In an updated list of “200 greatest singers of all time” to reflect the influx of new talents that have dominated the music industry globally, Rolling Stone Magazine has included 5 veteran reggae singers in their curation.
With Aretha Franklyn crowned as the greatest singer of all time, there are artists from Afrobeats, Afrobeat, reggae, salsa and, R&B.
Making the list for the first time is Burna Boy at 197 who the magazine describes as “A Nigerian cultural giant”. Commentator Ernesto Lechner said “Burna Boy is the ambassador of Afrobeats as a global movement that can feel equally at home climbing the European charts and maintaining a subtle emotional connection with past African genres like highlife.”
Of note there were no American hip hop or Jamaica Dancehall acts among the names singers. Below is an excerpt of reggae singers selection along with the caption and comments from the contributors.
At 143 is Luciano the magazine said; “I’ve never heard a bad Luciano performance live, even when he’s doing a backflip off a speaker”
The comment from Michael Goldwasser further stated: “And in the studio, the Jamaican star is just as dynamic. The first time I produced Luci, I noticed his ability to instantly come up with a melody that seemed classic. When Luciano came on the scene in the Nineties, his tunes like “Sweep Over My Soul” and “It’s Me Again Jah” immediately entered the reggae canon. Luciano once sang that he had “the voice of a trumpet.” If anything, that’s an undersell; he’s got a range that extends from a rich baritone up to a strong falsetto. And he’s a master of the lost art of harmonizing — Luciano would be a top vocal arranger in N.Y. or L.A., if he weren’t so committed to the roots.”
About Barrington Levy who is at 119 Noah Shachtman said:
“If an air horn could sing, it’d sound like Barrington Levy: cutting, commanding, and a signal that the next tune is about to be massive. Levy became a Jamaican dancehall star at 14. A series of local hits followed. Next came classic albums like 1979’s Shaolin Temple and 1982’s Poor Man Style. Then international smashes like “Black Roses” and the iconic “Under Mi Sensi.” In the four decades that followed, Levy’s class of dancehall brethren petered out. But somehow, Levy managed to keep that horn of his loud as hell, and very much in tune.”
King of Reggae Bob Marley comes in at 98 on the list. Jon Dolan commented:
“Influenced by James Brown’s funk declamations, the earthy equanimity of folk and blues, and the yearning hunger in rock’s search for mass connection, Bob Marley invented a down-to-earth yet heraldic idiom that reflected the struggles and aspirations of tens of millions of people throughout the world. His voice was lovably ragged even on smooth tracks like “Could You Be Loved,” but his command of the dramatic octave leap that signifies our shared search for a better tomorrow had few peers. And it says something about the communal gravity of his voice that one of his most deeply beloved recorded moments — the “No Woman No Cry” captured at London’s Lyceum Theatre in July 1975 — was created live out of thin air, bountiful warts and all.”
Toots Hibbert at 94.
Maura Johnston captioned:
“Reggae pioneer Toots Hibbert possessed a rough-edged, fierce voice that gave fire to the incarceration chronicle “54-46 That’s My Number” and added a slyly endearing wink to the wedding-jitters chronicle “Sweet and Dandy.” The Toots and the Maytals leader came to music through religion: “My voice was developed going to church with my family,” he told Uncut in 2020. “I love singing; singing was what I thought I should do because it was born in me and I grew into it, straight from the church.” Over the years, it evolved further, with Hibbert taking cues from gospel and soul, helping him fulfill the promise he laid out in the title track to his classic 1973 album Funky Kingston: “I want you to believe every word I say/ I want you to believe every thing I do.”
Dennis Brown: 67
“Dennis Brown was a child star — his first hit, 1969’s “No Man Is an Island,” came at age nine — who matured into homegrown superstar. With a voice as tough-yet-velvety as suede, he was one of Jamaica’s smoothest love men ever, not to mention a dispense of homespun wisdom on the immortal 1981 hit “Sitting and Watching.” Even in his later years, when his voice showed the ravages of prolonged cocaine use (he died at age 42), Brown’s soulfulness was unimpeachable — no less an authority than Bob Marley once declared Brown his favorite reggae singer.”– Michaelangelo Matos
Apartheid fighter Miriam Makeba who was discovered by Harry Belafonte and became the voice of South Africa in the ranks at No. 53.
Barbadian superstar Rihanna ranks at No. 68.
The full list of contributors to the newly released list include: Jonathan Bernstein, David Browne, David Cantwell, Mankaprr Conteh, Jon Dolan, Brenna Ehrlich, Michael Goldwasser, Andy Greene, Joe Gross, Kory Grow, Will Hermes, Maura Johnston, Michelle Hyun Kim, Kristine Kwak, Ernesto Lechner, Julyssa Lopez, Angie Martoccio, Michaelangelo Matos, Tomás Mier, Jason Newman, Mosi Reeves, Noah Shachtman, Rob Sheffield, Hank Shteamer, Brittany Spanos, Lisa Tozzi, Simon Vozick-Levinson
