100 Greatest R&B Artists


Edited by: Zach & Nick-ola

Criteria: - Artist rankings are based on impact, influence, and popularity.

*Note that, for this list, the term "R&B" is used in the broadest sense, as to encompass R&B, Soul, Funk, and their stylistic off-shoots.


1. James Brown
2. Ray Charles
3. Stevie Wonder
4. Aretha Franklin
5. Marvin Gaye
6. Sam Cooke
7. Fats Domino
8. Louis Jordan
9. The Temptations
10. Otis Redding
11. Little Richard
12. Sly & the Family Stone
13. Michael Jackson
14. Chuck Berry
15. Curtis Mayfield / The Impressions
16. Al Green
17. Diana Ross & the Supremes
18. Prince
19. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles
20. Parliament-Funkadelic
21. Bo Diddley
22. Jackie Wilson
23. Tina Turner
24. The Four Tops
25. Earth, Wind & Fire
26. The Isley Brothers
27. Gladys Knight & the Pips
28. The Drifters
29. Janet Jackson
30. The Jackson 5 / The Jacksons
31. Martha & the Vandellas
32. The Clovers
33. Lionel Richie / The Commodores
34. Etta James
35. Big Joe Turner
36. Kool & the Gang
37. Whitney Houston
38. Sam & Dave
39. Mary J. Blige
40. Luther Vandross
41. Mariah Carey
42. Wilson Pickett
43. The O'Jays
44. Donna Summer
45. The Platters
46. Isaac Hayes
47. Ruth Brown
48. The Coasters
49. Solomon Burke
50. TLC
51. Rick James
52. Barry White
53. The Spinners
54. Chaka Khan / Rufus
55. Boyz II Men
56. The Delfonics
57. Lou Rawls
58. The Flamingos
59. Beyoncé / Destiny's Child
60. LaVern Baker
61. R. Kelly
62. Sade
63. Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
64. Patti LaBelle
65. Wynonie Harris
66. The Ohio Players
67. D'Angelo
68. Billy Ward & the Dominoes
69. The Chi-Lites
70. Guy
71. Ben E. King
72. Sonny Til & the Orioles
73. Hank Ballard & the Midnighters
74. The Dells
75. Alicia Keys
76. Bobby Womack
77. Usher
78. The Ravens
79. Ivory Joe Hunter
80. Babyface
81. Chic
82. The Shirelles
83. Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
84. Roy Brown
85. New Edition / Bobby Brown
86. The Moonglows
87. War
88. En Vogue
89. Amos Milburn
90. Cameo
91. Little Willie John
92. The Marvelettes
93. Bill Withers
94. Eryka Badu
95. Chuck Willis
96. Joe Tex
97. The "5" Royales
98. Teddy Pendergrass
99. Keith Sweat
100. Bobby "Blue" Bland


Bubbling under:

Aaliyah
Allen Toussaint
Anita Baker
Arthur Alexander
Average White Band
Big Mama Thornton
Booker T. & the MG's
Brand New Heavies
Brandy
Brian McKnight
The Cadillacs
The Chiffons
Chubby Checker
Clarence Carter
Clyde McPhatter
Eddie Floyd
The Emotions
Frankie Beverly / Maze
The Gap Band
Irma Thomas
James Carr
Joe Simon
Johnnie Taylor
Johnny Ace
Junior Walker
KC & the Sunshine Band
Larry Williams
Lee Dorsey
Little Anthony & the Imperials
Lloyd Price
Major Lance
Mary Wells
The Meters
The Neville Brothers / Aaron Neville
Percy Sledge
Pointer Sisters
Rihanna
Roberta Flack
The Ronettes
Roy Milton
SWV
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Shirley & Lee
The Stylistics
Tower of Power
Tyrone Davis

Zach,

This is a much better version. Good call including people such as Little Richard. Haven't looked at the list too much, but Dusty Springfield should be included somewhere.

