Rolling Stone ruffles feathers with updated '200 Greatest Singers of All Time' list

Rolling Stone rang in the New Year by sharing an updated list of its '200 Greatest Singers of All Time'. But not everyone is happy with where some music icons have ranked. 

Singer-songwriter Aretha Franklin is at #1 ahead of Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, Billie Holiday, and Mariah Carey. South African music legend, Miriam Makeba, came in at #53.

Social media users were shocked that Michael Jackson did not make the top 10 or even the top 50. The 'King of Pop' is ranked 86. 

"Rolling stone ranked Michael Jackson 86th??? But nobody can sing his songs," one Twitter user wrote.

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Prince, Elvis, John Lennon, Freddie Mercury, and Bob Dylan feature in the top 20, with British singer Adele coming in at #22. 

There were a lot of names missing from the list. 'My Heart Will Go One' hitmaker Celine Dion was snubbed. Madonna, Janet Jackson, Barry White, and Sting are nowhere to be seen.  

The son of music legend Diana Ross is also not impressed with the list. Evan Ross commented "nope" on an Instagram post that showed the top 10. 

His mother features at number 87. "This is just dumb. But ok," Evan wrote. 

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Other notable mentions on the 2023 list include Dolly Parton (27), Aaliyah (40), Ariana Grande (43), Sade (51), Lady Gaga (58), Rihanna (68), Amy Winehouse (83), Selena (89), Taylor Swift (102), Alicia Keys (185), and Kelly Clarkson (194).

The 2008 version is vastly different from the current list. Aretha was still at the top of the list but the top 10 included Marvin Gaye, James Brown, John Lennon, and Elvis Presley. 

Here's a look at the current top 10 singers. 

1. Aretha Franklin
2. Whitney Houston
3. Sam Cooke
4. Billie Holiday
5. Mariah Carey
6. Ray Charles
7. Stevie Wonder
8. Beyonce
9. Otis Redding
10. Al Green

Check out the full top 200 list on Rolling Stone's website. 

Main image credit: Instagram/@taylorswift, mariahcarey, beyonce