Originally by Adam TylerList RulesOnly vocalists primarily associated with rock music
Update: Follow Ranker's official New Rock 2020 playlist on Spotify!
The best rock vocalists of all time are the frontmen of our favorite rock bands or those solo artists whose voices are some of the best ever. These talented men and women of rock could easily captivate audiences with just their vocals. Their voices set them and their bands above the rest and define them as the best rock singers of all time. List includes both men and women.
To be included on this list, the vocalists must be primarily known for their association with rock music and (obviously) must have a great voice. That really doesn't narrow down the many greatest rock singers in recent rock music history, though a certain few stand out as above and beyond all the rest. Greats like Robert Plant, David Bowie, Steve Perry and Neil Young come to mind, as do icons like Bono, Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen.
While there are many notable vocalists of today's rock music, arguably many of the best rock vocalists of all time are those from earlier generations. Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury from Queen, John Lennon from The Beatles, Jim Morrison from The Doors and Bob Dylan are only a few of some of the best rock vocalists ever but also some of the most influential singers of all time. Freddie Mercury especially had an amazing voice and was ranked second only to Mariah Carey by MTV for the best voices in music ever.
A perfect combination of range, power, articulation and control is needed to become one of the greatest vocalists of all time. All of those can be taught but the natural ability to have that golden voice, as all of these great rock vocalists possess, is nothing that can be learned. Have a favorite rock singer that we missed? Think one vocalist should be above another? Want to put these singers in your own order? You can do all that and more be voting on, re-ranking and adding rock vocalists below! Rock on!
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34,6228,459Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British... more
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16,94910,614Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician,... more3
12,1269,860Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He is best... more4
12,52511,195David Robert Jones (8 January 1947 – 10 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie (,... more5
9,5168,113Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer and songwriter. Nicks is best... more6
11,6358,787Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle; July 20, 1964 – May 18, 2017) was an American musician,... more7
7,3526,594Ann Dustin Wilson (born June 19, 1950) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer... more8
9,9258,968Sir Elton Hercules John (born 25 March 1947) is an English singer, songwriter, pianist, and... more9
10,1339,298Steven Tyler (born Steven Victor Tallarico; March 26, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter,... more10
10,8099,962Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter, musician,... more11
7,5546,897Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016) was an American singer, songwriter,... more12
8,4668,045John R. "Johnny" Cash (February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American... more13
7,9427,555Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American rock, soul, and blues... more14
11,22311,477Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), also known mononymously as Elvis, was... more15
7,4177,333Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer and actor. He is a founder,... more16
4,9774,764Donald Hugh Henley (born July 22, 1947) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, record... more17
5,0094,744Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and... more18
4,8724,648Robert Clark Seger (born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. As a... more19
7,2047,125Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson III; December 23, 1964) is an American musician,... more20
5,8925,846William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and... more21
5,9526,232Patricia Mae Giraldo (née Andrzejewski; born January 10, 1953), who goes by the stage name Pat... more22
5,0484,750Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950 – October 2, 2017) was an American singer-songwriter,... more23
9,87010,579John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon, 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980) was an... more24
9,75110,697James Douglas Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter... more25
4,8784,790John Cameron Fogerty (born May 28, 1945) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter.... more
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