Top 10 Greatest Musical Entertainers of All Time
There are many great entertainers, but there are a select few who can induce tears and fainting before they even begin to sing. There are artists who meet expectations, and artists who shatter them. There are singers who raise the bar, and singers who break the bar. Many entertainers' art is music. To some, music turns into art. The following, in order, are the artists and singers and entertainers who have exceeded expectation, broken the bar, and transformed their music into art.
Just the fact that a little black boy from a Midwestern town was able to become a seemingly mythical pop legend is mind-blowing. The electrifying dance moves and angelic voice just add to the recipe that makes up Michael Jackson, the greatest entertainer of all time. He revolutionized music and was the first artist to turn it into art. His extraordinary wardrobe, his take on the music video, and his amazing dances made his music come alive. He pioneered the music video format with Thriller, and none of his videos disappointed. He never settled and was never second-best. For him, it was all or nothing. If he couldn't excite and please his fans, he didn't want to do it at all. His perseverance, perfectionism, talent, and hard work is what makes him the greatest entertainer of all time.
Michael Jackson is the one and only. I'm 36 and I feel blessed I managed to witness his peaking years in the 80's. I was military brat, living overseas, and I must say, Michael Jackson was the most popular artist. Everyone imitated his dance moves and his music was heard everywhere. I've never met anyone who has not heard of the King of Pop. The fact that his fame is GLOBAL proves his success and passion for his music. I never heard of the Beatles or Elvis Presley until we moved to the U.S. Michael is blessed with pure talent and originality. He proved it from when he was still a little kid with the Jackson 5 and he peaked as a solo artist; the Beatles would be nothing without each other. It's proven that they fell off the charts when the band broke up. Elvis now? He was mostly famous because teenage girls at that time had no other "hottie" to idolize. Did Elvis dance like Michael? Did he entertain like Mike GLOBALLY? Nope. That proves everything. I'm not even talking about all of ...more
I have seen them all. The Beatles. Elvis Presley. Everybody on the music scene today. And hands down Michael Jackson is the greatest talent this world has ever seen and will ever see. If you think "Thriller" is the best example of his talent you have seen nothing. Michael is a triple threat -- singer, dancer and songwriter and is outstanding at all three. There has never been somebody who did that. Watching him perform is a religious experience. Just watch his fans -- crying and fainting. And on top of this untouchable talent is a heart full of love for everybody. I am sad to think we will never see this again.
He is the greatest entertainer to have ever lived, hands down. An absolute genius who bound every piece of his heart, soul, and being to his craft, his humanitarianism, and to his fans. An absolute perfectionist, a God of his craft.The most incredible human to have graced this planet. His talent, his angelic character, and everything else about him were things we didn't even deserve. He set this solid image of what a black man is capable of. What a HUMAN BEING is capable of. Michael Jackson is an example of how tremendous of an impact an individual can have. He broke all boundaries possible. This world treated him so cruelly for no valid reason, yet he pushed and gave it his all until the end. I wish people overlooked all of the false, media garbage and acknowledged his intellect, his uniqueness, and his phenomenal charity/humanitarian work. I will love him until the end of time.

She has the voice. The body. The moves. Performances that will blow your mind. She comes with something new every time. She does her thing without bothering anyone or trying to be more than anyone, she just does her thing without trying to break records or sell numbers.
She shows respect, appreciation and does the tributes to other huge artist. Artist admire her. And the ones who hate her, doesn't really hate her, they hate that people talk as she was some kind of god and that's not her fault. I kinda think that she is underrated because radios don't play her music and they compare her to other s that are not on her level
Vocal perfection. Stunning visuals. Hard-hitting choreography, frequent costume changes... and every single costume seems like it was made specifically for the song she was performing. Definitely one of the GOATs, no other female performer (or performer in general) can compare, except maybe Gaga
The absolute most outstanding performer and vocalist of all time. Whether stunning with her intense dance moves, beauty or angelic vocal gymnastics she is never out of place, out of breath or not being her best, the best, performer of all time on the stage or off it.
She's the standard for performer excellence. She carries MJs torch, and no one in the industry can do what this woman does. Her staging, production, singing, dancing, visuals, and showmanship makes her the best female performer alive.

