In these days of equality,surely it's only right that the ladies get their own thread as well.

As always the choices will no doubt be subjective,so don't go apes**t at another poster,if you disagree with their picks.

So i'll select 5 to kick us off.

1) Aretha Franklin-top by a long way,she also transcended the genre,which not many artists can do.
2) Whitney Houston-her career was sadly cut horribly short,but she still packed an awful lot into her 48 years on this planet.more than many will achieve in double that time.
3) Billie Holiday-again a life cut short,but her influence is still felt today.
4) Judy Garland-again someone who transcended her industry.
5) Amy Winehouse-bit left field this one,but she made a huge impact in her short-lived career,and Back to Black will be remembered as one of the classic albums in decades to come.Again a career tragically curtailed by addiction issues,like so many before her.

So over to you.

Funny isn't it but when Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight were sat together at some award or other and were asked who was the best ever singer, I guess by a bit of a mischievous journalist, they both said in unison Linda Jones. They weren't wrong.

Aretha Franklin...Dusty Springfield.. Carol king it's to late Baby.Sadly Minnie Ripperton didn't Live Long enough....Lady Gaga.

Here's a lucky 13 who I really like. Joan Armatrading I think is fantastic, and have been listening to a lot of her older stuff recently. Seen her live numerous times:
Joan Armatrading
Aretha Franklin
Ella Fitzgerald,
Sarah Vaughn
Billie Holiday
Bonnie Raitt
Natalie Merchant
Etta James
Irma Thomas
Eva Cassidy
Eddie Reader
Debbie Harry
Lucinda Williams

Cher has to be somewhere up there...
Tina Turner...
Nina Simone...
Paloma Faith...
And I have a bit of a crush on
Katie Melua....

Elizabeth Fraser when she was in her prime.

Some good opening ones not sure who I'd rate first Whiney or Judy Garland. I know they ain't the best but Cerys Matthews and Alanis Morissette. If your talking artists Madonna

Barbra Streisand
Eta James
shakira

Another for Joan Armor-plating here..Kate Bush, Patty Smith, Joni Mitchell, Nina Simone, Annie Lennox, Grace Slick, Janice Joplin....and many more...

Jenny Lewis

Forgot about Annie Lennox would rival Whitney

Mel B or Mel C (I always get them mixed up) from the Spice Girls. Cant remember which of them the good one was but she was referred to as the ginger one by most people.

Karen Carpenter.

There were so.....many tbf and most being mentioned above....mama cass... julie cruise...subo...cher...Mary Hopkins...Cilla..

All great names mentioned so far but one that hasn't and is/was the only female singer with a voice that actually makes the hairs on the back of my neck tingle (in a good way) when I hear it is Karen Carpenter.

Edit: electroclaret beat me to it

Dusty Springfield
Beth Hart
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Stevie Nicks

Sandy Denny, and I also liked Christine Perfect when she was with Chicken Shack. I'd Rather Go Blind and When the Train Comes Back.

It's Judith Durham for me

Sam Smith

Lady Gaga has a brilliant voice.

Barbra Striesand.....no one else comes close.

Absolutely, Streisand for me, all the way.

Claretitus wrote: ↑

Wed May 06, 2020 5:28 pm

Absolutely, Streisand for me, all the way.

And done over about 7 decades, close thread Striesand is the greatest female vocalist ever.

Streisand all the time
Celine Dion in second, even if her songs are naff.
Whitney third.

Last three posters have it, Streisand by a mile. Listen to " Hideaway". A fantastic recording.

I saw Whitney Houston live and have to say her voice that night was close to perfect. Her mum and auntie (Cissie Houston and Dionne Warwick) aren’t bad either.

Sandy Denny
Ann Briggs

Tricky Trevor wrote: ↑

Wed May 06, 2020 5:46 pm

Streisand all the time
Celine Dion in second, even if her songs are naff.
Whitney third.

I'm glad i don't live next door to you!

Can't believe i missed Shirley Bassey.

redwasp wrote: ↑

Wed May 06, 2020 6:05 pm

Last three posters have it, Streisand by a mile. Listen to " Hideaway". A fantastic recording.

but more than last 3 picked BS as the choice, but like all forms of art it's very subjective.

Aretha Franklin ( by a margin )
Honorable mentions for Dusty Springfield, Darlene Love, Karen Carpenter,, Roberta Flack and Norah Jones !

KateR wrote: ↑

Wed May 06, 2020 6:13 pm

but more than last 3 picked BS as the choice, but like all forms of art it's very subjective.

You may disagree, but there's no need to say they picked bullshit.

Barbra Streisand....Shirley Bassey....Nina Simone.

FactualFrank wrote: ↑

Wed May 06, 2020 6:19 pm

You may disagree, but there's no need to say they picked bullshit.

I just knew as I pressed submit that some wag would pick up on that one

Agree totally with electro and vintage only one karen carpenter, got everything they have made and listen to this, front page of the daily mirror the day she died!!! Yes been mocked all of my life!!!

Do like diana ross and wife bought me tickets for july but thats not going to happen!!!

Brenda Lee had a wonderful and unique voice. I saw her live in Bradford in 1963, I think it was. Absolutely incredible, she was a marvellous part of my youth.

Aretha Franklin

Delores O'riordan

Sinaed O'connor

Wiyalla

Taffy on the wing wrote: ↑

Wed May 06, 2020 6:11 pm

I'm glad i don't live next door to you!

If you lived next door to me you wouldn’t hear them if I turned it up to 11. We are isolating.

CT above said Whitney Houston's aunt was Dionne Warwick. A common mistake (even in quizzes): they are actually cousins.

Aretha Franklin and Etta James for me
Whitney Houston was nothing but a shouter.
Honourable mentions for Melanie Safka and the London Grammar singer (don’t know her
name)
Janice Joplin did those bluesy vocal gymnastics, something that Robert Plant could never match

Aretha, Dame Kiri.

Very difficult as there's so many but here's mine in no particular order:-

Eva Cassidy
Katie Melua
Judith Durham
Grace Slick
Stevie Nicks
Amy Winehouse
Joni Mitchell
Joan Baez
Joan Armatrading
Aretha Franklin
Billie Holliday
Whitney Houston

Again depends on one's taste.

I will add Patsy Cline, Judy Collins and Edith Piaf to the list.

Thumbs up for Karen Carpenter, Sandy Denny, Dusty Springfield and Celine Dione.

I also have tickets to see diana ross in july and sadly agree it will not happen which is a pity as she is one soul star i wanted to see as we have seen a lot of others, the one female vocalist i was not keen to see after my daughter had bought the tickets was paloma faith, trust me if you ever get the chance to get to her concert go as she is brilliant!

Billie Holiday,
joni Mitchell a close second

Some good choices.
My own favourites include:

Maggie Bell - whether with Stone The Crows or her later solo work.
Dido.
Nancy Griffith
Elkie Brooks
Nico (in her Velvet Underground days)
Marianne Faithfully (especially “The Ballad of Lucy Jordan”

Wretched predictive text - I know her surname is “Faithfull “

HELEN REDDY closely followed by Dusty Springfield

There's only two that I choose to listen to with any real regularity. However good the vocalist is, I won't want to listen if I get little to nothing out of the music. Neither, I'd say are great but I listen to Martha and the muffins (still) after n years. One of the Martha's is now a university professor.
I also like Heledd Watkins and hms morris. It helps that she also plays guitar the way she does. At times they are quite manic but rarely dull. See "morbid mind" and the live version of "arth" at maes b Festival a few years back.