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The Best Vocal Performances of All Time (Expanded List)

There are the opinions of one music fan, for whatever they're worth ...

The Best Vocal Performances by Whitney Houston: "I Have Nothing," "I Will Always Love You," "One Moment in Time," "How Will I Know," "Run to You," "The Greatest Love of All," "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," "I'm Every Woman"

The Best Vocal Performances by Amy Winehouse: "Back to Black," "You Know That I'm No Good," "Valerie," "Rehab," "Stronger Than Me," "Fuck Me Pumps," "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow"

The Top Ten Vocals by George Michael: One More Try, A Different Corner, Kissing a Fool, Careless Whisper, Father Figure, Somebody to Love (with Queen), Faith, Last Christmas, I Want Your Sex

The Best Vocal Performances by Tina Turner: "River Deep Mountain High," "Proud Mary," "Private Dancer," "Nutbush City Limits," "I Can't Stand the Rain," "We Don't Need Another Hero," "Better Be Good to Me," "(Simply) The Best," "What's Love Got to Do with It?"

The Best Vocal Performances of Mavis Staples and the Staples Singers: "I'll Take You There," "Respect Yourself," "No Time for Crying," "The Weight," "Let's Do It Again," "If You're Ready (Come Go with Me)," "We Shall Not Be Moved," "Gotta Serve Somebody," "Freedom Highway"

My Best Vocal Performances by Nat King Cole: "Unforgettable," "Mona Lisa," "When I Fall in Love (It Will Be Forever)," "Stardust," "Smile," "L-O-V-E," "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)," "There Will Never Be Another You"

Music Trivia: Frank Sinatra said that when he went home, he played Nat King Cole records to relax. The King put Capitol Records on the map, selling the most records by an individual during the "gap" between Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley. He had the first TV show to feature a black artist, on NBC in 1956, but due to the racism of the times, there was no commercial sponsorship and the show did not survive. But the King broke an important racial barrier, just as Jackie Robinson did.

The Best Vocals of George Jones: "He Stopped Loving Her Today," "She Thinks I Still Care," "The Grand Tour," "White Lighting" (his first hit in 1959), Tennessee Whiskey (his voice has been compared to the best Tennessee bourbon)

The Best Vocals of Tammy Wynette: "Stand By Your Man," "D-I-V-O-R-C-E," "I Don't Wanna Play House" (there's quite a contrast between her best-known songs!)

Country Music Trivia: George Jones and Tammy Wynette got married and toured together in a bus that advertized "Mr. and Mrs. Country Music."

Don Williams was nicknamed the "Gentle Giant" of country music, both for his physical size and his bass-baritone voice. The best vocal performances of Don Williams include "Tulsa Time," the lovely and lilting "Amanda," "Lay Down Beside Me," "Good Ole Boys Like Me," "I've Turned You to Stone," "The Ties that Bind" and "I Believe in You."

Vince Gill was the lead singer for Pure Prairie League. He almost became the lead singer for Dire Straits, but chose to pursue a solo career in country music. His breakthrough came in 1989 with "When I Call Your Name." (He did okay, with 21 Grammy Awards, more than any other male country artist.) A song Gill wrote for the brother he lost, "Go Rest High on that Mountain," has become one of the most-requested songs for funerals, along with "Amazing Grace" and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken."

When he was still in first grade, Little Ricky Skaggs played "Ruby" on Bill Monroe's mandolin and sang onstage with the Father of Bluegrass, asking if Ruby was "satisfied" or "mad at her man." Skaggs learned to play the mandolin at age five and picked up the guitar at six. He was a TV star at age seven, playing with Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs.

The Best Vocal Performances of Marty Robbins: "El Paso," "Devil Woman," "Big Iron," "Long Long Ago," "Ghost Riders in the Sky," "Tonight Carmen," "El Paso City," "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife"

More Country Music Trivia: "I Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire" present quite a paradox. In his first hit song, Johnny Cash pledged to always be true to his wife, Vivian Liberto. But the second song was written by his mistress, June Carter of the famous singing Carter family!

According to legend, Cash tried to sell gospel songs to Sam Phillips of Sun Records after he moved to Memphis in 1954. Phillips allegedly told Cash to go "sin" then bring him something he could sell. In Cash's first hit he professed not to "sin" but it seems he many have followed Phillips' ad-vice, pardon the pun. Ironically, both songs reached #1 on the country charts and #17 on the pop charts.

Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley both started off singing country music. Elvis's first single had the country bluegrass classic "Blue Moon of Kentucky" on the b-side. According to Marty Stuart, the original songwriter and performer, Bill Monroe, didn't care for the Elvis version ... until the royalty checks started to arrive! As a result of the song's success, Elvis was invited to perform it on the Grand Ole Opry on October 2, 1954. But that conservative establishment did not approve of "Elvis the Pelvis" and he was advised not to quit his day job as a truck driver. The King went instead to the Opry's biggest competitor, the live radio show Louisiana Hayride, and signed a contract to make 52 Saturday night appearances on the show. Presley went on to sell an estimated billion albums, per RCA.

On December 4, 1956 the "Million Dollar Quartet" met at Sun Studio in Memphis for an impromptu jam session. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash recorded a number of gospel songs, including an Elvis favorite, "Peace in the Valley." That Memphis session is now considered a seminal moment in rock 'n' roll history. A few years later, in 1969, Bob Dylan got together with the Nashville Cats, Johnny Cash, Charlie McCoy, Charlie Daniels and a young janitor named Kris Kristofferson to record Nashville Skyline. I would be Dylan's first traditional country album; he had grown up listening to Hank Williams and the Carter Family on Tennessee AM radio stations that reached his native Minnesota.

Johnny Cash played his first famous prison concert on January 1, 1958, at San Quentin State Prison. One of the inmates, Merle Haggard, became inspired to join the prison's country music band, then went on to become a country music superstar. Cash was called the "Undertaker" because he always dressed in black. I can verify that, since he would bring his family to the McDonalds closest to the Grand Ole Opry, where I worked as a teenager. I never saw him wear any other color.

There actually was a boy named Sue! Sue Kerr Hicks was named after his mother, who died giving birth to him. Sue Hicks was a lawyer who helped kick off the "Scopes monkey trail" by drawing up the arrest warrant for high school biology teacher John T. Scopes. But Scopes had agreed to be the "guinea pig" with the goal of challenging the courts to rule on the subject of teaching evolution in public schools.

Loretta Lynn shocked country music bigwigs with her 1975 song "The Pill." They tried to shelve the song, but Lynn's fans demanded that it receive radio time and it became her biggest hit on the pop charts. Around the same time, Charley Pride, country's first black superstar, was racking up a string of number one hits that continued into the early 1980s. Pride also became the first country singer of any race to win the CMA Male Vocalist of the Year in consecutive years.

Waylon Jennings started out listening to country music. In fact, his first childhood memory was his father hooking up the family radio to a pickup truck battery and tuning in the Grand Ole Opry. Jennings became a country music DJ but got fired for mixing in songs by Chuck Berry and Little Richard! In 1958, Buddy Holly arranged Jennings' first recording session and hired him to play bass. Jennings gave up his seat on the plane that crashed in 1959, killing Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. Jennings returned to country music, but his brand has been described as "rock tempered" and "outlaw country." In the 1970s he appeared on country's first platinum album with Willie Nelson and other "outlaws." And for a spell he shared an apartment with country's original outlaw, Johnny Cash. In the mid-1980s, Cash, Nelson, Jennings and Kris Kristofferson formed a supergroup called The Highwaymen that played on their "bad boy" image.

I once worked as a software developer for a company located on Nashville's Music Row. One day there were suddenly huge billboards popping up for someone named Garth Brooks. Who was he, I wondered, not being one to follow country music closely myself. It turned out that Garth Brooks had been rejected by every record label in town ... until he put on an amazing performance at the legendary Bluebird Cafe. The rest, as they say, is history. Brooks had the first country album to debut at the top of the pop charts. My wife, who happens to be a country music singer, dragged me kicking and screaming to one of his concerts, and I have to admit that it was a great show. I especially admired his electric performances of "The Thunder Rolls" and Billy Joel's "Shameless."

Dolly Parton's family lived in the East Tennessee Smoky Mountains and didn't have electricity. They would tune into the Grand Ole Opry using a battery-powered radio after dousing its ground wire with water to increase reception. "It would whistle in and out," Dolly remembers. "Sometimes we could get it." In this age of "entertainment everywhere" it's hard to imagine a young girl being limited to a few snatches of music one night per week, at best. "Just sitting there and being back in the mountains like that, the moments it would come in, it was like hearing something from another world," she recalls. Dolly was on the road at age ten with her uncle Billy Owens, sometimes living in his car, and she was performing on the Grand Ole Opry, which she reverently calls the "Mother Church," by age thirteen. She was introduced by Johnny Cash for her first performance and received three encores. Ironically, Johnny Cash had been the first man she had had "adult" feelings for, watching him perform from the audience. "He was my first grown crush, on a grown man." Dolly mentioned Cash's charisma, sex appeal, the way he "wiggled around" and said that he left her "paralyzed."

Reba McEntire grew up on a cattle ranch in Oklahoma. Her father was a three-time world champion calf roper. In her tens she competed in rodeos as a barrel racer. In 1974 she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the National Finals Rodeo and that performance led to her signing a record deal with Mercury. In 1991 the last song Reba sang with seven members of her band was "Sweet Dreams." The band members died in a plane crash before their next gig. "Sweet Dreams" was the last song Patsy Cline performed before perishing in a plane crash in 1963.

