That would be another crowded Top Ten list,and once again it would have to be segregated by type. ANY list that didn't include people like the incredible Etta James,B.B King,Albert King,King Curtis,Sam Cooke,James Brown,etc,etc,etc would be bogus.
I'd be pondering B.B. King, Albert King, and Etta James on lists of the greatest
blues singers, and
that would be a crowded list when you consider the like of Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf (
This is where the soul of man begins---Sam Phillips, who first recorded Wolf for what became Sun), Sonny Boy Williamson II, Lightnin' Hopkins, and a ducal group of others. Not to mention the two Kings, Johnson, Hopkins, T-Bone Walker, Lonnie Johnson, Waters, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, Elmore James, Robert Lockwood, Magic Sam, Guitar Slim (Eddie Jones), Fenton Robinson, Mike Bloomfield, Peter Green, Albert Collins, Luther Allison, Johnny Winter, Alan Wilson (Canned Heat), Eric Clapton, and Duane Allman on a list of the greatest blues guitarists . . .
Not to mention people like Solomon Burke and Sly Stone.
Sly Stone was a
far better songwriter, musician, and bandleader (before the dope ate the talent) than a singer. And Sam Cooke, James Brown, and Solomon Burke would be in quite a crowd of soul singers---a crowd including Redding, Gaye, Franklin, Ray Charles (who was also one hell of a blues singer), Donny Hathaway, Smokey Robinson (who'd be on anyone's list of the top soul songwriters, too), Gladys Knight, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Levi Stubbs (the lead singer of the Four Tops), the Temptations, Curtis Mayfield (he, too, would also be on the top soul songwriting lists), Jerry Butler, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Junior (lead singer of the Dells), Teddy Pendergrass, Sam & Dave, Isaac Hayes (another one who'd also go on the great songwriters' list), Roberta Flack, Al Green, Ann Peebles, the O'Jays, and a fellow who may be half forgotten but who, when he was on (and not being tortured by the mental illness that plagued him most of his life), could give any of those a run for their money . . .
! No longer available! No longer availableWe'd probably need scrolls to list all the great ones . . .