Rolling Stone’s annual list of the 200 greatest singers of all time seems to have caused a stir with one notable omission (Joshua Thurston writes).
Fans of Céline Dion were shocked when checking the list published on New Year’s Day to find the five-time Grammy winner had been left off.
“Respectfully, not including Céline Dion, arguably the best vocal technician of all time, in this list is borderline treasonous,” Jamie Lambert, a producer and recording artist, tweeted.
Yvette Nicole Brown, the actress, added: “They got THE Michael Jackson way down at eighty-six?! and no Céline Dion at all?!
“Shoot, the way MJ sang With a Child’s Heart when he was a CHILD makes him top three at the least and if Céline Dion isn’t in the Top Ten at the least what are we really doing?! Damn Rolling Stone.”
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Rama Tampubolon, an entertainment journalist, said: “Look... you can argue Céline Dion’s music is not your cup of tea and that’s fair. You can argue Céline’s songs are now irrelevant in today’s Billie Eilish generation and that’s also fair. But to say that Céline Dion is not among all-time greatest singers is unbelievable.”
The list, which was first published in 2008, has what the publication has termed an “elaborate” voting process which, it says, includes input from well-known musicians.
There were also complaints that other stars were not mentioned including Dionne Warwick, Diana Ross, Jennifer Hudson, Justin Bieber, Tina Turner and Bill Withers.
Rolling Stone appeared to predict some pushback to its list, with the introduction stating: “Before you start scrolling (and commenting), keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List.
“Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent. Sure, many of the people here were born with massive pipes, perfect pitch, and boundless range.
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Others have rougher, stranger, or more delicate instruments.”
Dion, 54, recently announced that she was postponing several Europe tour dates after having stiff-person syndrome diagnosed. She said that the rare neurological disorder — which affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord — did not allow her “to sing the way I’m used to”.
In addition to her five Grammys, Dion has six AMAs, seven Billboard Awards, 12 World Music Awards, 20 Juno Awards, and seven of her albums have sold at least ten million copies worldwide.
The Top 20 are:
1. Aretha Franklin
2. Whitney Houston
3. Sam Cooke
4. Billie Holiday
5. Mariah Carey
6. Ray Charles
7. Stevie Wonder
8. Beyoncé
9. Otis Redding
10. Al Green
11. Little Richard
12. John Lennon
13. Patsy Cline
14. Freddie Mercury
15. Bob Dylan
16. Prince
17. Elvis Presley
18. Celia Cruz
19. Frank Sinatra
20. Marvin Gaye