RCA Studio B has been called the birthplace of the "Nashville Sound." A sophisticated style characterized by background vocals and strings, the Nashville Sound helped revive the popularity of country music and establish Nashville as "Music City." Artists who made RCA Studio B a musical Mecca include Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, The Everly Brothers, Charley Pride, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Connie Francis, Don Gibson, Al Hirt, Roger Miller, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves and Connie Smith. Elvis Presley's second post-army recording session took place at Nashville’s RCA studio on April 3, 1960. During this session Elvis recorded "It's Now or Never," which borrowed the melody from the opera aria "O Sole Mio." Vocally, the song was quite a departure from the material Elvis had been recording. Other hits recorded by Elvis at RCA Studio B include "Are You Lonesome Tonight," "How Great Thou Art," "Little Sister," "A Fool Such as I," "Wear My Ring Around Your Neck," "Good Luck Charm" and "Surrender."

Two singers Elvis declined to cover were Roy Orbison and Dobie Gray. "We Had It All" was apparently written for Elvis, but when he heard Dobie Gray's demo of the song, he didn't think he could improve on it. Elvis held Roy Orbison in exalted regard, saying that Orbison had the "most perfect voice" and referring to him as the "greatest singer in the world" during one of his Vegas concerts. The respect was mutual because Orbison said of Elvis: "His energy was incredible, his instinct was just amazing ... I just didn't know what to make of it. There was just no reference point in the culture to compare it to." Or as John Lennon noted: "Before Elvis there was nothing." But Elvis was apparently equally awed by Orbison, telling him at one of concerts: "You're that good that I’ll never appear on stage with you!"

The term "Nashville Sound" was first used in a 1958 article in the Music Reporter. Pioneers of the Nashville Sound included Lynn Anderson, Whisperin' Bill Anderson, Eddy Arnold, Bobby Bare, Jim Ed Brown, Chet Atkins, Patsy Cline, Skeeter Davis, Little Jimmy Dean, Ferlin Husky, George Jones, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Charlie McCoy, Ray Price, Jim Reeves, Charlie Rich, Kenny Rogers, Hank Snow, Ray Stevens, Ernest Tubb, Conway Twitty, Kitty Wells, Dottie West and Tammy Wynette.

The Best Vocal Performances by Seal (aka Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, born February 19, 1963): "Kiss from a Rose," "Crazy," "A Change is Gonna Come," "I've Been Loving You Too Long," "Prayer for the Dying," "Fly Like an Eagle," "Walk On By"

The most Grammys won by singers: Alison Krauss and Union Station (27), Stevie Wonder (22), Bono and U2 (22), Beyoncé (20), Vince Gill (20), Bruce Springsteen (20), Tony Bennett (18), Aretha Franklin (18), Paul McCartney (18), Ray Charles (17), Eric Clapton (17), Sting (16), Alicia Keys (15), Ella Fitzgerald (13), Emmylou Harris (13), Dixie Chicks (13), Foo Fighters (11), Shirley Caesar (11), Adele (10), Chaka Khan (10), Bonnie Raitt (10), Linda Ronstadt (10), Taylor Swift (10), Cece Winans (10)

The most Grammys nominations by singers: Beyoncé (53), Bono (47), Dolly Parton (46), Bruce Springsteen (46), Barbara Streisand (42), Alison Krauss (42), Vince Gill (41), Sting (38)

Note: I did not include artists who are better known for rap, composing, conducting, playing instruments, etc. This page is about singers.

My Best Duets: "I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)" by Aretha Franklin and George Michael, "Ever Changing Times" by Aretha Franklin and Michael McDonald, "Seven Spanish Angels" by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson, "Love Hurts" by the Everly Brothers, "I'll Fly Away" by Allison Krauss and Gillian Welch, "Stay" by Bruno Mars and Rihanna, "Don't Know Much" by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville, "On My Own" by Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie, "How Great Thou Art" by Jennifer Nettles and John Glosson, "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, "What Kind of Fool" by Barbara Streisand and John Legend, "Guilty" by Barbara Streisand and Barry Gibb, "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush, "I Got You Babe" by Sonny & Cher, "Under Pressure" by Freddie Mercury and David Bowie, "No More Tears (Enough is Enough)" by Barbara Streisand and Donna Summer, "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" by Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty, "(I've Had) the Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, "You're the One that I Want" by Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, "Somethin' Stupid" by Frank and Nancy Sinatra (father and daughter duet), "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" by Elton John and Kiki Dee, "Ebony and Ivory" by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, "Say Say Say" by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson, "Raise Your Hand" by Janis Joplin and Tom Jones, "The Prayer" by Andrea Bocelli and Kathleen McPhee

My Best Child Singers of All Time (Age 16 and Under): Jackie Evancho, Judy Garland, Maria Callas, Beverly Sills, Little Stevie Wonder, Little Stevie Winwood, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Donnie Osmond, Marie Osmond, Brenda Lee, Charlotte Church, Frankie Lymon, Ariana Grande, George Harrison, Tanya Tucker, Leann Rimes, Miley Cyrus, Billy Gilman, Debbie Gibson, Lesley Gore, Lulu, Andrew Johnston, Brynn Cartelli, Sawyer Fredericks, Danielle Bradberry, Janet Devlin, Darci Lynne Farmer, Justin Bieber, Aksel Rykkvin, Grace VanderWaal, Amira Willighagen, Rion Paige, Angelica Hale, Angelina Jordan Astar, Anna Graceman, Bianca Ryan, Asada Jezile, Connie Talbot, Helen Shapiro, Stevie Brock, Aaron Carter

The Most Difficult Songs to Sing (Well): "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" by The Darkness, "Wuthering Heights" by Kate Bush, "Take On Me" by A-ha with those impossibly high notes, "Unchained Melody" by Bobby Hatfield and the Righteous Brothers, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Freddie Mercury and Queen, "Dream On" by Steven Tyler and Aerosmith, "Without You" by Harry Nilsson, "All By Myself" by Eric Carmen and Celine Dion, "Lovin' You" by Minnie Ripperton, "Chandelier" by Sia, "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston, "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Connor, "Five O'Clock World" by the Vogues, "Lightning Strikes" by Lou Christie, "Runaway" by Del Shannon, "Queen of the Night" from Die Zauberflöte, "Emotions" and "My All" by Mariah Carey, "Sherry" by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, "Crying" by Roy Orbison, "Gethsemane" from Jesus Christ Superstar, "The Star Spangled Banner"

My Best Vocal Performances of Dennis DeYoung and Styx: "Lady," "Babe," "Come Sail Away," "Show Me the Way," "The Grand Illusion," "Suite Madame Blue," "Desert Moon" (solo), "Mr. Roboto," "The Best of Times," "Rockin' the Paradise," "Lorelei"

My Best Vocal Performances of Tommy Shaw and Styx: "Renegade," "Crystal Ball," "Snowblind," "Blue Collar Man," "Fooling Yourself," "Too Much Time on My Hands"

My Best Hot, Fiery and Sexy Torch Singers: "Cry Me a River" by Ella Fitzgerald and Michael Buble, "At Last" by Etta James and Jahmene Douglas, "I Who Have Nothing" by Ben E. King and Whitney Houston, "Do It Again" by Marilyn Monroe and Diana Krall, "Fever" by Peggy Lee and Elvis Presley, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" by Dinah Shore and Nat King Cole, "My Funny Valentine" by Frank Sinatra and Alice Fredenham, "Feeling Good" by Nina Simone and Carly Rose Sonenclar, "Use Somebody" by the Kings of Leon and Lascel Woods, "Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers and Luigiano Paals, "Somebody to Love" by Freddie Mercury and Rachel Potter, "The Rose" by Bette Midler and Christopher Maloney, "Who's Loving You" by Michael Jackson and Sam Bailey, "Crying" by Roy Orbison and K. D. Lang, "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Prince and Sinead O'Connor

My Top Ten Emotive Singers: Sam Cooke making us feel his pain on "A Change is Gonna Come," Levon Helm of The Band making us hoist "The Weight," George Michael emoting on "One More Try," Sam Smith for "Stay With Me" and "I'm Not the Only One," Eric Carmen for "All By Myself" and "I'm Through With Love," the Bee Gees for "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and "Massachusetts," Hank Williams Sr. for bluesy country songs like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Your Cheatin' Heart," Adele for soulful songs like "Someone Like You" and "Rolling in the Deep," Mick Hucknall of Simply Red for "Holding Back the Years" and "If You Don't Know Me By Now," Janis Joplin ripping our hearts out with "Summertime" and "Piece of My Heart"
Honorable Mention: Dido communicating heartache on songs like "Thank You" and "White Flag," Eminem for "Mockingbird" and his duet of "Stan" with Dido, Vince Gill for "Go Rest High on that Mountain," Eric Clapton singing the song he wrote for his lost son "Tears in Heaven," Five for Fighting for "Superman (It's Not Easy)" and "100 Years," Sinead O'Connor for "Nothing Compares 2 U," Johnny Cash with that deep dark baritone on songs like "Hurt" and "I Walk the Line," Enya for heart-wrenching songs like "Only Time," Elton John for "Sacrifice" and "Candle in the Wind," Jeff Buckley and K. D. Lang for their covers of "Hallelujah," Simon and Garfunkel for "The Sound of Silence" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water," David Gilmour of Pink Floyd for "Wish You Were Here," Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys for "God Only Knows," Paul Carrack of Mike + the Mechanics for "Living Years," Dan McCafferty of Nazareth for "Love Hurts," Michael Stipe of R.E.M. for "Everybody Hurts," Brian Vander Ark of the Verve Pipe for "The Freshmen," and Tears for Fears, Gary Jules and Adam Lambert for their versions of "Mad World"

Gritty Singers with Raspy Gravel in their Voices: Bryan Adams, Louis Armstrong, Pat Benatar, Michael Bolton, Kim Carnes, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Joe Cocker, Bob Dylan, Melissa Etheridge, Joan Jett, Blind Willie Johnson, Janis Joplin, Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Haley Reinhart, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Tina Turner, Bonnie Tyler, Tom Waits, Howlin' Wolf

My Best Singer/Songwriters: Adele, Fiona Apple, Bono, David Bowie, Jackson Browne, Johnny Cash, Kurt Cobain, Dido, Bob Dylan, Dan Fogelberg, Lady Gaga, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Buddy Holly, Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), Billy Joel, Elton John, Jon Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Joni Mitchell, Jim Morrison, Van Morrison, Willie Nelson, Stevie Nicks, Dolly Parton, P!nk, Katy Perry, Bonnie Raitt, Otis Redding, Smokey Robinson, Sade, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Michael Stipe, Taylor Swift, Tom Waits, Hank Williams Sr., Neil Young.

