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Best singers (all time)

A ranking of both studio and live singers.

Person:
Gender:
Loc:
Age:
David Lee Roth
1

David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. In 2007, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Roth is best known as the original (1974–1...
10
10
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Maynard James Keenan
1

Maynard James Keenan

Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964), often referred to by his initials MJK, is an American progressive metal singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor, best known as the vocal...
10
10
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Frank Sinatra
1

Frank Sinatra

Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra (December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer, songwriter, actor, producer and director. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 150 million records...
10
10
as live singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Enrique Iglesias
4

Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler (born May 8, 1975), simply known as Enrique Iglesias is a Spanish singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer. Iglesias started his career in 1995 on an American Spanish Language record label Fo...
9.8
9.8
as studio singer
from 20 votes
Discuss [multi]
Freddie Mercury
5

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant...
9.5
9.5
as live singer
from 16 votes
Discuss [multi]
Jim Morrison
6

Jim Morrison

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer songwriter, and poet best remembered as the lead singer of The Doors.
9.5
9.5
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Bryan Adams
7

Bryan Adams

Bryan Guy Adams (born 5 November 1959) is a Canadian musician, singer, and photographer.
9.4
9.4
as live singer
from 7 votes
Discuss [multi]
Ray Charles
8

Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), professionally known as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician and composer. He was sometimes referred to as "The Genius", and was also nicknamed "The H...
9
9
as studio singer
from 4 votes
Discuss [multi]
John Lennon
8

John Lennon

John Ono Lennon, born John Winston Lennon; (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980), was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder member of the rock band the Beatles, the most commercially succe...
9
9
as studio singer
from 4 votes
Discuss [multi]
Whitney Houston
8

Whitney Houston

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, producer, and model. Houston is one of pop music's best-selling music artists of all-time, with an estimated 170–200 million records s...
9
9
as studio singer
from 4 votes
Discuss [multi]
Enya
11

Enya

Enya (born Eithne Ní Bhraonáin; anglicised as Enya Brennan; 17 May 1961) is an Irish singer-songwriter, musician, and producer. She has sold 26.5 million RIAA-certified albums in the US and an estimated 75 million worldwide, makin...
9
9
as studio singer
from 3 votes
Discuss [multi]
Mick Jagger
11

Mick Jagger

Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer, songwriter and actor, best known as lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones.
9
9
as studio singer
from 3 votes
Discuss [multi]
Thom Yorke
13

Thom Yorke

Thomas Edward "Thom" Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician best known as the singer and principal songwriter of the alternative rock band Radiohead. As a multi-instrumentalist, Yorke mainly plays guitar and piano, but...
9
9
as live singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Bon Scott
13

Bon Scott

Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. He w...
9
9
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Mark Knopfler
13

Mark Knopfler

Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Dire Straits, wh...
9
9
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Celine Dion
13

Celine Dion

Céline Marie Claudette Dion ( born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, businesswoman and occasional actress. Born into a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world...
9
9
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Dave Matthews
13

Dave Matthews

David John "Dave" Matthews (born January 9, 1967) is a South African-born American singer-songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band. Matthews was born in...
9
9
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Jeff Buckley
13

Jeff Buckley

Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott "Scottie" Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a followin...
9
9
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Axl Rose
19

Axl Rose

W. Axl Rose (born William Bruce Rose, Jr. ; raised as William Bruce Bailey February 6, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is the lead vocalist and only remaining original member of the hard rock band Guns N' R...
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Aretha Franklin
19

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer and musician. Franklin began her career singing gospel at her father, minister C. L. Franklin's church as a child. In 1960, at the age of 18, Franklin embarked on...
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Robert Plant
19

Robert Plant

Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin. He has had a successful solo career spanning over 40 years...
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Brian Johnson
19

Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. Since 1980, he has been the lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC, with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003...
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
James Hetfield
19

James Hetfield

James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, main songwriter, and lyricist for the American heavy metal band Metallica. Hetfield is mainly known for rhythm playing, but has also per...
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Tom Waits
19

Tom Waits

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He has worked as a composer for movies and musicals and has acted in supporting roles in films, including Paradise Alley and Br...
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Johnny Cash
19

Johnny Cash

Johnny "J.R." Cash (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, actor, and author. Although primarily remembered as a country music icon, his genre-spanning songs and sound embraced rock...
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Joe Cocker
19

Joe Cocker

John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer and musician. Cocker's cover of the Beatles' "With a Little Help from My Friends" reached number one in the UK in 1968. He performed the song live at...
9
9
as live singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Stan Rogers
19

