Aretha Franklin ranked number 1 on Rolling Stone’s 2023 list of the greatest singers.
Rolling Stone’s 2023 feature, titled “The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time,” placed Franklin at the top of its ranking. The magazine described the list as focusing on vocal ability alongside originality, influence, the depth of an artist’s catalog, and the breadth of a singer’s musical legacy. Franklin’s position recognized her extraordinary command of gospel, soul, rhythm and blues, pop, and jazz-inflected phrasing.
The ranking is sometimes confused with other music polls or with Rolling Stone’s earlier lists. This was a 2023 revision and expansion to 200 singers, not a ranking of albums, songs, or entertainers generally. Franklin had also topped Rolling Stone’s earlier 2008 list of the 100 greatest singers, making her the only artist to hold the magazine’s top position in both editions. The list is an editorial judgment, not an objective measurement of vocal range or technical accuracy.