My Spookiest Songs: "Dark Was The Night" by Blind Willie Johnson, "Helter Skelter" by the Beatles, "Gimme Shelter" and "Sympathy for the Devil" by the Rolling Stones, "Riders on the Storm" by Jim Morrison and the Doors, "God Is Dead" and "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath, "Tubular Bells" by Mike Oldfield (the Exorcist theme song), "I Put a Spell on You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, "Voodoo Child" and "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix and the Experience, "Bad Moon Rising" by Credence Clearwater Revival, "Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult, "Dream On" by Aerosmith, "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, "The Number of the Beast" by Iron Maiden, "Mr. Crowley" by Ozzy Osbourne

There is, of course, a difference between a great song and a great vocal performance. Here are my top ten songs, on their own merits, by category. But when a great vocalist and a great song are combined, magical things can happen: for instance when Eric Burdon of the Animals belts out the great American folk classic "House of the Rising Sun" or when Sam Cooke soulfully delivers his magnificent "A Change Is Gonna Come."

Top Ten Traditional Songs: Danny Boy, Auld Lang Syne, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, Greensleeves, Shenandoah, Molly Malone, Scarborough Fair, Waltzing Matilda, Dixie, Yankee Doodle Dandy
Top Ten Folk Songs: This Land Is Your Land, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Blowin' in the Wind, City of New Orleans, House of the Rising Sun, Tom Dooley, If I Had a Hammer, Little Boxes, Ohio, Woodstock
Top Ten Soul/R&B Songs: A Change is Gonna Come, What's Going On, Mercy Mercy Me, Stand By Me, Respect, Let's Stay Together, Spanish Harlem, Dock of the Bay, When a Man Loves a Woman, At Last
Honorable Mention: I'd Rather Go Blind, River Deep Mountain High, Proud Mary, What'd I Say, Hallelujah I Love Her So, Chain Gang, People Get Ready, Lean On Me, You Make Me Feel Brand New, Fallin', Where is the Love, Shaft, Lady Marmalade, On My Own, I Believe I Can Fly, Love and Happiness, Purple Rain, Kiss, Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry, Bad, Billie Jean
Top Ten Spiritual Anthems: Battle Hymn of the Republic, We Shall Overcome, Oh Freedom, We Shall Not Be Moved, A Change Is Gonna Come, Strange Fruit, People Get Ready, Peace Train, Alabama, Hold On
Top Ten Hymns: Ave Maria, Pie Jesu, Amazing Grace, Silent Night, Away in a Manger, It Is Well (With My Soul), I'll Fly Away, Peace in the Valley, O Come O Come Emmanuel, Jesus Loves Me
Top Ten Heart-Tuggers or Emotional Songs: Without You, When Doves Cry, All By Myself, Angie, Wild Horses, As Tears Go By, Eleanor Rigby, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Who Wants to Live Forever, Wish You Were Here
Honorable Mention: Hallelujah, Holding Back the Years, The Freshmen, Comfortably Numb, One, Hurt, Everybody Hurts, Love Hurts, One Sweet Day, The Living Years, The Logical Song, Candle in the Wind, My Little Town, I Will Remember You, Dust in the Wind, Angel, Yesterday, Tears in Heaven
The Top Ten Country Songs per Rolling Stone: (10) Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, (9) Jolene by Dolly Parton, (8) Mama Tried by Merle Haggard, (7) You Don't Know Me by Ray Charles, (6) Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette, (5) Blue Yodel #9 by Jimmy Rodgers, (4) He Stopped Loving Her Today by George Jones, (3) I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry by Hank Williams Sr., (2) Crazy by Patsy Cline, (1) I Walk the Line by Johnny Cash

My Top Ten Country Music Vocals of All Time

"He Stopped Loving Her Today," "She Thinks I Still Care" and "The Grand Tour" by George Jones
"You Don't Know Me" by Ray Charles
"Seven Spanish Angels" by Ray Charles and Willie Nelson
"El Paso" by Marty Robbins
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" and "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams Sr.
"Mama Tried" by Merle Haggard
"Copperhead Road" by Steve Earle
"Crazy" and "I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline
"I Walk the Line" and "Ring of Fire" and "Hurt" by Johnny Cash
"Seven Year Ache" by Roseanne Cash

"Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground" and "Always on My Mind" by Willie Nelson
"Independence Day" by Martina McBride
"It's Only Make Believe" by Conway Twitty
"The Thunder Rolls" and "Shameless" by Garth Brooks
"Man of Constant Sorrow" and "I'll Fly Away" by Alison Krauss
"Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe
"Shameless" and "The Thunder Rolls" and "Friends in Low Places" by Garth Brooks
"Strawberry Wine" by Deana Carter
"Honeycomb" and "It's Over" by Jimmie Rodgers
"My Maria" Brooks and Dunn

High Honorable Mention: "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford, "Forever and Ever Amen" by Randy Travis, "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait, "Help Me Make It Through the Night" by Kris Kristofferson, "Kiss an Angel Good Morning" by Charley Pride, "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn, "Stand by Your Man" by Tammy Wynette, "Rose Garden" by Lynn Anderson, "Fire on the Mountain" by Charlie Daniels, "Delta Dawn" by Tanya Tucker, "Midnight Choir" and "Broken Lady" by Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers, "Harper Valley PTA" by Jeanie C. Riley

My Top Ten Gospel Songs of All Time

Enya angelically singing "O Come O Come Emmanuel"
Vince Gill singing "Go Rest High on that Mountain" (a song he wrote for his brother)
Mahalia Jackson singing "Trouble of the World"
Aretha Franklin and Joe Ligon of The Mighty Clouds Of Joy singing "I've Been in the Storm Too Long"
Elvis Presley singing "Peace in the Valley"
Hank Williams Sr. singing "I Saw the Light"
Patti LaBelle singing "You'll Never Walk Alone"
Etta James singing "Amazing Grace"
"It Is Well With My Soul" By Wesley Pritchard and David Phelps
Gillian Welch with Allison Krauss singing a bluegrass version of "I'll Fly Away"

High Honorable Mention: "Down to the River to Pray" by Allison Krauss, "Mary Did You Know" by Pentatonix, "Can the Circle be Unbroken" by The Carter Family, "El Shaddai" by Amy Grant, "People Get Ready" by Al Green, "The Holy City (Jerusalem)" by the Three Tenors, "You Raise Me Up" by Celtic Women, "The Prayer" by Celine Dion and Josh Groban, "Take Me to Church" by Hozier

Cover Songs

While cover songs are often scorned, in some cases they can be as good as or better than the originals. And cover songs can be highly influential. For instance, Elvis Presley helped kick early rock 'n' roll into high gear, and his first hit single was an up-tempo cover of Arthur Crudup's "That's Alright (Mama)." Elvis went on to cover a number of other influential songs, including "Hound Dog," "Blue Moon," "Blue Moon of Kentucky," "Fever," "Crying in the Chapel" and "Blue Suede Shoes." Elvis's early covers were amazingly good, although I find some of his later covers like "My Way" to be a bit "cheesy." Here are my picks for the top cover songs of all time ...

My Top Ten Cover Songs: "Mad World" by Adam Lambert (Gary Jules/Tears For Fears), the reggae version of  "Red Red Wine" by UB40 (Neil Diamond), "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" by Guns 'n' Roses (Bob Dylan), "Hurt" by Johnny Cash (Nine Inch Nails), "Hallelujah" by Jeff Buckley and K.D. Lang (Leonard Cohen), "Nothing Compares 2U" by Sinead O'Conner (Prince), "Proud Mary" by Ike & Tina Turner (John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival), "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles (Isley Brothers/Top Notes), "Respect" by Aretha Franklin (Otis Redding), "The Sound of Silence" by David Draiman of Disturbed (Simon and Garfunkel), "Without You" by Harry Nilsson (Badfinger)
Honorable Mention: "My Way" snarled by Sid Vicious (Frank Sinatra/Paul Anka), "Take Me to the River" by the Talking Heads (Al Green), "Me and Bobby McGee" by Janis Joplin (Kris Kristofferson), "With a Little Help from My Friends" by Joe Cocker (Beatles), "Spanish Harlem" by Aretha Franklin (Ben E. King), "Mister Tambourine Man" by the Byrds (Bob Dylan), "Jolene" by the White Stripes (Dolly Parton), "I Fought the Law" by The Clash (Bobby Fuller Four/The Crickets), "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell (Gloria Jones), "Walk this Way" by Run DMC (Aerosmith), "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Arrows), "I Shot the Sheriff" by Eric Clapton (Bob Marley), "Blue Suede Shoes" by Elvis Presley, (Carl Perkins), "Not Fade Away" by the Rolling Stones (Buddy Holly and the Crickets), "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann and the Earth Band (Bruce Springsteen), "Because the Night" by Patti Smith (Bruce Springsteen), "All Along the Watchtower" by Jimi Hendrix & The Experience (Bob Dylan), "On Broadway" by George Benson (The Drifters), "I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles (Don Gibson), "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston (Dolly Parton), "Both Sides Now" by Judy Collins (Joni Mitchell), "Woodstock" by Crosby, Stills and Nash & Young (Joni Mitchell), "Imagine" sung in rounds by Pentatonix (John Lennon), "Unchained Melody" by Sam Cooke and Elvis Presley (Righteous Brothers), "Bridge Over Trouble Water" by Elvis Presley (Simon and Garfunkel), "The Show Must Go On" by Julia Ivanova (Queen), "Surrender" by Helmut Lotti (Elvis Presley) ... Also see the extensive Talent Show section for stellar covers by Maelyn Jarmon, Shawn Sounds, Calum Scott, Brian Justin Crum, Ash Morgan, Leona Lewis and Jackie Evancho ...

