The 29 Greatest Female Vocalists of All Time

Jazz stylists, gospel powerhouses, country storytellers and pop belters share one list, spanning nearly a century of recorded voices. Back the one you'd put on repeat.

1. 1
   Aretha Franklin

   Soul singer whose 1967 recording of Otis Redding's "Respect" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and who in 1987 became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Ariana Grande

   Pop singer whose 2018 single "Thank U, Next" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and who played Glinda in the 2024 film Wicked.
   616pts
3. 3
   Dolly Parton

   Country singer-songwriter who wrote and first recorded "Jolene" (1973) and "I Will Always Love You" (1974).
   595pts
4. 4
   Patti LaBelle

   Singer who led the trio Labelle on "Lady Marmalade" (1974) and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1986 with "On My Own", a duet with Michael McDonald.
   595pts
5. 5
   Celine Dion

   Canadian singer whose recording of "My Heart Will Go On", the Oscar-winning theme from Titanic (1997), topped the Billboard Hot 100.
   550pts
6. 6
   Gladys Knight

   Lead singer of Gladys Knight & the Pips, whose 1973 single "Midnight Train to Georgia" topped the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy.
   550pts
7. 7
   Ella Fitzgerald

   Jazz singer known as the First Lady of Song, famed for her scat singing and for her Songbook albums recorded for Verve between 1956 and 1964.
   498pts
8. 8
   Patsy Cline

   Country singer whose 1961 recordings of "I Fall to Pieces" and Willie Nelson's "Crazy" crossed over to the pop charts.
   498pts
9. 9
   Édith Piaf

   French singer nicknamed the Little Sparrow, whose signature songs include "La Vie en rose" and "Non, je ne regrette rien" (1960).
   498pts
10. 10
    Lauryn Hill

    Singer and rapper of the Fugees whose 1998 solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
    498pts
11. 11
    Chaka Khan

    Singer who fronted the funk band Rufus before her 1978 solo hit "I'm Every Woman" and her 1984 cover of Prince's "I Feel for You".
    440pts
12. 12
    Nina Simone

    Singer and classically trained pianist known as the High Priestess of Soul, whose recordings include "Mississippi Goddam" (1964) and "Feeling Good" (1965).
    440pts
13. 13
    Christina Aguilera

    Pop and R&B singer whose 1999 single "Genie in a Bottle", the lead single from her debut album, topped the Billboard Hot 100.
    440pts
14. 14
    Amy Winehouse

    English singer whose 2006 album Back to Black, with the single "Rehab", earned her five Grammy Awards in 2008.
    440pts
15. 15
    Billie Holiday

    Jazz singer nicknamed Lady Day who first recorded the anti-lynching song "Strange Fruit" in 1939.
    372pts
16. 16
    Whitney Houston

    Pop and R&B singer whose 1992 cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" from The Bodyguard spent 14 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
    372pts
17. 17
    Etta James

    Rhythm-and-blues singer whose 1960 recording of the standard "At Last" became her signature song.
    372pts
18. 18
    Björk

    Icelandic singer who fronted the Sugarcubes before going solo with Debut (1993) and won the Best Actress award at Cannes for Dancer in the Dark (2000).
    372pts
19. 19
    Umm Kulthum

    Egyptian singer whose monthly concerts were broadcast on radio across the Arab world, with long performances of songs such as "Enta Omri" (1964).
    372pts
20. 20
    Mariah Carey

    Singer-songwriter with 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 singles, from "Vision of Love" (1990) to "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which first topped the chart in 2019.
    293pts
21. 21
    Barbra Streisand

    Singer and actress whose The Barbra Streisand Album (1963) won the Grammy for Album of the Year and who has scored No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 in six different decades.
    293pts
22. 22
    Tina Turner

    Singer who rose with the Ike & Tina Turner Revue and whose 1984 solo single "What's Love Got to Do with It" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
    293pts
23. 23
    Beyoncé

    Singer who rose to fame with Destiny's Child and has won more Grammy Awards than any other artist, including Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter in 2025.
    293pts
24. 24
    Sarah Vaughan

    Jazz singer nicknamed Sassy and the Divine One, whose recordings include "Misty" and "Send in the Clowns".
    293pts
25. 25
    Adele

    English singer whose second album, 21 (2011), featuring "Rolling in the Deep" and "Someone Like You", won the Grammy for Album of the Year.
    200pts
26. 26
    Linda Ronstadt

    Singer whose cover of "You're No Good" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1975 and who later recorded the Spanish-language album Canciones de Mi Padre (1987).
    200pts
27. 27
    Mahalia Jackson

    Gospel singer whose 1947 recording "Move On Up a Little Higher" made her a national star and who sang at the 1963 March on Washington.
    200pts
28. 28
    Karen Carpenter

    Singer and drummer of the Carpenters, the duo with her brother Richard whose 1970 single "(They Long to Be) Close to You" topped the Billboard Hot 100.
    200pts
29. 29
    Janis Joplin

    Blues-rock singer who fronted Big Brother and the Holding Company and whose recording of "Me and Bobby McGee" reached No. 1 after her death in 1970.
    0pts

Comments 1