A subjective list of the “Greatest 200 Singers” (ever) was always going to get people talking – and disagreeing – even when it’s from music industry bible Rolling Stone.
And it’s Celine Dion’s fans that are making the biggest noise since the list was published on New Year’s Day, because she didn’t make the list at all. For the record, Aretha Franklin tops the list, followed by Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Billie Holliday, Mariah Carey, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Otis Redding and Al Green, in that order.
Dion’s fans have taken to social media to vent their anger. Music artist Jamie Lambert said on Twitter: “Respectfully, not including Celine Dion, arguably the best vocal technician of all time, in this list is borderline treasonous.”
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Singer Celine Dion was photographed at Paris Fashion Week in 2019. The singer is a notable absence from the Rolling Stone list.
Lambert and other fans pointed out the Canadian singer’s 200 million-plus record sales must stand for something. Alejandro Viero said: “A great list that does not include an artist who, in addition to being very successful, has a great voice that we all recognize today. Celine Dion deserved to be in the first places.”
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And another fan wrote: “Billie Eilish makes it to the list [at 198] while Celine Dion is nowhere to be found? What exactly is your definition of “Greatest Singers?”
Other fans felt whoever made the list should be fired – it was compiled by Rolling Stone staff and key contributors. It deliberately did not include opera singers because the list was about “pop music” and singers who had “significant careers as crossover stars making popular music for the masses”.
In anticipation of the furore the list would create, Rolling Stone said: Before you start scrolling (and commenting), keep in mind that this is the Greatest Singers list, not the Greatest Voices List. Talent is impressive; genius is transcendent.
Jordan Strauss
Billie Eilish made the Rolling Stone list at number 198, just ahead of Glenn Danzig and Rosalia. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
“In all cases, what mattered most to us was originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of their musical legacy. A voice can be gorgeous like Mariah Carey’s, rugged like Toots Hibbert’s, understated like Willie Nelson’s, slippery and sumptuous like D’Angelo’s, or bracing like Bob Dylan’s. But in the end, the singers behind it are here for one reason: They can remake the world just by opening their mouths.”
Dion is not the only person to fail to make the top 200. Other notable absences include Sting, Dionne Warwick and Diana Ross.
Meanwhile, last month Celine Dion postponed her world tour after being diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder.
Aretha Franklin (1942-2018) was voted the Greatest Singer in the Rolling Stone list.
In emotional video messages posted in French and English on Instagram, Dion said stiff person syndrome was causing spasms that affect her ability to walk and sing.
“Unfortunately, the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to,” she said.
Dion said she had no choice but to postpone her Courage tour, which was to restart in February after several delays.
On December 25, 2022, it was 25 years since her biggest hit featured in the movie Titanic – My Heart Will Go On.