The Best Falsetto Song Performances

"Lucille" by Little Richard (the ORIGINAL)
"I Want It All" by Adam Lambert with Queen
"Say You Will" by Jackie Wilson
"Betcha By Golly Wow" by Russell Thompkins Jr. of the Stylistics
"Feel It Still" by John Gourley of Portugal the Man
"Five O'Clock World" by Bill Burkette of the Vogues

Bill Burkette was a baritone, but he could hit some "crazy" high notes — for instance the "Oh-de-lay-ee-ee" yodel in "Five O'Clock World." According to Troy Elich, the son of original band member Stan Elich, when Bill Burkette was 71 he could still hit all the high notes in their original keys.

"Sherry" and "Walk Like a Man" by Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons
"Lightning Strikes" by Lou Christie
"Runaway" by Del Shannon
"Unchained Melody" by Bobby Hatfield of the Righteous Brothers

"Handy Man" by Jimmy Jones
"That's the Way of the World" by Philip Bailey of Earth Wind & Fire
"Night Fever" and "Stayin' Alive" by Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, Maurice Gibb
"Shadow Dancing" by Andy Gibb
"Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith
"Oooh Baby Baby" by Smokey Robinson of the Miracles
"Duke of Earl" by Gene Chandler
"I Don't Know Much" by Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt
"Take on Me" by Morton Harket of A-ha
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by Jay Siegel of the Tokens
"Liar Liar" by the Castways
"Gypsy Woman" by Curtis Mayfield of the Impressions
"Just My Imagination" by Eddie Kendrick and David Ruffin of the Temptations
"Black Dog" by Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin
"Billie Jean" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" by Michael Jackson
"Kiss" and "Cream" by Prince
"In Dreams" and "Blue Angel" by Roy Orbison
"Grace" by Jeff Buckley
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
"Fool to Cry" by Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones
"Wheel in the Sky" by Steve Perry of Journey
"Climax" by Usher
"Rolling Stone" by The Weeknd
"Cry Me a River" by Justin Timberlake
"Crying" by Don McLean
"After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young

More Famous Falsettos

Rebert Harris of the Soul Stirrers, also known as R. H. Harris, was one of the first gospel/soul singers to employ a falsetto. The Soul Stirrers influenced Sam Cook, Mahalia Jackson and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

Elvis Presley had a wonderful falsetto that he used effectively on songs like "Blue Moon" (sung entirely in a lovely but eerie falsetto), "Unchained Melody" (the ending) and "Little Darlin" (in which he sings both base and falsetto).

Nick Pitera has a "feminine falsetto" that allows him to sing "duets" with himself, in which he sings both the male and female parts. Dimash Kudaibergen has done similar "duets" with himself.

Honorable Mention: Matt Bellamy of Muse, Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Ros, Bobby and El DeBarge of Switch, Jason Derulo, King Diamond, The Dream, Art Garfunkel, Marvin Gaye, Lee Glasson, Al Green, Justin Hawkins, Larry Henley of the Newbeats, Ron Isley, Billy Joel, Elton John, John Legend, Jolan, Michael MacDonald of The Doobie Brothers, Adam Levine of Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Brian McKnight, Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor of Queen, Miguel, Frank Ocean, Charlie Puth, Marty Robbins, Del Shannon, Trey Songz, Robin Thicke, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, Pharrell Williams, Tony Williams of the Platters, Brian and Carl Wilson of the Beach Boys, Thom Yorke of Radiohead

The Best Harmonies and Harmonizers of All Time

Everly Brothers: "All I Have to Do Is Dream," "Cathy's Clown," "Let It Be Me" and "Bye Bye Love"
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons: "Sherry," "Rag Doll," "Dawn," "Stay," "Walk Like a Man," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Who Loves You"
Gillian Welch with Alison Krauss: "I'll Fly Away" and "Down to the River to Pray"
Queen: operatic harmonies on "Bohemian Rhapsody," "Somebody to Love," "Killer Queen," "Seven Seas of Rhye"
Enigma: otherworldly harmonies on "Sadness" and "Return to Innocence"
Mamas and Papas: impeccable harmonies on "California Dreamin'" and "Monday Monday"
The Association: fabulous six-part harmonies on "Cherish," "Never My Love," "Along Comes Mary" and "Windy"
The Bangles: "Eternal Flame" and "Hazy Shade of Winter"
Neville Brothers: so smooth, so hip and so good on "Tell It Like It Is" and "One Love"
Aaron Neville and Linda Ronstadt: "Don't Know Much"
The Kendalls: "Heaven's Just a Sin Away"
Bee Gees: "Run to Me," "Message to You," "Nights on Broadway," "Too Much Heaven"
The Moody Blues: liquid harmonies on "Nights in White Satin," "Question," "One More Time to Live" and "Tuesday Afternoon"
Beach Boys: "a sunny fortress of euphony" on "Good Vibrations," "God Only Knows," "I Get Around" and "Sloop John B"
Simon & Garfunkel: "Scarborough Fair," "El Condor Pasa," "America," "The Boxer" and "Sound of Silence"
Crosby Stills, Nash and sometimes Young: "Suite Judy Blue Eyes," "Ohio," "Wooden Ships" and "Helplessly Hoping"
The Beatles: "Because," "Nowhere Man," "Hey Jude," "Michelle," "This Boy," "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight" and "Words of Love"
ABBA: "Take a Chance on Me," "Dancing Queen," "Mamma Mia"
Judith Durham and the Seekers: "Georgy Girl" and "A World of Our Own"
Diana Ross and the Supremes: "The Happening," "Love Child" and "Baby Love"
Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham harmonizing on "Go Your Own Way"
Boyz II Men: "End of the Road" and "I'll Make Love to You"
Vogues: otherworldly harmonies on "Five O'Clock World" and "You're the One"
Zombies: "Time of the Season" and "She's Not There"
Angelis: this children's choir lives up to its name, singing like angels on "Angel" and "Pie Jesu"
The Carter Family: country classics like "Wildwood Flower" "and "The Church in the Wildwood"
Vince Gill, Ricky Skaggs and Allison Krauss singing "Go Rest High on that Mountain"
Allison Krauss & Union Station: "Down to the River to Pray," "I'll Fly Away" and "Man of Constant Sorrow"
Jeff Lynne and ELO: "Mr. Blue Sky" and "Strange Magic"
Peter, Paul and Mary: "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Blowin' in the Wind"
Seals and Crofts: "Summer Breeze" and "Hummingbird"
Il Divo: "Time to Say Goodbye," "I Will Always Love You" and "Alelujah"
Eagles: "Lyin' Eyes" and "New Kid in Town"
Yes: "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Roundabout"
The Byrds: "Turn Turn Turn" and "Eight Miles High"
The Chordettes: "Lollipop" and "Mr. Sandman"
Mumford and Sons: "I Will Wait"
Pentatonix: "Hallelujah," and "Little Drummer Boy" and "Mary Did You Know"
Alice in Chains: "No Excuses"
Home Free: "Man of Constant Sorrow"
The Four Freshmen: "Laura" and "Christmastime is Here"
The Cryan' Shames: "Sugar and Spice" and "Up on the Roof"
The Judds: "Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Ol' Days)"

The Best Music Videos: "Take On Me" by A-ha, "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinead O'Conner, "Stan" by Eminem feat. Dido, "Wicked Game" by Chris Isaak, "Like a Virgin" and "Like a Prayer" by Madonna, "Time After Time" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper, "Father Figure" and "Freedom 90" by George Michael, "Material Girl" and "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna, "Thriller" and "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, "Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts" by REM, "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie, "Walk This Way" by Run-DMC feat. Aerosmith, "When Doves Cry" and "Purple Rain" by Prince, "Jeremy" by Pearl Jam, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel, "November Rain" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, "Criminal" by Fiona Apple, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by the Eurythmics, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by the Verve, "Doo-Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill, "Somebody that I Used to Know" by Goyte feat. Kimbra, "Hurt" by Johnny Cash, "Hey Yah" by OutKast, "Learn to Fly" by the Foo Fighters, "Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim, "Love is a Battlefield" by Pat Benatar, "Why" by Annie Lennox, "Bad" by Michael Jackson, "Express Yourself" and "Vogue" by Madonna, "Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga, "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden, "Don't Come Around Here No More" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, "Buddy Holly" by Weezer, "U Can't Touch This" by MC Hammer, "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke

