My Top 10 Female Vocalists Of All Time
A discussion — not a definitive list
It feels blasphemous, but I put the singers in alphabetical order because I love and respect all these vocalists too much try to put them in any other order.
Secondly, I based this list on vocal quality, range, and pitch — not popularity. There are some phenomenal vocalists on my second list that you probably haven’t heard because of the music industry — but I urge you to check them out.
Top 10 Vocalist Of All Time
- Aretha Franklin — Her voice is gospel and soul
- Barbara Streisand — Just watch Yentle and you’ll weep
- Celine Dion — Amazing and powerful
- Chaka Khan — Often imitated but there will NEVER be another Chaka
- Ella Fitzgerald — Her pitch and scats were always spot on
- Etta James — Highly underrated vocalist — her voice is blues and
- Karen Clark-Sheard — She is a vocal acrobat and she’s the inspiration for every run in soul music from Faith Evan to Christina Aguilera
- Patti Labelle — There is no one who can hit the notes like Patti from breathy entrances to growly crescendos
- Sarah Vaughn — Her voice is jazz, with velvet notes
- Whitney Houston — Power and beauty her voice was flawless
- Stephanie Mills — There is NO other vibrato like Stephanie
- Rachelle Ferrell — She is simply amazing — she’s another vocal acrobat
(I think Beyoncé should be in this list, but she’s too young — all of these artists are 50+)
Here is my list for modern female vocalists: