The Greatest Singers of All Time

By Olivia Fusca and Clara Ding

We all know the singers of the current age: Taylor Swift, Harry Styles, and Beyonce, but does anyone remember Madonna, Elton John, or David Bowie? There are so many forgotten wonders from the past 100 years. Here is a rundown of some of the most popular and their most well-known songs.

1920: Vernon Dalhart

1883-1948

Vernon Dalhart was born in 1883 in Jefferson, Texas. Vernon Dalhart was only his stage name though. His real name was Marion Try Slaughter. He got his stage name from 2 places in Texas: Vernon and Dalhart. He saw an ad in a newspaper looking for singers and from then on, he only climbed higher in his quest for fame. His most famous song, ‘The Wreck of Old 97’ sold over 5 million copies. He died on the 14th of September, 1948.

1930: Judy Garland

1922-1969

Have you ever watched the Wizard of Oz, filmed in 1939? If you have, you would have heard of Judy Garland, the OG Dorothy Gale with ‘Over the Rainbow’ as her signature song. Her fame started in the early stages of her life; she was 16 when she was cast as Dorothy. Another one of her famous works is the song ‘You Made Me Love You’, which she sang in the film Broadway Melody of 1938. She died on June 22, 1969.

1940: Elvis Presley

1935-1977

‘The King of Rock and Roll’, or simply ‘The King’. Elvis Presley, most famous in the years 1956-1958, was an American singer, musician, and actor. He wrote or co-wrote over 200 songs in his lifetime and of these, 40 went into the top 10 of the 100 Pop Chart in America and 18 in number 1, the first being ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. He’s sold one billion records worldwide and has been enlisted into 5 Halls of Fame: Rock ‘n’ Roll, Country, Gospel, Rockabilly, and R&B. His most famous song, which has been played 13 million times is ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’. He sadly died on 16 August 1977 at the young age of 42.

1950: Dean Martin

1917-1995

On the 7th of June, 1917, a star was born. When Martin was a teenager, he was hired by a band to travel on tour with them. When he was in his late 20s, he created a partnership with fellow comedian Jerry Lewis. They created popular motion pictures such as My Friend Irma and Hollywood or Bust. He severed the partnership and started creating solo songs. His bestseller, ‘That’s Amore' was 2nd on the Best-selling Singles in Stores Billboard for 4 weeks. In 1993, he was diagnosed with lung cancer and died on the 25th of December 1995 from acute respiratory failure.

1960: Tina Turner

1939- Present Day

On the 26th November, 1939, Tina Turner was born. In 1958, her first record: BoxTop was released. She created duets with Ike Turner such as ‘Nutbush City Limits' and ‘A Fool In Love’. They disbanded in 1976. Turner’s first solo album called Private Dancer is known to be one of the best musical comebacks in history. Her song ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ won a Grammy Award for Record of The Year. She also acted in movies such as Tommy and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. In 2009, Tina Turner retired after her Tina! 50th Anniversary Tour.

1970: Elton John

1947- Present Day

On the 25th March 1947, Elton John was born. When he was 11, he was accepted into the Royal Academy of Music where he studied for 5 years. He formed a band in 1962 but 5 years later he disbanded it to become a solo singer. 1n 1970, he released his first solo single ‘Your Song’. His most popular/most played songs include: Cold Heart, I’m Still Standing, Hold Me Closer, Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time) and of course, Your Song. 53 years later, he is set to conclude his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour, consisting of more than 300 concerts worldwide.

1980: Kate Bush

1958-Present day

Born on the 30th of July, 1958, Kate Bush has been shooting for the stars ever since she was 19 and released her first single: ‘Wuthering Heights’. Wuthering Heights topped the UK Singles Chart for 4 straight weeks. Her most popular single: ‘Running Up That Hill’ has reached over 31 million streams and 771, 568 copies were sold. She stopped producing music due to physical exhaustion from touring, though made a big comeback when her song ‘Running Up That Hill’ was popularised in the TV show, Stranger Things. While she stopped making music decades ago, Kate Bush will never be forgotten.

1990: Bikini Kill

1990-1997

2017-Present Day

Members

Kathleen Hanna- singer, and songwriter

Billy Karren- guitarist

Kathi Wilcox- bassist

Tobi vail- drummer

Bikini Kill is an American punk rock, and also a feminist-centred band, formed in 1990. The members of this band are Kathleen Hanna- the founder, lead singer, and songwriter, Billy Karren, the guitarist, Kathi Wilcox, the bassist, and Tobi Vail, the drummer. They are known as a riot grrrl band, and each of them pioneers of the riot grrrl movement. This was created as girls and women were tired of out-of-hand sexism in the punk music industry. Their most popular songs are: Rebel Girl, Carnival, DemiRep, Alien She, and Double Dare Ya. They disbanded in 1997, after playing their last show in Tokyo due to interpersonal conflicts and further projects for themselves. But in 2017, Kathleen was invited to join Tobi and Kathi for a once-off performance and there, they discussed regrouping and in 2019, Bikini Kill was back again with Kathleen on vocals, Tobi on drums, Kathi on bass and replacing Billy on the guitar- Erica Dawn Lyle.

2000: Shakira

1977-Present Day

On the 2nd of February, 1977, Columbian singer and songwriter Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll was born. Magia and Pelegro were Shakira’s 1st and 2nd albums. While they did not have much success, her next albums Pies Descalzos and Donde Estan los Ladrones? were big successes. In 2021, she released her first English-speaking album Laundry Service. One of her most famous songs is Whenever, Wherever, selling 8.5 million copies worldwide. In 2010, at the FIFA World Cup, she performed Waka Waka (This Time for Africa).

2010: Bruno Mars

1985-Present Day

Starting in Honolulu, Hawaii, fronting his uncle’s band to impersonating the King of Pop- Michael Jackson and finally having his own music career and title. In 2010, Bruno Mars rose to fame from his success of ‘Nothin on You’ and ‘Billionaire’ and on July 20, 2010, he released his first single- ‘Just The Way You Are’. Some of his most popular works are: When I Was Your Man, Talking To The Moon, Locked Out Of Heaven, Leaving The Door Open and Just The Way You Are. He’s received a total of 15 trophies from the Recording Academy and hasn’t lost a single grammy since 2014.

2023: Taylor Swift

1989- Present Day

On the 13th of December 1989, one of the most well-known songwriters and singers was born. In 2006, Taylor released her first album, Taylor Swift. In the next 15 years, she released (in order of release date) Fearless (2008), Speak Now (2010), Red (2012), 1989 (2014), Reputation (2017), Lover (2019), Folklore (2020), Evermore (2020), Fearless (Taylor’s version) (2021), Red (Taylor’s version) (2021) and Midnights (2022). Taylor Swift is one of the most successful songwriters of the current era with an estimated worth of $450 million. We can’t wait for Speak Now (Taylor’s version) later in the year.