Every week since August 4, 1959, Billboard has charted the top 100 songs based on records sales, airplay, etc. Armand Leroi, an evolutionary biologist, has treated the Billboard charts like a fossil record and has used them to sort and group thousands of songs into clusters, the way field biologists sort and group species. The musical groupings are based on similarities in patterns of chord changes and tone. Leroi and his colleagues have discovered some interesting musical correspondences or "families":

Hip-Hop, Rap, Gangsta, Old School
Easy Listening, Country, Love Song, Piano
Love Song, Slow Jams, Soul, Folk
Country, Classic Country, Folk, Rockabilly
Classic Rock, Country, Rock, Singer-Songwriter
Rock, Classic Rock, Pop, New Wave
Rock, Hard Rock, Alternative, Classic Rock
Female Vocal, Pop, R&B, Motown
Funk, Blues, Jazz, Soul
Dance, New Wave, Pop, Electronic
Funk, Blues, Dance, Blues Rock
Northern Soul, Soul, Hip-Hop, Dance
Soul, R&B, Funk, Disco

Best performances of "The Star Spangled Banner": Carrie Underwood at the 2010 Super Bowl, Lady Antebellum at the 2010 World Series, Marvin Gaye's soulful version at a basketball game in 1983, Lady Gaga at the 2016 Super Bowl, Luther Vandross at the 1996 Super Bowl, Jennifer Hudson at the 2009 Super Bowl, Martina McBride at the 2004 World Series, Kelly Clarkson at the 2012 Super Bowl, Jordin Sparks at the 2008 Super Bowl, Faith Hill at the 2000 Super Bowl, Beyoncé at the 2004 Super Bowl, Whitney Houston at the 1991 Super Bowl during the Gulf War, Jennifer Nettles before the largest college football crowd ever at the Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016 for a game between the University of Tennessee and Virginia Tech

Note: In my categories of singing actors and actresses, I generally don't include those who were famous singers before they became actors, like Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and Barbara Streisand ...

Classic Actors and Actresses Who Could Actually Sing: Dame Julie Andrews, Sir Christopher Lee, Judy Garland, Ricky Nelson, Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Mandy Patikin, Ann-Margret, Shirley Jones, Debbie Reynolds, Meryl Streep, Shelley Fabares, Richard Chamberlain, James Darren, Andy Griffith, Jim Nabors, John Travolta, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Vicki Lawrence, Joey Lawrence, Connie Stevens, Dick Van Dyke, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Peter Lawford, Dana Andrews, Angela Lansbury, Bea Arthur, Shirley MacLaine, Glenn Close

Contemporary Actors and Actresses Who Can Actually Sing: Jamie Foxx, Zooey Deschanel, Jared Leto, Keira Knightley, Gwyneth Paltrow, Anne Hathaway, Robert Downey Jr., Jensen Ackles, Anna Kendrick, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Zachary Levi, Ewan McGregor, Renee Zellweger, Amanda Seyfried, Donald Glover, Kristen Chenoweth, Emily Blunt, Hugh Jackman, Hugh Laurie, Emma Stone, Amy Adams, Kate Winslet, James Corden, Zac Efron, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson, Eddie Redmayne, Ryan Gosling, Johnn Depp, Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix

The Best Vocal Performances and Biggest Hits by Actors and Actresses: "Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland, "All That Jazz" by Catherine Zeta-Jones, "As Time Goes By" by Dooley Wilson, "Moon River" by Audrey Hepburn, "What'd I Say" by Jamie Foxx, "Shallow" by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, "Simple Man" by Jensen Ackles, "Love Me" by Nicolas Cage, "Johnny Angel" by Shelley Fabares, "It's Now or Never" by John Schneider, "She's Like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze, "You're the One that I Want" by John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, "Lost Stars" by Keira Knightley, "Singin' in the Rain" by Gene Kelly

Surprises and Oddities: Clint Eastwood ("Paint Your Wagon"), Robert Mitchum ("Calypso"), Alan Arkin ("The Banana Boat Song"), Jackie Chan ("Rolling in the Deep"), Eddie Murphy ("Dreamgirls"), Tom Cruise ("Rock of Ages"), Sean Connery ("Darby O'Gill"), Burt Reynolds ("Let's Do Something Cheap and Superficial"), Don Johnson ("Heartbeat"), Burl Ives ("Ghost Riders in the Sky"), Johnny Crawford ("Greensleeves"), Michael Damian ("Rock On"), Tracey Ullman ("They Don't Know"), Jack Wagner ("All I Need"), Rick Springfield ("Jessie's Girl"), Mark Wahlberg ("Good Vibrations"), Cheryl Ladd ("Think It Over"), Cheech & Chong ("Basketball Jones"), Steve Martin ("King Tut"), Adam Sandler ("The Chanukah Song"), Jimmy Fallon ("Ew!"), Paris Hilton ("Stars are Blind")

Don't Quit the Day Job: Tiny Tim, Roseanne Barr, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, David Hasselhoff, Burt Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Jeff Daniels, David Duchovny, Robert Mitchum, Eddie Murphy, Russell Crowe, Scott Baio, Kevin Bacon, Billy Bob Thornton, Corey Feldman, Lee Majors, Lynda Carter, Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, Steven Seagal, Mr. T, Jackie Chan, Kobe Bryant, Manny Pacquiao, Hulk Hogan, Joe Pesci, Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Jeremy Renner

One Hit Wonders by Actors, Actresses, Comedians and other Celebrities: "True Love" by Grace Kelly, "Love Me or Leave Me" by Lena Horne, "Autumn Leaves" by Steve Allen, "Cry Me a River" by Julie London, "April in Paris" by Count Basie, "The Old Philosopher" by Eddie Lawrence, "Old Rivers" by Walter Brennan, "Mr. Bojangles" by George Burns, "Deck of Cards" by Wink Martindale, "I Just Don't Understand" by Ann-Margret, "Ringo" by Lorne Greene, "Little Ole Man" by Bill Cosby, "MacArthur Park" by Richard Harris, "Tip Toe Thru' the Tulips with Me" by Tiny Tim, "I'm Easy" by Keith Carradine, "Don't Give Up On Us" by David Soul, "Makin' It" by David Naughton, "Gee Whiz" by Bernadette Peters, "Killin' Time" by Susan Anton, "Far From Over" by Frank Stallone, "They Don't Know" by Tracey Ullman, "Respect Yourself" by Bruce Willis, "Do the Bartman" by the Simpsons, "U.N.I.T.Y." by Queen Latifah, "Gigolo" by Nick Cannon, "Dream On" by Neil Patrick Harris, "The Hanging Tree" by Jennifer Lawrence

Top Ten One-Hit Wonders: "Duke of Earl" by Gene Chandler, "Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, "Take On Me" by A-ha, "Rock Me Amadeus" by Falco, "Beds Are Burning" by Midnight Oil, "True" by Spandau Ballet, "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba, "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum (the first song he ever wrote and, as far as we know, the last), "In a Big Country" by Big Country (who apparently knew they would only have one hit and named themselves after it), and "96 Tears" by the aptly named ? and the Mysterians
Honorable Mention: "The Freshmen" by the Verve Pipe, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by the Verve, "Criminal" by Fiona Apple, "Get It On (Bang a Gong) by T. Rex, "Layla" by Derek and the Dominoes, "Love Hurts" by Nazareth, "All the Young Dudes" by Mott the Hoople, "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang, "She Blinded Me with Science" by Thomas Dolby, "Until the Night" by Benny Mardones, "Truly Madly Deeply" by Savage Garden, "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell, "Sugar Sugar" by the Archies (the lead singer sounds exactly like Neil Diamond), "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band, "I Ran (So Far Away)" by Flock of Seagulls (a band best known for its eclectic hairstyles which really did look like seagull nests), "Whip It" by Devo, "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles, "C'est La Vie" by Robbie Nevil, "Pass the Dutchie" by Musical Youth, "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins, "Book of Love" by the Monotones, "I'm Too Sexy (for My Shirt)" by Right Said Fred, "Baby Got Back" by Sir Mix-a-Lot, "Who Let the Dogs Out" by Baha Men, "Take Me to Church" by Hozier, "My Sharona" by the Knack, "Creep" by Thom Yorke of Radiohead

My Top Ten Country Vocalists: Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn (esp. "My Maria"), Vince Gill, George Jones, Martina McBride, Reba McEntire, Conway Twitty (esp. "It's Only Make Believe"), Hank Williams Sr.
Honorable Mention: Lynn Anderson (esp. "Rose Garden"), Eddy Arnold, Glen Campbell, The Carter Family, Amy Grant, Merle Haggard (esp. "Mama Tried"), Faith Hill, Alan Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Alison Krauss, Loretta Lynn, Tim McGraw, Roger Miller, Bill Monroe, Willie Nelson, Jennifer Nettles, Buck Owens, Dolly Parton, Ray Price, Charley Pride, Jim Reeves, Marty Robbins, Jimmie Rodgers, Kenny Rogers, Bake Shelton, Chris Stapleton, George Strait, Randy Travis, Travis Tritt, Shania Twain, Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys, Tammy Wynette

Famous Crossover Artists: Garth Brooks, Elvis Presley, Enrico Caruso, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Mario Lanza, Hank Williams Sr., B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Patti Page, Fats Domino, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Little Richard, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Luciano Pavarotti, Roy Orbison, Etta James, Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, Aaron Neville, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Bob Marley, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Robert Plant, Cyndi Lauper, Michael Jackson, Prince, Madonna

More Famous Crossover Artists: Isley Brothers, Beatles, Rolling Stones, Animals, Bee Gees, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley, Tony Bennett, Pat Boone, Roger Williams, Glen Campbell (esp. his stint with the Beach Boys!), Harry Belafonte, Ritchie Valens, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Selena, Lynn Anderson ("Rose Garden"), Jeannie C. Riley ("Harper Valley P.T.A."), Conway Twitty, Charlie Rich, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Olivia Newton-John, John Denver, Crystal Gayle, Garth Brooks, Amy Grant, Alison Krauss, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, Taylor Swift, The Three Tenors, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Katherine Jenkins, Josh Groban, Charlotte Church, Jackie Evancho, Sting, Paul Simon, Pharrell Williams

Music Trivia: B. B. King was born Riley B. King. He was nicknamed the "Beale Street Blues Boy," which was eventually shortened to "Blues Boy," then to the initials B. B.

