100 Greatest Blues Vocalists

Criteria: These Blues vocalists were selected and ranked considering their vocal power, ability to convey emotion, range, versatility, and uniqueness.
Greatest Blues Vocalists
  1. Bessie Smith
  2. Etta James
  3. Muddy Waters
  4. Howlin' Wolf
  5. Billie Holiday
  6. B.B. King
  7. Jimmy Rushing
  8. Ma Rainey
  9. Bobby "Blue" Bland
10. Big Mama Thornton
11. Elmore James
12. Ruth Brown
13. Ray Charles
14. Louis Jordan
15. Big Bill Broonzy
16. Sippie Wallace
17. Junior Wells
18. Charles Brown
19. KoKo Taylor
20. Robert Johnson
21. Memphis Minnie
22. Ida Cox
23. Big Joe Turner
24. Big Maybelle
25. Shemekia Copeland
26. Magic Sam
27. Otis Rush
28. Victoria Spivey
29. Skip James
30. Bonnie Raitt
31. Leadbelly
32. Wynonie Harris
33. Dinah Washington
34. Son House
35. Susan Tedeschi
36. Z.Z. Hill
37. Keb' Mo'
38. John Lee Hooker
39. Julia Lee
40. Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup
41. Roy Brown
42. Jimmy Reed
43. Jimmy Witherspoon
44. Big Joe Williams
45. T-Bone Walker
46. Walter "Furry" Lewis
47. Johnny Adams
48. Roy Milton
49. Angela Strehli
50. Helen Humes
51. Nappy Brown
52. Alberta Hunter
53. Cecil Gant
54. Valerie Wellington
55. J B Lenoir
56. Nina Simone
57. Katie Webster
58. Johnny Shines
59. Junior Parker
60. Sara Martin
61. Robert Cray
62. Lester "Big Daddy" Kinsey
63. Joe Willams
64. Trixie Smith
65. Mamie Smith
66. Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown
67. Lil Green
68. Marva Wright
69. Ethel Waters
70. Ella Johnson
71. Josh White
72. Sister Rosetta Tharpe
73. Esther Phillips
74. Lou Ann Barton
75. Sue Foley
76. Janis Joplin
77. Mississippi John Hurt
78. Irma Thomas
79. Rory Block
80. Ann Rabson (Saffire)
81. Marcia Ball
82. Georgia White
83. Eva Taylor
84. Buddy Guy
85. Stevie Ray Vaughan
86. Cassandra Wilson
87. Lucille Bogan
88. Sophie Tucker
89. Bessie Tucker
90. Doctor Clayton
91. Little Milton
92. "Stick" McGee
93. Lil' Johnson
94. Peetie Wheatstraw
95. Tracy Nelson
96. Joe Liggins
97. Leroy Carr
98. Lizzie Miles
99. Birtha "Chippie" Hill
100. Eric Bibb
Honerable Mentions
Gaye Adegbalola (Saffire)
Blu Lu Barker
Lurrie Bell
Billy Boy Arnold
R.L. Boyce
Cedric Burnside
Cliff Carlisle
Eric Clapton
Johnny Copeland
Pee Wee Crayton
James "Thunderbird" Davis
Jody Edwards (Butterbeans & Susie)
Samantha Fish
Beth Hart
Susie Hawthorn (Butterbeans & Susie)
Rosa Henderson
Lightin Hopkins
Peg Leg Howell
Lonnie Johnson
Mary Johnson
Marcus King
Danielle Nicole
St. Louis Jimmy Oden
Larkin Poe
Tampa Red
Keith Relf (Yardbirds)
Bobby Rush
Clara Smith
Josh Smith
Henry "Ragtime" Thomas
Sonny Boy Williamson
Kim Wilson


Bessie Smith

Etta James

Muddy Waters

Howlin' Wolf

Billie Holiday

B.B. King

Last Updated: 2024-01-24
Newly added names are in  Red