Stan Rogers

Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.
9
9
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Eddie Vedder
19

Eddie Vedder

Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson December 23, 1964) is an American musician who is best known for being the lead vocalist and one of three guitarists of the grunge band Pearl Jam...
9
9
as live singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Michael Jackson
29

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. Called the King of Pop, his contributions to music and dance, along with his publicized personal life...
8.8
8.8
as studio singer
from 5 votes
Discuss [multi]
Adele
29

Adele

Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (born 5 May 1988) is a British singer and songwriter.
8.8
8.8
as studio singer
from 5 votes
Discuss [multi]
Paul McCartney
31

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame as a member of the Beatles, one of the...
8.8
8.8
as live singer
from 4 votes
Discuss [multi]
Mariah Carey
32

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1969 or 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She rose to prominence after releasing her self-titled debut studio album Mariah Carey in 1990. It went multiplatinum and...
8.7
8.7
as studio singer
from 3 votes
Discuss [multi]
Kurt Cobain
33

Kurt Cobain

Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who was best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Cobain formed Nirvana with Krist Novoselic in Aberd...
8.5
8.5
as studio singer
from 4 votes
Discuss [multi]
Sting
34

Sting

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner (born 2 October 1951), known professionally by his stage name Sting, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, activist, actor, and philanthropist. He was the principal songwrit...
8.5
8.5
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Björk
34

Björk

Björk Guðmundsdóttir (born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic experimental singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and occasional actress. She initially became known as the lead singer of the alterna...
8.5
8.5
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Ed Sheeran
34

Ed Sheeran

Edward Christopher "Ed" Sheeran (born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and occasional actor.
8.5
8.5
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Lana Del Rey
37

Lana Del Rey

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey, is an American singer, songwriter, and model. She began songwriting at the age of 18, and signed her first recording contract with 5-Poin...
8.3
8.3
as studio singer
from 3 votes
Discuss [multi]
Lorde
38

Lorde

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), better known by her stage name Lorde, is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. Born in Takapuna and raised in Devonport, Auckland, she became interested in performing as a ch...
8
8
as studio singer
from 3 votes
Discuss [multi]
Paul Simon
39

Paul Simon

Paul Frederic Simon is an American musician, actor and singer-songwriter. Simon's fame, influence, and commercial success began as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, formed in 1964 with musical partner Art Garfunkel...
8
8
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Sammy Hagar
39

Sammy Hagar

Samuel Roy "Sammy" Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as The Red Rocker, is an American rock vocalist, guitarist, songwriter and musician. Hagar came to prominence in the 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose. He afterward...
8
8
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Dave Grohl
39

Dave Grohl

David Eric "Dave" Grohl is an American rock musician, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, and producer who is best known as the former drummer for the grunge band Nirvana and the founder and frontman of the rock band Foo Fig...
8
8
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Carly Rae Jepsen
39

Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Mission, British Columbia currently based in Vancouver. In 2007, she placed third in Canadian Idol season five's competition. Jepsen independently...
8
8
as studio singer
from 2 votes
Discuss [multi]
Elton John
43

Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight, 25 March 1947) is an English singer-songwriter, composer and pianist. He has worked with lyricist Bernie Taupin as his songwriting partner since 1967; they have collaborated o...
8
8
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Marvin Gaye
43

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye ( born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984 ) was an American soul singer, songwriter, and musician. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as...
8
8
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Shakira
43

Shakira

Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll (born February 2, 1977) is a Colombian singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, choreographer, and model. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she began performing in school, demonstrating Latin, Arab...
8
8
as live singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Zhao Wei
43

Zhao Wei

Zhao Wei (born 12 March 1976), also known as Vicki Zhao, is a Chinese actress, pop singer, and film director. She is considered one of the "Four Dan Actresses" in China. While studying at Beijing Film Academy, Zhao became an Asian...
8
8
as live singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Elvis Presley
43

Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. He is often referred to as "the King of Rock and Roll", or simply, "the King".
8
8
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Dave Mustaine
43

Dave Mustaine

David Scott "Dave" Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is best known as the co-founder, guitarist, and lead singer of the American thrash metal band Megadeth, and well known as the original lead guitaris...
8
8
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Tracy Chapman
43

Tracy Chapman

Tracy Chapman (born March 30, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. She is a multi-platinum and four-time Grammy Award-winning artist.
8
8
as studio singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
Elvis Costello
43

Elvis Costello

Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), better known by his stage name Elvis Costello, is an English musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He began his career as part of London's pub rock scene in the early 1970s...
8
8
as live singer
from 1 vote
Discuss [multi]
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