My Top Ten Frontmen and Frontwomen: Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, James Brown, Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, Prince, Robert Plant
Honorable Mention: Jon Bon Jovi, Bono, Bon Scott, David Bowie, Boy George, Alice Cooper, David Coverdale, Eric Burdon, Dave Grohl, Kurt Cobain, Roger Daltrey, Bruce Dickinson, Ronnie James Dio, Joe Elliot, Aretha Franklin, Peter Gabriel, Lady Gaga, Rob Halford, Sammy Hagar, Debbie Harry, James Hetfield, Chrissie Hynde, Joan Jett, Elton John, Brian Johnson, John Lennon, Jerry Lee Lewis, Madonna, Bob Marley, Paul McCartney, Meatloaf, Jim Morrison, Stevie Nicks, Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Perry, Iggy Pop, Axl Rose, Diana Ross, David Lee Roth, Johnny Rotten, Grace Slick, Bruce Springsteen, Gwen Stefani, Sting, Geoff Tate, Tina Turner, Steven Tyler, Ann Wilson
Classic Hard Rock Songs: "Hallowed Be Thy Name" by Bruce Dickinson and Iron Maiden, "Rainbow in the Dark" by Ronnie James Dio, "Smoke on the Water" by Ian Gillan and Deep Purple, "Kashmir" and "Stairway to Heaven" by Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Freddie Mercury and Queen, "Free Bird" by Ronnie Van Zandt and Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Highway to Hell" by Bon Scott and AC/DC

My Best Guest and Backing Vocals of All Time

Clare Torry using her voice as a supersonic instrument on "The Great Gig in the Sky" with Pink Floyd
Merry Clayton providing those stratospheric backing vocals on "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones, with lead vocals by Mick Jagger
Many years later, Lady Gaga hitting all those crazy high notes in a live performance of "Gimme Shelter" with Jagger & Co.
David Bowie and Freddie Mercury backing each other quixotically on "Under Pressure"
Roger Taylor and Brian May hitting those wonderfully high falsetto notes in support of lead singer Freddie Mercury on Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Years later, Adam Lambert stepping in as lead singer for Queen, after Freddie Mercury's death; Brian May said only Lambert could match Mercury's incredible range
Richie Sambora wailing that single word "Wanted!" on the Bon Jovi song "Wanted Dead or Alive"
Steven Tyler and Joe Perry providing electric backing vocals on the Run DMC cover of the Aerosmith song "Walk this Way"
Joni Mitchell singing her own backing vocals on "Song for Sharon"
Gwen Stefani providing powerful backing vocals on the Moby song "South Side"

My best up-tempo and/or "feel good" songs: "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" by George Michael of Wham!, "Forget You" by Cee-Lo Green, "Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves, "Celebration" by Kool & the Gang, "Don't Worry Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis, "Shock the Monkey" by Peter Gabriel, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper, "Book of Love" by the Monotones, "At the Hop" by Danny and the Juniors, "Come and Go with Me" by the Dell Vikings, "Young Blood" by the Coasters, "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day, "Louie Louie" by the Kingsmen, "Crocodile Rock" and "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John," "Rapture" by Debbie Harry and Blondie, "Roar" by Katy Perry, "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong

My best eerie, bizarre and unusual songs: "Israelites" by Desmond Dekker & the Aces; "Five O'Clock World" by the Vogues; "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" by the Tokens; "I'm Flying in Winchester Cathedral" by Crosby, Stills & Nash; "Solsbury Hill" by Peter Gabriel; "Captain Jack" by Billy Joel; "White Room" by Cream; "Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum; "Ghosts" by Dan Fogelberg; "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd; "Ben" by Michael Jackson; "Every Breath You Take" by the Police (a stalker song people get married to!); "Alone" by Heart (an obsessive stalker song sung by a woman); "One" by U2 (another bizarre song people get married to); "After the Gold Rush" by Neil Young

Songs that you may not have heard, but really should: "Agnus Dei" and "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant, "All I Know" by Five for Fighting, "Love and Affection" by Joan Armatrading, "Black Velvet" and "Still Got This Thing for You" by Alannah Myles, "Come On Eileen" by Kevin Rowland of Dexys Midnight Runners, "Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End" medley by the Beatles, "Gethsemane" by Ian Gillan, "Until the Night" by Billy Joel, "Gloomy Sunday" by Diamanda Galas

Music Trivia: "Happy Birthday to You" is a copyrighted song! It still brings in around two million dollars per years in royalties.

Sexiest Singers: Beyoncé, David Bowie, Cheryl Cole, Enrique Iglesias, Alicia Keys, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, George Michael, Jim Morrison, Alannah Myles, Katy Perry, Robert Plant, Elvis Presley, Prince, Rihanna, Nicole Sherzinger, Shakira, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift

Ten Vastly Under-Rated Singers: Eric Carmen for "All By Myself" and "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," Art Garfunkel for little-known solo masterpieces like "All I Know" and "Bright Eyes" not to mention neglected classics like "The Boxer" and "For Emily Whenever I May Find Her" from his Simon and Garfunkel days, Cyndi Lauper for her four-octave range and unique voice on great songs like "True Colors" and "Time After Time," Toni Braxton for that wonderfully warm lower register and crystal-clear high notes on "Un-Break My Heart," Leona Lewis for "Bleeding Love" and "Broken," Burton Cummings for "Stand Tall," David Gates for hitting all those high sweet pure notes on "Everything I Own" and "Clouds," Vince Gill for "Go Rest High on that Mountain" and "When I Call Your Name," Chris Isaak for "Wicked Game" and "Please Let Me Down Easy"

Influential Singers Who Remain Largely Unknown and Singers Who Covered Them: Sleepy John Estes (Robert Plant, Bob Dylan), Big Mama Thornton (Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin), Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash), Eddie Cochran and Carl Perkins (George Harrison), Sonny Boy Williamson (Yardbirds), Robert Johnson (Eric Clapton), Muddy Waters (Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix)

Of course some famous singers have also been quite influential:

"Nothing really affected me until I heard Elvis. If there hadn't been Elvis, there would not have been the Beatles."―John Lennon
"Before Elvis, there was nothing."―John Lennon
"Seeing Elvis was like seeing the messiah arrive."―George Harrison 

Ten Vocalists Most People Can No Longer Name: Bobby Hatfield of The Righteous Brothers ("Unchained Melody"), Colin Blunstone of the Zombies ("Time of the Season"), Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees (exceeding his more famous brother Barry on songs like "I Started a Joke"), Eric Burdon of the Animals ("House of the Rising Sun"), Eric Carmen of the Raspberries ("Go All the Way"), Morten Harket of A-ha (those otherwordly high notes in "Take on Me"), Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet ("True"), Michael Hutchence of Simply Red ("Holding Back the Years"), Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche ("Silent Lucidity"), Roger Hodgson of Supertramp ("The Logical Song")

My "Warmest" Voices: Andrea Bocelli, Elvis Presley, Mel Torme, Bill Withers, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Ben E. King, Barry White, Marian Anderson, Art Garfunkel, Marvin Gaye, Beyoncé, Alice Fredenham, Nick Cave, Alicia Keys
Honorable Mention: Paul Robeson, K. D. Lang, Adele, Nat King Cole, Michael McDonald, Michael Crawford, Johnny Cash, Jason Mraz, Jackie Evancho, Mariah Carey, Karen Carpenter, Michael Bublé, Cat Stevens (Yusuf Islam), Rick Astley, Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra, James Taylor, Bing Crosby

My "Most Vulnerable" Voices: Elliot Smith, Cyndi Lauper, Janet Devlin, Art Garfunkel, Karen Carpenter, Judy Collins, Eric Carmen, Steve Perry, Stevie Nicks, Billie Holiday, John Lennon, Adele, Jackie Evancho, Eva Cassidy, James Taylor, J. D. Souther

