Every Rock + Metal Artist on Rolling Stone’s Updated List of 200 Best Singers
To kick off the new year, Rolling Stone issued an updated version of their ranking of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time, which includes a fair amount of rock and metal artists amid mainstream pop darlings, soulful crooners, gritty folk musicians and more.
This ranked list from the longstanding pop music publication has been circulated since 2008, originally featuring just 100 singers. Despite the expansion to house double the amount of singers, a few big rockers who made that first cut back in 2008 — such as Aerosmith's Steven Tyler — are now absent from the ranking entirely.
As much as that may upset, confuse and/or anger some music fans, there's a lot to be thrilled about here with rock and metal claiming nearly three dozen of those 200 coveted spots. And one important clarification that Rolling Stone makes is that this is not strictly about talent and technical ability as they later cite Ozzy Osbourne's inclusion as a prime example of a singer who "doesn't have what most people would call a good voice, but boy does he have a great one."
That certainly opens the door for rock and metal singers to be appreciated for their unique vocal imprints they've left on music, rather than dinged for not singing by the book.
Below, we've collected the rock and metal names that first appeared on Rolling Stone's 2008 list and are not on the re-ranked Top 200, followed by the all the rock and metal artists who appear in their 2023 version of the Greatest Singers of All Time list, along with their individual ranking.
Oh, and if you're wondering, the "Queen of Soul" Aretha Franklin reigns supreme at No. 1 now, the same spot she earned 15 years ago.
Rock Artists Who Made Original Rolling Stone 2008 List of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time + Do Not Appear on 2023 List
Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)
No. 99 on 2008 list
Don Henley (The Eagles)
No. 87 on 2008 list
Sly Stone (Sly and the Family Stone)
No. 78 on 2008 list
Greg Allman (The Allman Brothers Band)
No. 70 on 2008 list
Paul Rodgers (Bad Company, Free)
No. 55 on 2008 list
Jim Morrison (The Doors)
No. 47 on 2008 list
Neil Young (Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young)
No. 37 on 2008 list
Every Rock + Metal Artist on Rolling Stone's 2023 List of 200 Best Singers
No. 12 - John Lennon (The Beatles)
No. 5 on 2008 list
No. 14 - Freddie Mercury (Queen)
No. 18 on 2008 list
No. 26 - Paul McCartney (The Beatles, Wings)
No. 11 on 2008 list
No. 32 - David Bowie
No. 23 on 2008 list
No. 34 - Thom Yorke (Radiohead)
No. 36 - Kurt Cobain
No. 45 on 2008 list
No. 52 - Mick Jagger (The Rolling Stones)
No. 16 on 2008 list
No. 63 - Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)
No. 15 on 2008 list
No. 77 - Bruce Springsteen
No. 36 on 2008 list
No. 78 - Janis Joplin
No. 28 on 2008 list
No. 80 - Chris Cornell (Soundgarden, Audioslave)
No. 82 - Steve Perry (Journey)
No. 66 on 2008 list
No. 93 - Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac)
No. 96 - Chuck Berry
No. 41 on 2008 list
No. 105 - Eddie Vedder (Pearl Jam)
No. 107 - Lou Reed (Velvet Underground)
No. 62 on 2008 list
No. 109 - Roger Daltrey (The Who)
No. 61 on 2008 list
No. 112 - Ozzy Osbourne (Black Sabbath)
No. 114 - Chrissie Hynde (The Pretenders)
No. 117 - Patti Smith
No. 83 on 2008 list
No. 118 - John Fogerty (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
No. 72 on 2008 list
No. 125 - Joe Strummer (The Clash)
No. 129 - Rob Halford (Judas Priest)
No. 130 - Courtney Love (Hole)
No. 134 - Axl Rose (Guns N' Roses)
No. 64 on 2008 list
No. 140 - Bono (U2) originally No. 32 on 2008 list
No. 157 - Robert Smith (The Cure)
No. 165 - Ronnie James Dio (Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio)
No. 166 - Morrissey (The Smiths)
No. 92 on 2008 list
No. 168 - Debbie Harry (Blondie)
No. 176 - Iggy Pop (The Stooges)
No. 75 on 2008 list
No. 181 - Bob Seger
No. 199 - Glenn Danzig (Misfits, Samhain, Danzig)
