By Steve Newton
I’ve just been watching the TV news, and apparently there’s quite an uproar among Celine Dion fans because she wasn’t included in Rolling Stone‘s new list of “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.”
Well, here’s another uproar for ya: why the hell isn’t Phil Lynott’s name on the list? You know, the singer from Thin Lizzy whose powerhouse vocals–whether on raging rockers or slow-burning ballads–were one of the very best things about rock music in the ’70s.
And the brain-dead dweebs down at Rolling Stone also somehow managed to leave colossal crooner Paul Rodgers off their pitiful list. I mean, come on: Paul freakin’ Rodgers! Hello? He’s the guy who sang “All Right Now”. What is wrong with those people?
Actually, I know what’s wrong with them: they wouldn’t know rock ‘n’ roll if it bit them squarely in the crotch. That’s been proven multiple times by the ridiculous results of Rolling Stone’s involvement with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where scores of deserving rock artists are passed over in favour of total lame-o’s.
Can you believe that neither Thin Lizzy nor the Rodgers-led bands Free and Bad Company have been inducted yet, even though they’ve been eligible for ages?
Getting back to that new list of “Greatest Singers”, even when Rolling Stone chose worthy vocalists, they often put them way too far down the list. Bob Seger at 181? John Fogerty at 118? Roger Daltrey at 109? And who in their right mind would place Ronnie James Dio at 165, before slotting Ozzy Osbourne in at 112? It’s insane!
So screw Rolling Stone and its bogus, headline-grubbing lists. If they won’t show legendary rockers any respect, I will. Here’s my list of the Top 30 Rock Vocalists of All Time. (Please keep in mind that this is a rockers-only list, ’cause that’s my specialty, and doesn’t include R&B, soul, jazz, country, and blues singers, etcetera. So don’t go lookin’ for Aretha Franklin here, incredible as she is.)
30. Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)
29. Ian Gillan (Deep Purple)
28. Geoff Tate (Queensryche)
27. Neil Young
26. David Coverdale (Deep Purple, Whitesnake)
25. John Mellencamp
24. Dan McCafferty (Nazareth)
23. Susan Tedeschi (Tedeschi Trucks)
22. Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Powerslave)
21. Jimmy Barnes (Cold Chisel)
20. Chrissie Hynde (Pretenders)
19. Elvis Presley
18. Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath)
17. Janis Joplin
16. Tom Petty
15. Ronnie Van Zant (Lynyrd Skynyrd)
14. Bon Scott (AC/DC)
13. David Lee Roth (Van Halen)
12. Paul McCartney (Beatles)
11. Bob Seger
10. Ann Wilson (Heart)
9. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
8. John Lennon (Beatles)
7. Roger Daltrey (The Who)
6. Phil Lynott (Thin Lizzy)
5. John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
4. Tina Turner
3. Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company, The Firm)
2. Freddie Mercury (Queen)
1. David Bowie
David Bowie? Please.
I found this post by googling “Phil Collins 200 singers Rolling Stone” because I wanted to see where he ranked. The fact that he’s not on the list is bullmess. He’s one of the best male vocalists ever.