Instead of pointing out that Madonna doesn't have the best voice in the business, how about pointing out that she dominated the 80s with live vocals in her shows with no backing tracks. She's a workaholic, and much of that work has been on herself--getting better and better at singing and dancing and expressing herself in her shows in some very innovative and incredible ways. She was born to be a live entertainer and every concert feels fresh and different from the one before. I've seen many live performers over the years and Madonna was only rivalled by Prince and Michael Jackson when it comes to seeing a superhero appear onstage before you. She raidates inspiration.
She created the modern notion of "pop artist" not to mention her huge influence on our notions of "female strength" and "shock value". A Master in the art of marketing musing, and live performing. 4 years of media/artistic hegemony like no other artist did.
The Top 5 ends here with Madonna Ciccone, arguably the most successful female artist of all time. Madonna's daring performances and irrestistible tunes both angered and excited people all over the world. Some say she is far too overrated; some insist she is overlooked. Whatever it may be, Madonna's sultry shows and Marilynesque style makes her an unforgettable piece of 80s and 90s pop culture.
Definitely my favorite of all time. The scope of live concert tours would be very different today had Madonna not come around. She continues to raise the bar even now 30 years into her career.

He was the King; one cannot get into 4 Official Music Halls of Fame without a reason. Another thing to remember is that he has outsold every other solo performer, and is on par with the Beatles (both having claimed to sell over one billion records). To thro into the mix is that he had such emotion and passion that he put into the really good songs, and it made these recordings amazing. Also, when he was younger (from when he started out, until about 1973), his dance/karate moves were amazing.
Everyone who has ever enjoyed modern music has this man and his peers to thank (guys like Little Richard, Chuck Berry, etc). If it wasn't for all of them, the Beatles, Michael Jackson, and so much of the music that we now love and enjoy would not be here. And if you don't believe this, remember that John Lennon himself said that it was Elvis who had got him into music.
Michael Jackson was a gifted dancer, and to some, a gifted singer. He didn't have the range or vocal versatility that Elvis had, and of course he sure didn't have the natural good looks. Elvis could sing gospel, rock and roll, R&B, country, and he sure could sing love songs like no one else. His charisma was undeniably unmatched by anyone, including Michael Jackson. He was on a first name basis with the entire world, and yet never performed outside of the US. His voice was recognizable world wide, as was his picture. He changed music, and music was never the same after Elvis. Bottom line, any list that puts anyone above Elvis Presley is a flawed list. They need to step back and look at the entire package again.
Elvis Presley launched rock and roll. Yes, there were other people at the beginning but they did not have the power and the audience to propel rock and roll into the dominant music of both the 20th and the 21st Century. Elvis influenced the entire genre. Think if he had lived to 70, like McCartney! He died at 42. The biggest solo performer in record sales in history and his sales were made when records were much less common purchases and when the statistics of records sold were primitive. The world is on a first name basis with Elvis and the man died in 1977...40 YEARS ago. Dead! 40 years ago. Not in his heyday for 57 years!
Elvis Presley, hands down was the best entertainer of all time. Elvis died 40+ years ago and people still talk about him and play his music. His home, Graceland is the most visted house in America, it is a national historic landmark. What other artist can say that? He's been gone for so long but people from all around the world go and visit! It really is incredible, I had the privilege to go and let me tell you I want to go again! Mind you I didn't grow up in his time era (unfortunately) I'm just 21. Not only was he the greatest but he was also such a genuine person and so giving. Lets not forget he was a veteran! He was a remarkable human being and his charisma and presence speaks volumes. All he had to do was stand there on stage without saying a word and thousands would cheer. Sure there has been great artist and currently are amazing artist but there's never been anyone quite like Elvis Presley and there never will be.

