Aretha Franklin & McCartney

Who is the greatest singer of all time? Your guess would probably be the same as mine? The Beatles? Or even Elvis Presley? Wait, not so fast.

According to a recent poll done Rolling Stone magazine and a story from Reuters last 11 November 2008, the “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin greatest singer in rock era.

Born March 25, 1942, Aretha Louise Franklin is known for her soul music but also has a large repertoire of jazz, rock, blues, pop and gospel. After Alison Krauss, she is the second most honored female singer in Grammy history with 20 Grammy Awards, which includes the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

Photo of Aretha Franklin was taken by Ryan Arrowsmith during a performance at the Nokia Theater in Dallas, Texas, last April 21, 2007.

And just a few nights ago, Chief and I caught her performance on “The View.”

And guess who is number two? Ray Charles. Elvis Presley came in third. Sam Cooke came in 4th while John Lennon was 5th.

Other musicians in the list include Marvin Gaye was No. 6, Dylan at No. 7, Otis Redding No. 8, and Stevie Wonder at No. 9. and James Brown No. 10.

My favorite Sir Paul McCartney came in 11th. Photo of Sir Paul McCartney when he turned 64 last 18th June 2006. Remember the song “Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I am 64” which he recorded when he was 24. Wow.

Around 179 musicians, producers, Rolling Stone editors, and other music-industry insiders were surveyed by the magazine and the list will be published this week in Rolling Stone Magazine.

The 100-strong list will be published on Friday, when Rolling Stone hits the newsstands with four different covers.