The greatest singers ever – as voted by you

1
Tina Turner

Tina Turner

You voted – here are your results for the best singers of all time. 20. Tina Turner. One of the two females to make this list (keep clicking through to find out who else is on here) is the big-haired, big-voiced Tina Turner. Joining Elvis in rock royalty, the Queen Of Rock ‘N’ Roll has a voice so powerful that it earned her a spot in the Rock And Roll Hall OF Fame.

2
Marvin Gaye

19. Marvin Gaye. Before James Earl Jones came round, this was the guy with the deep, sultry vocals that could melt your heart. The true voice of ‘60s soul.

3
Steven Tyler

18. Steven Tyler. With a mouth that big, something great’s gotta come out of it, no? Everyone wants to sound like the guy – there’s even a guide for how to sing just like him.

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4
Mick Jagger

17. Mick Jagger. Old Rubber Lips knew how to grind those hips and more importantly knew how to sing. He may never have been as cool as Keef but the Stones wouldn’t be the Stones without that snarl.

5
Kurt Cobain

Kurt Cobain

16. Kurt Cobain. To say that the music world lost a star in 1994 when Cobain died is an understatement. He defined the grunge music of the ‘90s, and made oversized jumpers and sunglasses oh-so-cool.

6
Elton John

15. Elton John. For a guy with a voice like his, we can forgive the ridiculous attire. Despite facing a voice-altering surgery on his throat in 1986, Sir Elton’s kept that trademark sound.

7
Jim Morrison

14. Jim Morrison. While few bands split opinion like The Doors, you’d be a Borrell-sized fool to dismiss the Lizard King’s vocal ability. Who else could howl their way through ‘The End’ with such visceral passion? The guy from Yuck? We rest our case.

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8
Bob Marley

13. Bob Marley. He will forever be the voice of reggae music. In his eulogy to the late singer, Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga said: “His voice was an omnipresent cry in our electronic world…He is part of the collective consciousness of the nation.”

9
Ray Charles

Ray Charles

12. Ray Charles. As musicologist Henry Pleasants once wrote: “Ray Charles is a master of sounds…The voice alone, with little assistance from the text or the notated music, conveys the message.”

10
Matt Bellamy

11. Matt Bellamy. What would Muse be without their pint-sized, falsetto-singing frontman? He may be small, but give him an electric guitar and a microphone and he becomes one of today’s most energetic rockstars.

11
Aretha Franklin

Aretha Franklin

10. Aretha Franklin. The only other female to make this list is the Queen Of Soul, Aretha Franklin. She might wear the occasional fashion faux-pas on her head (remember that oversized bow hat?), but she’s also the record holder for the most Best Female R&B Vocal Performance awards.

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12
Stevie Wonder

9. Stevie Wonder. Signed to a record label at the age of 11, his talent was obvious from the very beginning. Give him a keyboard and a mic and he’ll rip out hits like ‘Superstition’ and ‘I Just Called to Say I Love You’.

13
Paul McCartney

8. Paul McCartney. Close your eyes, forget the cheesy banter and the double thumbs up and think of ‘Hey Jude’, ‘Live And Let Die’, ‘Drive My Car’….

14
Robert Plant

7. Robert Plant. He had a unique vocal style that could imitate Jimmy Page’s guitar riffs, but it also works beautifully on its own (and with Alison Krauss, in later years). If only he’d put the damn thing to use again and reform Zeppelin.

15
David Bowie

David Bowie

6. David Bowie. Ziggy Stardust. Thin White Duke. Jareth The Goblin King. Whichever persona you prefer, they were all backed by the haunting, ever-so-versatile voice of David Bowie.

16
John Lennon

5. John Lennon. The votes are in. Apparently you lot think John Lennon was the best vocalist out of all the Beatles. Whether you favour the scratchy screams of ‘Twist And Shout’ or the mellow peace of ‘Imagine’ , we can all agree he deserves to be here.

17
Axl Rose

4. Axl Rose. He may be an arrogant egomaniac, but the guy can sing. That is, when he actually shows up on stage and doesn’t start fights. Even the gaming world agrees his voice is pleasing to the ears – in 2004, Rose provided a voice-over for Grand Theft Auto.

18
Elvis Presley

3. Elvis Presley. He had the hip shakes and pelvis thrusts to make girls scream and the smoldering vocals to make girls weep. The King Of Rock ‘N’ Roll, indeed.

19
Freddie Mercury

2. Freddie Mercury. He had a flamboyant charm that not only permeated into his fashion, but into his music, as well. Could you really imagine anyone else singing those high notes in ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’?

20
Michael Jackson

1. Michael Jackson. He wasn’t called the King Of Pop for nothing. He wowed the world with his vocal chops as the youngest member of The Jackson 5, and continued to astonish until the day he died. In retrospect he could have gone easier on the “hee hee”s, but we’ll let him off.

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