The Expanded List of Best Vocal Performances

Janis Joplin: Heartbreaker, Piece of My Heart, Mercedes Benz, Bobby McGee, Summertime, Try, Cry Baby
Etta James: At Last, I'd Rather Go Blind, Stormy Weather, All I Could Do Was Cry
Little Jimmy Scott: Everybody's Somebody's Fool, For All We Know, At Last, Nothing Compares 2 U
Roy Orbison: Leah, In Dreams, Only the Lonely, Crying, It's Over, Pretty Woman
Luciano Pavarotti: Ave Maria, Nessun Dorma, O Sole Mio, Caruso, La Donna e Mobile, Torna a Surriento
Andrea Bocelli: Con te Partiro, Nessum Dorma, Ave Maria, The Prayer, Time to Say Goodbye
Billie Holiday: Strange Fruit, Summertime, God Bless the Child, All of Me, For All We Know, Blue Moon
Nina Simone: Feeling Good, I Put a Spell on You, Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood, Sinnerman
Aretha Franklin: Spanish Harlem, Chain of Fools, Respect, Think, Natural Woman
Wanda Jackson: Hard-Headed Woman, Silver Threads and Golden Needles, Shakin' All Over
Celine Dion: All By Myself, I Surrender, The Power of Love, My Heart Will Go On, I Drove All Night
Bobby Hatfield: Unchained Melody, Only You, Ebb Tide, My Prayer
Bill Medley: You'll Never Walk Alone, You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling
Chris Isaak: Wicked Game, (Please) Let Me Down Easy, Baby Did a Bad Thing, Blue Moon
Julie London: Cry Me a River, Blue Moon, My Funny Valentine, As Time Goes By, God Bless the Child
Hank Williams Sr.: I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Lovesick Blues, Jambalaya, I Saw the Light
Elvis Presley: Blue Moon, Fever, American Trilogy, Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock, In the Ghetto
Steve Perry of Journey: Open Arms, Send Her My Love, Who's Crying Now, Faithfully, Separate Ways
Freddie Mercury of Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody, The Show Must Go On, Who Wants to Live Forever
K. D. Lang: Hallelujah, Crying, Constant Craving, Helpless, Surrender
Whitney Houston: I Have Nothing, I Will Always Love You, Run to You
Jackie Wilson: Lonely Teardrops, Higher and Higher, I Love You So
Chuck Berry: Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene, Nadine, Roll Over Beethoven
Ronnie James Dio: Holy Diver, Rainbow in the Dark, Stargazer, Last in Line
Bob Seger: Turn the Page, Night Moves, Against the Wind, Still the Same
Josh Groban: You Raise Me Up, The Prayer
Sam Cooke: A Change Is Gonna Come, Chain Gang, Cupid, Bring it on Home
Barbara Streisand: Memory, Somewhere, Guilty, Stony End, Evergreen, People
Marvin Gaye: Let's Get It On, Mercy Mercy Me, What's Going On, Sexual Healing
Martina McBride: Independence Day, Broken Wing, Concrete Angel
Alicia Keys: Fallin', No One, Girl on Fire, If I Ain't Got You
Bruno Mars: When I Was Your Man, Stay, Grenade, Uptown Funk, 24 Carat
Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones: Wild Horses, Satisfaction, Angie, Miss You
Little Richard: Tutti Frutti, Good Golly Miss Molly, Lucille
Conway Twitty: Hello Darlin', It's Only Make Believe, I'd Love to Lay You Down
David Draiman of Disturbed: Sound of Silence, Unchained Melody, Darkness
***
John Lennon: Imagine, Twist and Shout, Give Peace a Chance, Mother, Woman
Paul McCartney: Hey Jude, Let It Be, Eleanor Rigby, Yesterday, A Day in the Life
George Harrison: Here Comes the Sun, Dark Horse, My Sweet Lord, Something
Ringo Starr: Yellow Submarine, Photograph, It Don't Come Easy, You're Sixteen
***
George Michael of Wham!: Last Christmas, Freedom, Faith, Careless Whisper
Jimi Hendrix: All Along the Watchtower, Purple Haze, The Wind Cries Mary
Ray Charles: What I Say, Hit the Road Jack, Georgia on My Mind
Van Morrison: Tupelo Honey, Domino, Moondance, Brown Eyed Girl
Lady Gaga: Born This Way, Poker Face, Paparazzi, Edge of Glory, Alejandro
Rihanna: Stay, Diamonds, Umbrella, Love the Way You Lie
Beyoncé: Halo, Heaven, Jealous, No Angel, Crazy in Love
Lorde: Royals
Tanya Tucker: Delta Dawn, What's Your Mama's Name Child
The Everly Brothers: Love Hurts, Bye Bye Love, Cathy's Clown, Wake Up Little Susie
Mahalia Jackson: Trouble of the World, Amazing Grace, Balm in Gilead
Nat King Cole: Unforgettable, Mona Lisa, The Christmas Song
Gene Chandler: Duke of Earl
James Brown: I Feel Good, It's a Man's World, Get On Up
Dan McCafferty of Nazareth: Love Hurts, Hair of the Dog
Michael Hutchence of Simply Red: Holding Back the Years, If You Don't Know Me
Bruce Springsteen: Born to Run, Thunder Road, Nebraska, Jungleland, Rosalita, Sandy
Tina Turner: River Deep Mountain High, Proud Mary, Nutbush, Private Dancer
Lou Christie: Lightnin' Strikes, Two Faces Have I
***
Maurice Gibb of the Bee Gees: Nights on Broadway, Wildflower
Robin Gibb: I Started a Joke, Massachusetts, Message to You, Holiday
Barry Gibb: Words, Run to Me, Night Fever, Tragedy, Guilty, Fanny, Alone
Andy Gibb: Shadow Dancing, Desire, Don't Throw It All Away
***
Frankie Valli of the Four Seasons: Rag Doll, Sherry, Big Girls Don't Cry, Dawn
Amy Lee of Evanescence: My Immortal, Bring Me Back to Life, Hello, Lithium
Peter Gabriel of Genesis: In Your Eyes, Sledgehammer, Solsbury Hill
Lou Gramm of Foreigner: I Want to Know What Love Is, Urgent, Juke Box Hero
Sinead O'Connor: Nothing Compares 2U, Danny Boy, Molly Malone
Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens): Oh Very Young, Peace Train, Moonshadow
Alison Krauss: The Lucky One, Ghost in this House, When You Say Nothing at All
Dan Fogelberg: Ghosts, The Reach, The Lion's Share, Longer, Netherlands
Eric Carmen of the Raspberries: All By Myself, I'm Through with Love
Jackson Browne: The Pretender, The Load Out/Stay, Rock Me on the Water
Linda Ronstadt: Different Drum, Blue Bayou, I Don't Know Much
Patti Labelle: Lady Marmalade, On My Own, New Attitude
Brad Delph of Boston: More Than a Feeling, Foreplay/Long Time
Steve Walsh of Kansas: Dust in the Wind, Carry on My Wayward Son
Michael Hutchence of INXS: Devil Inside, Need You Tonight, Suicide Blonde
Johnny Cash: I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, Hurt
Gary Brooker of Procol Harum: Whiter Shade of Pale
Buddy Holly: Rave On, Not Fade Away, Words of Love, Everyday
Christian Aguilera: I Will Be, Oh Mother, Beautiful, Hurt, At Last, Genie in a Bottle
Vince Gill: Go Rest High on that Mountain, When I Call Your Name
Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys: God Only Knows, In My Room, Good Vibrations
Smokey Robinson: Tracks of My Tears, Tears of a Clown, Ooh Baby Baby
George Jones: He Stopped Loving Her Today, She Thinks I Still Care, The Grand Tour
Neal Diamond: I Am I Said, Solitary Man, I'm a Believer, Cracklin' Rosie
Adam Levine of Maroon 5: She Will Be Loved, Payphone, Sugar, Animals
Blake Shelton: Austin, Ol' Red
Stephen Stills of Buffalo Springfield: For What It's Worth
Elvis Costello of the Attractions: Alison, Veronica, Radio Radio, She
Darryl Hall of Hall & Oates: She's Gone, Sara Smile, Rich Girl
Sam Smith: Stay With Me, I'm Not the Only One, Latch
Five for Fighting: Superman (It's Not Easy), 100 Years
Sara Bareilles: Gravity, Chandelier, I Don't Know How to Love Him
John Legend: All of Me, Lay Me Down, You and I
Steve Balsamo: Gethsemane, Immortal, Caledonia
Levon Helm of The Band: The Weight, Up on Cripple Creek
Ronnie Van Zandt of Lynyrd Skynyrd: Free Bird, Simple Man, Tuesday's Gone
John Fogerty of CCR: Fortunate Son, Proud Mary, Green River, Lodi
Melanie Safka: Lay Down (Candles in the Rain), Brand New Key
Eric Burdon of The Animals and War: House of the Rising Sun, Spill the Wine
Bill Burkette of The Vogues: Five O'Clock World
Patsy Cline: Crazy, Blue, I Fall to Pieces, Walkin' After Midnight, Sweet Dreams
Amy Grant: Breath of Heaven, El Shaddai
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana: Smells Like Teen Spirit, All Apologies, Lithium, In the Pines
Bono of U2: One, Pride, Sunday Bloody Sunday, With or Without You
Brian Johnson of AC/DC: Back in Black, Hell's Bells, TNT
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young: Winchester Cathedral, Wooden Ships, Ohio
Billy Joel: Captain Jack, Piano Man, Until the Night, Italian Restaurant
Sir Elton John: Tiny Dancer, Levon, Daniel, Sacrifice, Rocket Man, Candle in the Wind
Enya: May It Be, Orinco Flow (Sail Away), Book of Days, Only Time
Cyndi Lauper: Time After Time, Change of Heart, Good Enough, True Colors
Dido: Thank You, White Flag, Here with Me, Stan (with Eminem)
Madonna: Cherish, Papa Don't Preach, Like A Prayer, Ray Of Light
Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses: Sweet Child o' Mine, Patience
Al Green: Let's Stay Together, Love and Happiness, Call Me
Prince: Little Red Corvette, When Doves Cry, Kiss, Purple Rain, 1999
Stevie Wonder: Always, Fingertips, Superstition, Overjoyed, Sir Duke
Otis Redding: Dock of the Bay, Try a Little Tenderness, Respect
