10 Best Singers In Music History Who Conquered The Hearts Of Millions Audience

If you want to get into some serious debates with passionate music enthusiasts, ask them to compile a list of the "top 10 singers of all time"! With so many varying opinions and preferences, it's no wonder that your favorite artists may or may not be in people’s lists.
Thankfully, due to the multitude of voices and opinions, we can identify the most talented and influential musicians to ever grace the stage. From smooth crooners to raw belters, from gospel to punk, from Sinatra to Selena to SZA, these are the vocalists that have changed music forever and illuminated our souls with amazing tunes.
So whether you're a die-hard fan, or just love a good singalong, continue reading. We'll take you through each singer's career highlights, the songs that made them famous, and why they're considered legends in the industry. In the end, what makes these artists truly unforgettable is their special ability to make us laugh, cry, and everything in between.

#20 Marvin Gaye

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Marvin Gaye's precision in speech was echoed in his singing voice, which was rich, velvety, and full of yearning. His confident delivery featured a sandpaper roughness that he used to great effect, balancing his swooning head falsetto.
Gaye's gift for drama was evident in his masterful delivery of songs like "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Let's Get It On," which created palpable, irresistible erotic heat.

#19 Frank Sinatra

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Frank Sinatra was a master of the microphone, known for his meticulous study of lyrics and relentless pursuit of vocal perfection. He had an unparalleled ability to convey deep emotions through his singing, as heard on collaborations like "How Insensitive", and the classic "I've Got You Under My Skin." Sinatra's charm and skill at unearthing the essence of a song still astonish listeners today.

#18 Celia Cruz

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Celia Cruz’s voice was a reflection of her life story: her unique, rich tone captured the vibrancy of her childhood in Havana. While she first gained fame in Cuba, it was in New York City where she became a star, showcasing her immense charisma and vocal strength alongside some of the biggest salsa acts of all time.
No matter who she sang with, Cruz always shone radiantly, capturing nostalgia and embodying an exuberance for life. All of that made her one of the most transcendent singers of all time.

#17 Elvis Presley

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Elvis Presley’s voice was one of a kind: a unique instrument capable of blending weepy highs with rich lows. It led to hits like “Don’t Be Cruel” topping charts across multiple genres. While his musical heroes included Fats Domino and Dean Martin, he didn’t sing like any of them.
Early tracks like “That’s All Right, Mama” were joyful explosions of energy, while later songs like “Can’t Help Falling in Love” showcased his crooning skills and “How Great Thou Art” highlighted his passion for gospel. But it’s his 1969 hit “Suspicious Minds” that stands as the ultimate Elvis moment.

#16 Prince

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Prince’s music was often a one-man show, and his choir was no exception. In tracks like “Adore” from Sign o’ the Times, Prince’s multi-tracked vocals soar and intertwine with each other in a heavenly assemblage. Singing was deeply personal for Prince, who would often kick out his engineers when recording his vocals.
Whether it was the intimate falsetto of “Kiss” or the stunning emotion of “When Doves Cry” and “The Holy River,” Prince’s vocals were a vital part of his showmanship.

#15 Bob Dylan

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Some listeners might perceive Bob Dylan's voice as wheezy or aggressively twangy. However, particularly in his early years, he has confidently owned his unique delivery. Dylan's voice conveys a range of emotions, from wry disdain on "Like a Rolling Stone" to deep devotion on "If Not for You", and wrenching pathos on "Goin' to Acapulco."
In his later years, he has built an entire mature style out of his increasingly ragged-throated sound. He moved freely between wistful romance and bawdy black comedy, as seen in his work on Triplicate readings.

#14 Freddie Mercury

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Freddie Mercury's soul-stirring vibrato and four-octave vocal range, coupled with his overwhelming charisma, ignited Queen's art rock performances, turning them into a captivating spectacle.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" showcases Mercury's greatness, from its balladic beginning and ending to the feisty rock and operatic middle section. Other songs in Queen's catalog, such as "Somebody to Love," demonstrate Mercury's effortless soaring through octaves and moods.

#13 Patsy Cline

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Patsy Cline's career as a country-pop pioneer was tragically cut short by her untimely death at the age of 30. However, her strong, yet supple voice still resonates with aspiring heartbreak chroniclers in Nashville and beyond. Cline credited the richness of her contralto to a bout of rheumatic fever she experienced at age 13.
Her nuanced interpretation of lovestruck material gave her performances emotional depth, particularly her passionate rendition of "Crazy" and her besotted delivery on "I Fall to Pieces." Even six decades after her passing, Cline continues to tug at heartstrings.

#12 John Lennon

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John Lennon’s voice is as agile and vibrant as his mind. His rendition of Barrett Strong’s “Money (That’s What I Want)” with The Beatles out-rocking the Motown original is a standout, as is his seething motormouth on “Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)” and even on lesser-known tracks like “What You Got.”
Singing with everything he had was Lennon’s trademark. The transition from “Julia” to “Everybody’s Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey” is a perfect example of his vocal range.

