Rolling Stone Lists 100 Greatest Singers and Forgets Some
Bill Colley Published: October 24, 2019
This is obvious. Photo by Keystone/Getty Images
"I have the worst voice in rock and roll," once said Rod Stewart. He's on the latest list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. There are some I agree with and a lot of names appear because I believe the people surveyed are pop-oriented. Or they liked the "sensibilities" of a performer. Which probably is why Bob Dylan appears near the top of the list.
Elvis even could be higher. He had tremendous vocal range, sang in several genres (including opera and some of it in foreign languages).
A guy once told me she wasn't a great singer because she was a drug addict. Dude, look at the names on this list and find the saints?
Many get votes because of how they interpreted songs. Funny, I perused this list and looked for Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse. A guy once told me she wasn't a great singer because she was a drug addict. Dude, look at the names on this list and find the saints? Before he became a bad guy, O.J. Simpson was a great ballplayer. His later actions don't cancel his past performance.
How about a Katherine Jenkins? She's not much about popular music. Scratch her off the list.
Country music gets a few mentions. Fewer for bluegrass. It tells you the "experts" polled don't really like certain categories. If Willie Nelson is on the list with his voice, then why not an Iris DeMent? Can you realistically leave Rhonda Vincent and Alison Krauss off the list. Krauss is synonymous with Grammy. She may need to buy a separate house for all the hardware.
If Roy Orbison is on the list then where is Marty Robbins?
We don't see many people who perform in foreign languages on this list. It's really just a rundown of some really good voices among English speakers. I have at home a collection of Edith Piaf and I understand few of the lyrics. It's also quite moving to hear her voice. Of course, she was from the early era of recorded music. Same with the English performer Vera Lynn. After a concert for frontline troops in Burma, there were Japanese soldiers who surrendered. The pathos in her voice made them so homesick they put down weapons and surrendered. Now that's a voice.
Filed Under: Alison Krauss, Amy Winehouse, bill colley, Bob Dylan, Elvis, Rod Stewart, Rolling Stone
Categories: American History, Colley's Commentary, Entertainment, Lifestyle, Music, News, Reviews
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