Thank you, evil moderator. ;) Lew's fixing to put this version up on the main site. I'll keep Dusty Springfield in mind for next time. I may, in fact, just do a Blue-Eyed Soul sidebar list, and reserve her for that. We'll see.

Here's the page

http://digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_rb-greatest-RB-artists.html

Good deal, Lew. Thanks.

Totally disagree. Dusty Springfield should be nowhere near this list.

I have some quibbles here and there but overall it's a good list.

Thanks, Bruce. You had some very good feedback, too.

I totally disagree with your idea that Dusty Springfield should be nowhere near this list.

She should be included in the honorable mention section or relegated to a sidebar "blue-eyed soul" list.

She wasn't strictly a soul artist, in a way like Dionne Warwick, and hasn't made a gigantic splash on the American R&B charts, but she is called a "soul artist" in some circles for some of her work, including by people such as Timi Yuro and Teena Marie to Amy Winehouse and Aretha Franklin and has gained formidable respect by soul and R&B personnel, including notable Motown acts, even at one point supporting Martha & the Vandellas in a live setting. The British press dubbed her "The White Aretha Franklin" or "The White Negress" thanks to people like Cliff Richard.

She has been called soul for her soul work from black-oriented magazines such as Jet, Blues & Soul, Vibe, Essence, etc., to white mainstream publications and institutions from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Rolling Stone, Village Voice, New Musical Express, Billboard, All Music, etc.

She also worked with veteran soul/R&B movers such as Jerry Wexler to Gamble & Huff.

Her records also grace black-oriented record shops such as Dusty Groove America, have been played on black radio, and she even has a few Northern Soul sides ("What's It Gonna Be," "Live It Up," etc.) aside from gracing R&B/soul books and discographies.

Sorry I didn't notice this earlier Zach, but this should be "Erykah".

Good call, Brian. I'll make that correction.

Stevie Wonder is magnificent and all, but ahead of Aretha the queen?

Yes, she's a "soul artist" in non-soul circles. Kind of like Van Morrison. White people who like rock consider artists like this to be soul because they are pretty much not interested in real soul, and don;t really know what soul music is.

Not only has she not made a gigantic splash on the American R&B charts, she has not even so much as put a drop of water into that river. She's NEVER had a hit on the black charts.....EVER !!!!

Putting her on a list of greatest R&B artists would be a complete and utter farce, especially when real female soul acts like Linda Jones are nowhere to be found.

There are hundreds of great R&B acts that belong here before Dusty Springfield is ever considered.

The Osmonds worked with Rick Hall, should we put them on the list too?

I like how you just glossed over everything else I said and are trying to twist my words around, just like how you automatically assumed that I said Dusty should be in the Top 100 when I never said such a thing.

So then here is a response and a summation of my past posts here:

First of all, Dusty Springfield is considered a "soul artist" in different contexts, not just "non-soul circles," as I've already addressed. And there are many white people that like "real soul," so your point there is moot. Also, Van Morrison is nowhere near Dusty in an R&B/soul context.

Of course she didn't chart in the American Billboard R&B charts as I've already stated, but she's made a presence in the UK R&B market and has a few records that get airplay on soul/R&B stations, not to mention having classic Northern Soul sides, and that's my point. She has also graced other black music sources, both American and British, whether it's "A Brand New Me" and "The Look of Love" being hits with black audiences through Jet magazine and black-oriented radio stations such as the influential WVON of Chicago in the 1960s, or Vibe magazine calling her an ambassador of R&B. She's made many black- and white-oriented soul/R&B websites and publications. Of course there are many producers and labels out there that have worked in many different musical genres, but her working with notable R&B/soul movers strengthens my argument.

The point is, "soul/R&B music" is actually a broad canvas. Of course people are going to argue what constitutes as R&B/Soul music, just like how there are R&B/soul fans out there that don't even consider Motown to really be soul or R&B or people that think R&B/soul music died in the 1980s. But this list is targeting the wide definition of R&B/soul, just like this site targets the wide definition of rock.