Rolling Stone has done it again. They make a great list of the best,
but still overlook some of the very best. I appreciate that this list
came from the votes of performers themselves, and that makes it all the
more a shame that they have overlooked several that I cannot.

In his comments about Elvis, Robert Plant observed:

There
is a difference between people who sing and those who take that voice
to another, otherworldly place, who create a euphoria within
themselves. It's transfiguration. I know about that. And having met
Elvis, I know he was a transformer.

That describes exactly the three performers who come to mind but are not on the list.

Tony Bennett. Say the name an...

Rolling Stone has done it again. They make a great list of the best,
but still overlook some of the very best. I appreciate that this list
came from the votes of performers themselves, and that makes it all the
more a shame that they have overlooked several that I cannot.

In his comments about Elvis, Robert Plant observed:

There
is a difference between people who sing and those who take that voice
to another, otherworldly place, who create a euphoria within
themselves. It's transfiguration. I know about that. And having met
Elvis, I know he was a transformer.

That describes exactly the three performers who come to mind but are not on the list.

Tony Bennett. Say the name and you hear the voice immediately.

Joe Williams. Tony Bennett said "Joe Williams defined my career." Nothing I can say will expand on praise like that.

Eva Cassidy. If an angel has a singing voice, she learned it from Eva.

I am very glad to see mentions of Bette Midler, Bobby Bland, The Everly
Brothers, and of course Bonnie Raitt, and I do think a good argument
could be made for Rickie Nelson and Sarah Vaughn, too, but overlooking
the three I named is inexcusable.


I found Courtney Love's ballot characteristic of the personal mess she
seems to be, and Maynard Keenan of Tool voting only for himself is
arrogant and ignorant at one swipe.

If I had to pick a single ballot as my own of those 24 shown, I go with BB King's picks. The man always has class.