Joe Cocker: With a Little Help from My Friends, Up Where We Belong, Unchain My Heart
Jim Morrison of the Doors: The End, Riders on the Storm, Touch Me, Light My Fire
Pink: What About Us, What's Going On, Try, Perfect, Trouble
Ian Gillan of Deep Purple:  Gethsemane, Smoke on the Water, Hush, Child in Time
Roger Plant of Led Zeppelin: Stairway to Heaven, Black Dog, Kashmir, Immigrant Song
Roger Waters of Pink Floyd: Comfortably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Time, Eclipse
Annie Lennox: Why, Walking On Broken Glass, Sweet Dreams
Joni Mitchell: Big Yellow Taxi, Woodstock, Help Me, Both Sides Now
Jackie Evancho: Ave Maria, Nessun Dorma, Lovers, Time to Say Goodbye
Sting of the Police: Roxanne, Fields of Gold, Every Breath You Take, Russians
Michael Jackson: Man in the Mirror, Smooth Criminal, Dirty Diana, Bad, Billie Jean, Beat It
David Bowie: Space Oddity, Suffragette City, Fame, Changes, Ziggy Stardust, China Girl
Mariah Carey: Vision of Love, Someday, I Don't Wanna Cry, One Sweet Day
Bob Marley: Redemption Song, Red Red Wine, I Shot the Sheriff, No Woman No Cry
Jon Bon Jovi: Blaze of Glory, Runaway, Livin' on a Prayer, Wanted Dead or Alive
John Cougar Mellencamp: Pink Houses, Jack and Diane, Cherry Bomb
Frank Sinatra: Strangers in the Night, My Way, That's Life, New York New York
Nancy Sinatra: These Boots Are Made for Walkin', Something Stupid, Bang Bang
Adele: Skyfall, Rolling in the Deep, Rumor Has It, Someone Like You, Hello
Tom Jones: Thunderball, Delilah, It's Not Unusual, She's a Lady
Paul McCartney and Wings: Live and Let Die, My Love, Maybe I'm Amazed
Al Jarreau: We're in this Love Together, Teach Me Tonight
Sheena Easton: For Your Eyes Only, Strut, We've Got Tonight, U Got the Look
Shirley Bassey: Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger, I Who Have Nothing
Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better, You're So Vain
Rod Stewart: Maggie May, Tonight's the Night, Downtown Train
Judy Collins: Send in the Clowns, Both Sides Now, Someday Soon, Suzanne
Carole King: You've Got a Friend, It's Too Late, So Far Away, Been To Canaan
Ann Wilson of Heart: Dreamboat Annie, Straight On, Barracuda, Never, Alone
Sade: The Sweetest Taboo, Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King, Smooth Operator
Alanis Morissette: Uninvited, Ironic, You Learn, You Oughta Know, Thank U, Unsent
Bette Midler: The Rose, Wind Beneath My Wings, From a Distance, Superstar
Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane: White Rabbit, Somebody to Love
Mary J. Blige: Not Gon' Cry, No More Drama
Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits: Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing, Walk of Life
Jeff Buckley: Hallelujah, Corpus Christi Carol, Grace, Last Goodbye
Chris Cornell of Audioslave and Soundgarden: Black Hole Sun, Say Hello 2 Heaven
Rob Halford of Judas Priest: Breaking the Law, Victim of Changes, Painkiller
Ray Davies of the Kinks: You Really Got Me, Lola, Waterloo Sunset
Allan Clarke of The Hollies: He Ain't Heavy, Carrie Ann, Bus Stop
Joss Stone: Son of a Preacher Man, I Put a Spell on You, Summertime, Cry Baby
Steve Winwood of the Spencer Davis Group: I'm a Man, Higher Love
Bonnie Raitt: Nick of Time, Love Has No Pride, I Can't Make You Love Me
Bobby "Blue" Bland: Stormy Monday, The Thrill is Gone, Cry Cry Cry
Sarah McLachlan: Angel, I Will Remember You, Adia, Building a Mystery
Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath: Iron Man, Paranoid, War Pigs, Crazy Train
Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden: Fear of the Dark, Flight of Icarus, Run to the Hills
James Hetfield of Metallica: Enter Sandman, Master of Puppets, One, The Unforgiven
Jon Anderson of Yes: Roundabout, Owner of a Lonely Heart
Dennis DeYoung of Styx: Lady, Babe, Come Sail Away, Show Me the Way
Tommy Shaw of Styx: Renegade, Crystal Ball, Snowblind, Blue Collar Man
Fleetwood Mac: Landslide, Dreams, The Chain, Rhiannon, Go Your Own Way, Gypsy
ABBA: Dancing Queen, Fernando, SOS, Mamma Mia, Waterloo, The Winner Takes It All
Earth, Wind & Fire: September, Shining Star, That's the Way of the World
Eagles: Hotel California, Desperado, Take It Easy, New Kid in Town, Lyin' Eyes
Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes: She Talks to Angels, Hard to Handle, Remedy
Gordon Lightfoot: Sundown, If You Could Read My Mind
Kris Kristofferson: Sunday Morning Coming Down, Loving Her Was Easier
Michael Stipe of REM: Everybody Hurts, Losing My Religion
Burton Cummings of the Guess Who: These Eyes, No Time, Laughing, Stand Tall
Dolores O'Riordan of the Cranberries: Zombie, Linger, Dreams, Away, Why
Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart, Breathe Again
Luther Vandross: Never Too Much, Superstar, A House Is Not a Home
Boz Scaggs: Lowdown, Lido Shuffle, JoJo, Miss Sun, Dinah Flo
Debbie Harry of Blondie: Call Me, Heart of Glass, Rapture, The Tide is High
Amy Winehouse: Back to Black, Valerie, Rehab
Taylor Swift: I Knew You Were Trouble, Love Story, Style, Gorgeous
Katy Perry: E.T., Wide Awake, Roar, Dark Horse, Firework, California Gurls
Britney Spears: Toxic, Oops I Did It Again, Baby One More Time
Kelly Clarkson: Already Gone, Since U Been Gone, Miss Independent, Piece By Piece
The Weeknd: The Hills, I Can't Feel My Face
Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam: Jeremy, Even Flow, Betterman, Black, Last Kiss
Judy Garland: Over the Rainbow, The Trolley Song (Meet Me in St. Louis)
Eva Cassidy: Over the Rainbow, Songbird, Fields of Gold
Karen Carpenter: Superstar, Close to You, Solitaire, For All We Know
Sly Stone of Sly & the Family Stone: Stand!, Dance to the Music, Family Affair
Curtis Mayfield of the Impressions: People Get Ready, Pusherman, Superfly
Solomon Burke: Cry to Me, Down in the Valley
Mitch Grassi of Pentatonix: Take on Me, Bohemian Rhapsody
Terence Trent D'Arby: Wishing Well
Donny Hathaway: This Christmas, A Song for You, For All We Know, Where Is the Love
Roseanne Cash: Seven Year Ache
Florence Welch: Stand By Me, Sweet Nothing
Lauryn Hill: Killing Me Softly, Doo-Wop (That Thing), Zion
Bing Crosby: White Christmas, Silent Night
Pat Benatar: Love is a Battlefield, We Belong, Fire and Ice
Joan Jett: I Love Rock and Roll, Crimson and Clover
Alannah Myles: Black Velvet, Can't Stand the Rain
Gladys Knight and the Pips: Midnight Train to Georgia
Donna Summer: I Feel Love, Bad Girls
Emmylou Harris: Beneath Still Waters, Wayfaring Stranger, C'est la Vie
Willie Nelson: Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground, Always on My Mind
Kate Bush: Running Up That Hill, Wuthering Heights
Sister Rosetta Tharpe: This Train, Down by the Riverside
Edith Piaf: La Vie En Rose, Milord, La Foule
Lara Fabian: Adagio, Caruso, Broken Vow, Imortelle, Je T'aime
Loretta Lynn: Coal Miner's Daughter, You Ain't Woman Enough, Lay Me Down
Ray Price: For the Good Times, Release Me, City Lights, Nightlife, Crazy Arms
Bjork: Army of Me, Human Behavior
Idina Menzel: Defying Gravity
Diamanda Galas: Gloomy Sunday, Heaven Have Mercy, Let My People Go
Katie Melua: Fields of Gold, Piece By Piece, I Will Be There, Sailboat
Little Peggy March: I Will Follow Him, If I Were a Princess
Dean Martin: Everybody Loves Somebody, Volare, Sway, That's Amore
Tori Amos: Winter
Flo Rida: Wild Ones
Sia: Chandelier, Titanium, My Love, Wild Ones, Elastic Heart, Cheap Thrills
Tulisa: Young, Titanium
Anohni: Watch Me
Jason Mraz: I'm Yours, I Won't Give Up
Janelle Monáe: We Are Young
Mike Tramp of White Lion: When the Children Cry, Wait
Morrissey of the Smiths: Back on the Chain Gang, Suedehead
Karen O and Danger Mouse: Woman, Immigrant Song, Maps
The Black Eyed Peas: I Gotta Feeling, Where Is The Love?
LMFAO: Party Rock Anthem
Florida Georgia Line: Cruise, Simple
Phil Collins: Another Day in Paradise, In the Air Tonight
Bill Haley and His Comets: Rock Around the Clock
US for Africa: We Are The World
Santana feat. Rob Thomas: Smooth
Oasis: Wonderwall
John Wallace, a hulking bass player, singing the falsetto parts of Harry Chapin's classic song Taxi

Related Pages

Timeline of Popular Vocalists
Crucial Moments in Music History: A Musical Chronology/Timeline
The Ultimate 2017 Solar Eclipse Playlist/Songlist in the Proper Order, No Less!

More Related Pages: The Best Singers of All Time, The Best Singer-Songwriters, The Best Female Singer/Songwriters, The Best Songs of All Time, The Best Sad Songs, The Best Protest Songs and Poems, The Best Love Songs, Rock Jukebox: the Poetry of Rock, The Best Vocal Performances of All Time, The Worst Song Lyrics Ever, The Most Overrated Songs of All Time, The Best Rock Lyrics, The Best Female Poets, The Best Sappho Translations, The Best Metaphors and Similes, The Best Lines from Songs and Poems

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