#11 Little Richard

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Little Richard is the ultimate inspiration for every singer who has ever pushed their voice to the limit, and then some, in an effort to send the listener into a frenzy. His unforgettable hits demonstrate how to generate excitement by continually raising the vocal stakes.
His proto-punk scream leading into the sax solo foreshadows everyone from Prince to Iggy Pop.

#10 Al Green

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Al Green’s voice possesses a feline quality that surprises and delights listeners with its sinuous flexibility. He has a unique ability to embody the very song he’s singing, transporting audiences into the moment with him.
Whether he’s in the midst of a hard Memphis funk groove or layering multiple ethereal falsettos, Al Green’s vocal mastery is unmatched. His classics may have been the result of hard work, but his performances always appear effortless. Whether he’s singing about God or love, Al Green remains the ultimate soul man.

#9 Otis Redding

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Onstage, Otis Redding was a commanding force, capable of shaking the stage with his boundless energy. In the studio, he displayed a Marvel of controlled restraint, delivering his emotive rasp with an anguished, but never overdone approach. His soul ballads such as “Try a Little Tenderness”, “Mr. Pitiful”, “The Dock of the Bay” showcase his ability to relish each word with an exclamatory emphasis.
Even when covering rock & roll hits like “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and “A Hard Day’s Night,” Redding makes the songs his own and leaves a lasting impression.

#8 Beyoncé

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Beyoncé’s voice is a testament to the richness and history of Black music. As a pop icon, she has mastered the art of paying homage to the legends who have inspired her, while creating a sound that is uniquely hers.
With her versatile voice, she can effortlessly switch from brashly Southern to cherubically hymnal, adapting to a range of genres from funk to country to hard rock. She is equally talented as a rapper and a songbird, showcasing her control and power in every performance.

#7 Stevie Wonder

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Stevie Wonder’s vocal range is as wide as his musical palette. He effortlessly captures the tender emotion in love ballads such as “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You,” but also channels simmering anger in “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” and “Living for the City.” His signature growl is just one of the many vocal techniques he employs to take a song to the next level.
In a 2014 interview, D’Angelo praised Wonder’s ability to incorporate vocal mechanics into his singing, creating a sound that other artists can only dream of achieving.

#6 Ray Charles

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Ray Charles was a multifaceted musician who didn't distinguish between jazz, blues, R&B, pop, or country music. He simply sang the songs he liked and infused them with a little bit of soul.
His groundbreaking hit, "I Got a Woman," transformed gospel music into soul music; while his rendition of "America the Beautiful" turned a national hymn into a soul-wrenching epic. Charles had a unique ability to make anything soulful, and his contributions to the world of music continue to inspire generations of artists.

#5 Mariah Carey

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Mariah Carey's vocal range spans an impressive five octaves. This allows her to effortlessly transition between biting, taunting growls and unreal whistle tones. Carey has always been able to balance old-school soul and R&B with modern pop music, using her operatic vocal talents to create a unique sound that birthed generations of imitators.
Her ability to deploy a variety of vocal techniques, from coy, breathy coos to guttural, full-bodied belts, has helped her achieve electrifying results that few can match.

#4 Billie Holiday

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Billie Holiday was a jazz-vocalist who had a special ability to convey the depth of feeling in her music. She differentiated herself from legends like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald by prioritizing emotional truth over refinement. Even when her pitch or tone weren't perfect, her delivery could still communicate the content and intent of every word she sang.
Holiday was known for her ability to evoke both gloom and elation through her slow-drip delivery and openness in her voice. Her ability to convey emotions through her music left a lasting impact on artists like Joni Mitchell, who was deeply touched by Holiday's work.

#3 Sam Cooke

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Sam Cooke was a gospel superstar who went solo in 1957, immediately redefining the idea of "soul music" both as a crossover star and musical innovator. His tenor voice was seductive and enchanting, with a unique ability to savor being inside a song. His 1964 masterpiece "A Change Is Gonna Come" continues to resonate with audiences today.

#2 Whitney Houston

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Whitney Houston was a standard-bearer for R&B vocals, possessing a soprano that was both powerful and tender. Her self-titled debut album in 1985 established her as one of pop's most potent vocalists, and her natural delivery made her vocal runs all the more remarkable. Her cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" remains one of the defining singles of the 1990s.

#1 Aretha Franklin

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Aretha Franklin was an unstoppable force, a musical genius, and a divine gift to the world. Her voice remains the most magnificent sound to ever emerge from America. Aretha rightfully holds the title of the greatest pop, rock, or soul singer of all time.
With her hit song "Respect" in 1967, she cemented her place as Lady Soul, creating a raw and intense R&B sound that forced the mainstream to take notice and forever changed the way music sounded worldwide.