

I didn't nominate anyone, but can I still vote? Pretty please?

1. Stevie Nicks

2. Elvis Presley

3. Aretha Franklin

4. Janis Joplin

5. Celine Dion

6. Shannon Hoon

7. Eddie Vedder

8. Sinéad O'Connor

9. Nat King Cole

10. Patsy Cline

11. Frank Sinatra

12. Pat Benatar

13. Ray Charles

14. Tom Petty

15. Melissa Etheridge

16. Sarah McLachlan

17. Otis Redding

18. Pink

19. Karen Carpenter

20. Mick Jagger

Edited July 7, 2007 by Guest
I've lost the ability to spell Benatar

[c_s_1987]

1. Roger Daltrey

2. Freddie Mercury

3. Ann Wilson

4. Greg Lake

5. Paul McCartney

6. Aretha Franklin

7. Grace Slick

8. Chrissie Hynde

9. Elton John

10. Nic Cester

11. Frank Sinatra

12. Elvis Presley

13. Stevie Nicks

14. Michael Stipe

15. Jack Bruce

16. Ian Gillan

17. Linda Ronstadt

18. Karen Carpenter

19. Otis Redding

20. Stevie Wonder

[Farin]

1. Eddie Vedder

2. Linda Perry

3. Björk

4. Freddie Mercury

5. Sinéad O'Connor

6. Janis Joplin

7. Aretha Franklin

8. Joni Mitchell

9. Katie Melua

10. Michael Stipe

11. Annie Lennox

12. David Bowie

13. Pink

14. Shannon Hoon

15. John Fogerty

16. Joey Ramone

17. Jim Morrison

18. Bruce Springsteen

19. Elizabeth Fraser

20. Robert Plant

* Debbie Harry, Joss Stone, Mama Cass anyone?

[Lucky]

I'd thought of the other two but Mama Cass? I can't believe we left her out.

[RonJonSurfer]

She would have made my top 20...

[Levis]

I didn't nominate anyone, but can I still vote? Pretty please?

Well, see here, I'll make an exception this time... but ONLY because you asked SO nicely.

And because you put Shannon Hoon at #6

[OLD 55]

And you'd be very welcome to participate in our Weekly Top Ten, Heather ! If you're interested and would like to know more, please PT Levis, Farin, Lucky or myself. We'd love to have you.

[phil]

1. Stevie Wonder

2. Marvin Gaye

3. Joni Mitchell

4. Aretha Franklin

5. Frank Sinatra

6. Roy Orbison

7. Dusty Springfield

8. Paul McCartney

9. Otis Redding

10. Ray Charles

11. Frankie Valli

12. Freddie Mercury

13. James Taylor

14. Janis Joplin

15. Annie Lennox

16. Karen Carpenter

17. Bruce Springsteen

18. Stevie Winwood

19. Tom Petty

20. David Bowie

Nobody nominated John Lennon! I'm so ashamed.

[edna]

Nobody nominated John Lennon! I'm so ashamed.

Yes. I also though someone would... he has such a sexy and peculiar voice...