20 Greatest Female Vocalists (11-15)

In recent years, I've spent much times reading about music and its history. That's why now I come up with this list of 20 greatest female vocalists in the music recording era. Perhaps some people will argue with me over this list, especially since I made it in the form of charts, but I guess it will open doors of lots of new discussion. I, myself, am not a musician or singer of any sort, but truly I am a music lovers. I have set some criteria in judging who should be put into the list:

• Vocal ability. A good singer is a singer with a technically good vocal. The greatest singers must be the singers with above average vocal ability.
• Star quality. You cannot be a greatest singer if you are not a star by yourself. You must have the ability that will make people worship you.
• Legacy. It's about influence, baby. You are measured by the influence you give to other singers.
• Fame. Even if you have the greatest vocal of all, it would be useless if nobody knows you. That's why I don't put any Asian or Hispanics in this list [not because of racism since I'm an Asian myself) because none of the them are known enough to be able to be called as the greatest vocalists.

Without further ado, let's start the countdown:

15. Tina Turner (born 1939)
Nickname: The Queen of Rock & Roll
Genre: Soul / Rock
Most Memorable Recording: "Proud Mary"
Followers: Janet Jackson, Teena Marie, Taana Gardner, Jennifer Herrema, Angela Strehli, Tweet, Syleena Johnson, Antonella Bucci, Carmen Consoli, Kelis, Blue Number Nine, Dalia, The Now Time Delegation, Tresa Street, Yah, Zarah, Cherie, Alice Smith, Miss Prissy, President Bell AKA The Neo, and many more.

Turner has been acknowledged as one of the world's most popular and biggest-selling music artists of all time and is the most successful female rock artist of all time with record sales in excess of 180 million. She has sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer in history. To date, Turner has 7 Billboard top 10 singles, 16 US top ten R&B singles, and over 20 Top 40 hits in the UK. The popular press has referred to Turner favorably as "the truest rock diva of all," "soul's first real diva", "the most dynamic female soul singer in the history of the music," and "one of soul music's most incendiary performers." Turner is known for her "energetic" stage presence, vocals, rock concerts, as well as for her "long, well-proportioned legs. by Wikipedia

14. Dusty Springfield (1939-1999)
Nickname: Britain's Greatest Pop Diva
Genre: Soul
Most Memorable Recording: "Son of a Preacher Man"
Followers: Judy Mowatt, Maria McKee, The Merseybeats, Tracie, Sarah Cracknell, Jill Olson, Anita Harris, Dee Walker, Adventures in Stereo, April March, A Girl Called Eddy, Marc Teamaker, Lucie Silvas, Rubies, Lucky Soul, Candie Payne, Adele, Testa Rosa, Duffy, and many more.

Springfield is widely regarded by many as one of the finest soul singers of all time, an accomplishment made even more notable by the fact that she was a "blue-eyed soul" singer — a white singer who sang material in a way normally associated with African-American singers. It is also notable that she was held in high esteem by many black singers (such as Aretha Franklin and Martha Reeves) whom she, in turn, also emulated and idolised. Aside from her contemporaries, many other artists have cited her as an influence or have cited their love of her music, including Neil Tennant, Elvis Costello, Beth Orton, Annie Lennox and Elton John. by Wikipedia.

13. Peggy Lee (1920-2002)
Nickname: The Queen
Genre: Pop / Jazz
Most Memorable Recording: "Fever"
Followers: Helen Merrill, Marilyn Monroe, Monica Zetterlund, Maria Muldaur, Shirley Eikhard, Jane Voss, Diana Krall, Connie Evingson, Tierney Sutton, Kelley Johnson, Catherine Dupuis, Jacintha, Holly Wynnette, Lizzie West, Nellie McKay, Sophie Milman, Beaky, Hilde Louise Asbjornsen, and many more.

Widely recognized as one of the most important musical influences of the 20th century, Lee has been cited as a mentor to such diverse artists as Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, Madonna, k.d. lang, Elvis Costello, Dr. John, and numerous others. As a songwriter, she collaborated with her late husband Dave Barbour, Sonny Burke, Victor Young, Francis Lai, Dave Grusin, John Chiodini, and Duke Ellington who stated, "If I'm the Duke, then Peggy's the Queen." As an actress, she was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Pete Kelly's Blues.Frank Sinatra, Ellla Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Dean Martin, Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong all cited Lee as one of their favorite singers. by Wikipedia.

12. Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990)
Nickname: The Divine One / Sassy
Genre: Jazz
Most Memorable Recording: "Misty"
Followers: Anita Baker, Rickie Lee Jones, Betty Carter, Tania Maria, Patty Richards, Nnenna Freelon, Germaine Bazzle, Rebecca Kilgore, Claire Martin, Veronica Nunn, Eboni Foster, Connie Evingson, Carla Cook, Jane Monheit, Bobby Wade, Norah Jones, Diane Marino, Iza Eirado, Kat Parra, and many more.

Possessor of one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century, Sarah Vaughan ranked with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday in the very top echelon of female jazz singers. She often gave the impression that with her wide range, perfectly controlled vibrato, and wide expressive abilities, she could do anything she wanted with her voice. Although not all of her many recordings are essential (give Vaughan a weak song and she might strangle it to death), Sarah Vaughan's legacy as a performer and a recording artist will be very difficult to match in the future. by Scott Yanow

11. Janis Joplin (1943-1970)
Nickname: The greatest white female rock singer of the 1960s
Genre: Rock / Blues
Most Memorable Recording: "Piece of My Heart"
Followers: Lou Ann Barton, Kim Carnes, Melissa Etheridge, Heart, Alannah Myles, Alias, Fetchin Bones, Marilyn Scott, Kim Lembo, Mundy, Beki Bondage, Carmen Consoli, Ronna, Eileen Rose, Marion Raven, Liz Melendez, Mother Jones, Stephanie's Id, Erin Sax Seymour, and many more.

Janis Joplin (1943 - 1970) was one of the most popular and influential female singers to emerge from the West Coast "counterculture" that thrived in the mid- to late-1960s. Her compelling stage and recording persona effectively transcended any regional boundaries. Her trademark raucous performing presence, combined with the raw emotion conveyed in her bluesy singing style and her unconventional but trend-setting and highly personal taste in fashion, captivated a national audience who sensed both her toughness and vulnerability and, in turn, embraced her without condition. Joplin, who was given to emotional excess and susceptible to unhealthy indulgence, passed away at the height of her fame. by Answers.Com

Related Posts:

• 20 Greatest Female Vocalists (1-5)
• 20 Greatest Female Vocalists (6-10)
• 20 Greatest Female Vocalists (16-20)
• 20 Greatest Male Vocalists (1-5)
• 20 Greatest Male Vocalists (6-10)
• 20 Greatest Male Vocalists (11-15)
• 20 Greatest Male Vocalists (16-20)