Rolling Stone Top 100 (Part 4)

By Taft Ayers

The folks at Rolling Stone recently released their list of the 100 "greatest singers of all time." I am going to release them in four groups of 25 (not that you couldn't look them up on your own, but hey, this is fun!)

Feel free to argue with my opinions, that's what makes music so great.

Also, feel free to laud me for my opinions, that's what makes music so great.

**The list was made by an all-star cast of voters. Each voter was asked to list his or her 20 favorite vocalists from the rock era, in order of their importance. Those ballots were recorded and weighted according to methodology developed by the accounting firm of Ernst & Young, which then tabulated and verified the results for Rolling Stone.**

24. Van Morrison- Fair enough. I'm cool with this #. Influenced Bono and Lamontagne.

23. David Bowie- I think this is ridiculous. He wouldn't make my top 100 at all.

22. Etta James- Good call. In my personal opinion, this is too low, but fair enough.

21. Johnny Cash- No shocker to see him here, however, Joaquin Phoenix sings better.

20. Smokey Robinson- Editor: Make sure we get a guy from Motown in the top 20-check.

19. Bob Marley- #9 on my list. He made reggae cool.

18. Freddie Mercury- He influenced George Michael (you know what I'm saying).

17. Tina Turner- This woman represents complete resilience and strength. Awesome.

16. Mick Jagger- Crappy Band Name+Crappy Magazine Name=Crappy Choice for #16 spot.

15. Robert Plant- His voice is interesting and twisted. Wouldn't make my top 20.

14. Al Green- His falsetto is pristine. Suave (and I don't say that about most men).

13. Roy Orbison- This guy is awesome. Completely emotional when he rocks it out.

12. Little Richard- Ugh, I can't believe this guy is top 20, or even close to top 10.

11. Paul McCartney- I shall say nothing, lest the Beatles fans find my home address.

10. James Brown- Dude, his voice is awesome, he's such a great......SHOUTER. Eh!

9. Stevie Wonder- Way to go! I love it when folks shine with the odds against them.

8. Otis Redding- He never sang for the money. It was obvious. Raw emotion.

7. Bob Dylan- This is a top SINGERS list, not song-writers. He shouldn't be #7.

6. Marvin Gaye- #15 on my list, but he could've been #6 on any other day. Stellar.

5. John Lennon- See #11. Copy-paste.

4. Sam Cooke- I am not disappointed at all with this #, especially with the others.

3. Elvis Presley- This makes so much sense. Absolutely a top 10 singer.

2. Ray Charles- See #9. Copy-paste.

1. Aretha Franklin- I wish I was alive when she was in her 30's.

"Rolling Stone Sucks" -Donald T. Ayers