Aretha Franklin Crowned 'Best Singer of All Time' by Rolling Stone
Aretha Franklin Crowned 'Best Singer of All Time' by Rolling Stone
Jacqueline Burt CoteTue, February 24, 2026 at 2:41 AM UTC
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(Photo by Michael Ochs Archives on Getty Images)
Long before shows like The Voice and American Idol turned singing into a competitive sport, iconic vocalists were making their mark on music history. And while there have of course been some amazing singers to debut in recent years, many of the most beloved voices ever have been winning fans over for generations.
When Rolling Stone ranked the 200 best singers of all time, the top 10 included artists with hits going as far back as the 1930s. In tenth place was the incomparable Al Green, known for early '70s hits like "Tired of Being Alone," "Take Me to the River," and "Let's Stay Together" (still a popular wedding song choice).
Ranked at #9 was Otis Redding, whose "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" became the first posthumous number-one record on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B charts in 1968 (he died in a plane crash shortly after recording the song). Coming in eighth was the versatile Beyoncé, famed for her unique ability to sing everything from pop to soul to opera to country (plus, she can rap), followed by the multi-talented former child prodigy Stevie Wonder at #7, whose instantly recognizable voice helped send '70s classics like "Superstition" and "I Wish" to the top of the charts. Ray Charles followed in the #6 position, over half a century since his first number one hit, 1960's "Georgia on My Mind."
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Kicking off the top five was Mariah Carey, who stunned listeners with her range long before she was crowned the unofficial Queen of Christmas, followed by the legendary Billie Holiday, who had her first bestselling song with 1939's haunting "Strange Fruit." Superstar and civil rights activist Sam Cooke — whose 1964 hit “A Change Is Gonna Come" was inspired by Bob Dylan’s “Blowin in the Wind" — was ranked third on the list. Whitney Houston, beloved for her wildly successful '90s cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," among so many other hits, took second place.
So who was crowned the number one best singer of all time? That honor very well-deservingly went to the Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.
As Rolling Stone put it, Franklin was more than just a singer, she was a "force of nature. A work of genius. A gift from the heavens."
"Aretha Franklin’s voice is all that and more, which is why she remains the unchallenged Queen, years after her final bow," the article continued, going on to call her singing "the most magnificent sound to emerge from America — more universal than Coltrane’s horn, bolder than Hendrix’s guitar. She blew up worldwide with her 1967 hit 'Respect,' claiming her throne as the greatest pop, rock, or soul singer ever. As Mary J. Blige told Rolling Stone, 'She is the reason why women want to sing.'"
Related: 1967 Best-Selling Hit Ranked No. 1 'Greatest Song' of All Time
This story was originally published by Parade on Feb 24, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
