# Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Singers (of the Rock Era) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 12, 2008, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439 "2008-11-12T23:27:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/61 "2008-11-13T22:16:50Z")
What is an “important” singer? If it means “sold a shitload of records” or “got stuck in people’s heads permanently”, then Frankie Valli was disrespected big-time.\* There’s little that’s more pitiful than a bunch of performers and commentators and hangers-on sitting around deciding what is “important” in popular music. Oh, and I’ve never understood why Sam Cooke made the pantheon of Great Pop Talents. Unless it’s part of the whole aura about Dying Young. \*“You…ooo…OOOOOOO…better ask your ma-a-ma.” ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/62 "2008-11-13T22:37:28Z")
My definition of “great singer” only includes people who can sound amazing completely a capella, live, in a room with no microphones or processing. Which eliminates a good percentage of this whole list, but does include Kate Bush, K.D. Lang, Jane Siberry and Todd Rundgren. Any other standard allows too much studio trickery to be credible. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/63 "2008-11-13T22:57:04Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Oh, and I’ve never understood why Sam Cooke made the pantheon of Great Pop Talents. Unless it’s part of the whole aura about Dying Young. Well, soul music does pretty much start with him. Plus his songwriting is pretty much untouchable. Sam Cooke is my definition of what soulful pop music is all about. ---
**Author:** ![WPA-Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WPA-Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WPA-Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/64 "2008-11-13T23:21:04Z")
The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time The list doesn’t include: Linda Ronstadt Carly Simon Jackson Browne Tony Bennett Frank Sinatra? ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/65 "2008-11-13T23:35:26Z")
I realize the point of lists like this is to get people talking about it (and sell mags and get web hits, of course), so… Freddie Mercury’s an easy top 10, probably 5. Dylan and Lennon should be moved down (GREAT writers and hugely infulential, but not great singers) James Taylor should higher Gotta give something to the metalheads. I’d say Bruce Dickinson ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2008, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/66 "2008-11-13T23:46:16Z")
> [@jk1245](#): > > I realize the point of lists like this is to get people talking about it (and sell mags and get web hits, of course), so… > > Freddie Mercury’s an easy top 10, probably 5. > > Dylan and Lennon should be moved down (GREAT writers and hugely infulential, but not great singers) > > James Taylor should higher > > Gotta give something to the metalheads. I’d say Bruce Dickinson I’ll trade your Bruce Dickinson for Bon Scott. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/67 "2008-11-14T01:13:53Z")
Annie Lennox and Karen Carpenter down in the 90s? Below Mariah Carey? WTF? Carey has range, but no restraint and crap material. OK, Karen Carpenter had crap material too, but such a “pure” voice, for lack of a better word. Lennon and Dylan in the Top 10? Great songwriters, sure, but singers? Mick Jagger at #16: One of the greatest \*frontmen \*of the Rock Era? Absolutely. One of the greatest _singers_? Not so much. I’d knock him down, and help nudge Bowie up into the Top 20. At least they did right by Roy Orbison. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/68 "2008-11-14T03:59:11Z")
Once again Prince is hosed by a Rolling Stones “Greatest…” list. He did albums other than “Purple Rain,” you know, you people making these lists. Like, 30 other albums. He has a vocal range that rivals Mariah Carey’s (they both have a five octave range, if I’m not mistaken), and he actually knows how to use it. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/69 "2008-11-14T05:09:57Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Once again Prince is hosed by a Rolling Stones “Greatest…” list. He did albums other than “Purple Rain,” you know, you people making these lists. Like, 30 other albums. He has a vocal range that rivals Mariah Carey’s (they both have a five octave range, if I’m not mistaken), and he actually knows how to use it. Preach it! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/70 "2008-11-14T05:20:39Z")
Speaking of range, where’s the love for King Diamond? It’s like they think metal doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/71 "2008-11-14T05:23:17Z")
IMO, any list of the 100 greatest singers of the rock era should also include a variety of Broadway singers. Sadly, most of those names would be unrecognizable to Rolling Stones writers and the public at large. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/898d66/32.png) [@Johnny\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Q)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/72 "2008-11-14T05:59:54Z")
No Nick Cave? LAME. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/73 "2008-11-14T09:49:12Z")
Daltrey’s top 20, easy, and probably top 10. Listen to “Who’s Next”: it’s like a collection of short stories, each written - and sung - in a different voice. Few people could inhabit a song like Roger Daltrey and make it sound like somebody _meant it_. And where the fuck is Ian Gillan, the finest pure rock singer of them all. ---
**Author:** ![williamweigand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b3f665/32.png) [@williamweigand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/williamweigand)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/74 "2008-11-14T14:13:46Z")
> [@Freejooky](#): > > The fact that Harry Nilsson isn’t anywhere on that list means the entire thing is invalid. I totally agree. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/75 "2008-11-15T14:09:51Z")
No Judy Collins. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/76 "2008-11-15T15:49:41Z")
> [@woodstockbirdybird](#): > > Only a magazine as decades-out-of-touch as Rolling Stone would rank Dylan anywhere near that high. You win the thread. Rolling Stone is obsessed by Bob Dylan. You can argue with the list no matter how you rank them, and make arguments in any direction, but their boner for Dylan is getting sad. The Sixties are over, guys. I admit I don’t have a problem with Aretha in the #1 position, though. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/77 "2008-11-15T16:13:29Z")
I would have put Steve Tyler higher than 99. Where’s David Lee Roth? Where’s Chrissie Hynde? Deborah Harry? ---
**Author:** ![Lilacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lilacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilacs)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/78 "2008-11-15T17:04:19Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I just loathe Dylan’s singing, so I don’t get that either. And I’m a little stunned they omitted Chris Cornell entirely. I have to agree. Bob was a good songwriter but his voice is horrid. And Chris Cornell has an amazing voice. I’m not saying top ten maybe, but he should be in there somewhere. Also…Sly Stone needs to be a bit higher, Freddie Mercury is in the top ten, and while I’m a Beatle devotee I think John Lennon and Paul McCartney need to be moved down. Also…someone else with a powerful voice? Mike Patton. ---
**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/79 "2008-11-15T22:38:36Z")
Bob Dylan doesn’t have a great voice. But he does have a great rock and roll voice. He belongs just about where he is on that list. Why is that some insist rock was supposed to be pretty? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439/80 "2008-11-16T03:09:30Z")
Tambourine Man is one of the best songs ever written, and it is well sung. But that is a fluke for Dylan singing. The man had a poor voice that has just become awful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rolling-stones-list-of-100-greatest-singers-of-the-rock-era/472439.md?page=3)