Dude had it all. He could shred with the best. He could sing with the best. No one, except maybe Meat Loaf, poured themselves out to the audience with every ounce of energy they had like Prince did. And some of his most beautiful work is stuff 99% of the people never heard, because they weren't radio hits. But it was beautiful art. It's hard to compare, because everyone has their own niche, but, in my opinion he and Meat Loaf should be floating around the top. Elvis was a great vocalist. He engaged the crowd. But he didn't put on a SHOW like Prince. Find Prince's Super Bowl half time performance, in a torrential downpour. He killed it. Rain didn't bother him, or his dancers. Anyone who thinks this guy isn't one of the best knows nothing about music or entertainment. Or Prince. That's what it looks like from where I'm standing, anyway.
Prince was not only a singer, but he was a truly talented musician in the 80s till today before his unfortunate death. I love Prince because I look up to him. His music brings a great impact on the entertainment industry. Most of his songs are so unique and full of variety. From a Jimi Hendrix sound-alike song 'Dreamer' to A love letter to Funk fans, "Raspberry Beret". His songs are way too incredible to listen. Let's not forget to mention his biggest hit 'Purple Rain', a song with the sound of Progressive Rock with a blend of New Wave and Pop. It's my favourite song of all time. This man can play the guitar, bass, drums, piano and 27 other instruments which I can't name. It's sad we lost a legend along with Michael Jackson. Prince defined the generation with his music as well as style. I can't say any more because he's the greatest musical entertainers of all time
Prince Rogers Nelson was the baddest musician to ever take foot into the music industry. He was not given the recognition he deserved. This is a man that could pick up an instrument and outshine a person that has been learning to play it their whole life. He framed music into his own view of perfection; he didn't need producers and directors to make a hit he knew what he needed and he applied it. Who have you ever seen go from an electric guitar to a harmonica.? I didn't think so. Purple Rain, 1999, Little red corvette... These are just a few of the many hits prince has made.."all of his songs are sexual" I strongly disagree prince had music that was based strictly on his religious beliefs and he had music that peopled viewed as sexual that were really not enforcing a dirty double meaning... yes he had some nasty records but like he said in a late interview," take some music from the songs today and you have straight pornography" I absolutely agree, what this man made was simply magic ...more
Prince is the greatest. All of the other artist on this list are loved. Prince has always been an industry outsider and hated for the most part, but it was his talent that has kept him afloat. I can remember the industry denying him a star on the walk of fame and then turned right around and gave Mary Heart of Entertainment Tonight a star: She only reports on people like prince, go figure!

He is simply the best entertainer ever. The man with crown James Brown. He has made dance and singing an art to watch and to enjoy. He has reinvent singing, dancing and entertaining a live audience. There is still some to come to surpass this guy. He has the voice, he has the dance, he has the mentality, he is the Einstein of music and the Napoleon of the podium, James Brown the Godfather of Soul.
Soul brother number one. God father of sould and King of Soul and R&B. Most sampled artist of all time. Nobody can beat James Brown. Michael Jackson himself confirmed in one event that James Brown was his biggest influence in music and dance.
James Brown is one of the greatest entertainers to have ever lived. If there were no Mr. Brown there would be no Prince or Michael Jackson, and there would be no such thing as funk and or hip-hop, ask Dr. Funkenstein, he'll tell ya himself.
"Toe-Knee"
James Brown completely upstaged 'The Stones' at the TAMI show, he should not be below them in any chart. Top 3 all time showmen with MJ and Freddie Mercury

The most professional, hard-working, dynamic and unique female musical act ever. Legend. And just a wonderful person, to boot. There will never be another Tina Turner.
Tina Turner could do more on stage at 60 than Beyoncé could now. I'm not taking anything away from Beyoncé but until you see Tina Turner in person you really can't compare them. Her show was actually what I would call Savage and Raw. Nothing like her.
The Greatest female entertainer of all time!
This woman is electrifying on stage.She is like a force of nature...

She belongs right behind her brother because she is the greatest female entertainer of all time. She doesn't need Michael she can do it own her own and that's why we love her so much
Michael has nothing to do with it. The Jacksons just have natural talent!
She isn't overrated and neither is Michael.
Why the hell is she not on the main list?

Queen, or at least Freddie, deserves to be number 1. They weren't afraid to take risks, like with Bohemian Rhapsody. They performed one of the greatest pieces of music in history (Live Aid). Their combination of vocal ranges was just amazing, not to mention they sounded the same live as they did in the studio. They had the ability to capture every single person in the room, no matter how many people were there. Their songs were captivating; they made you feel a thousand different emotions and left the meaning of their songs a secret so everyone could have their own personal connection to the song. Additionally, every member had written a hit song, which shows how connected they were. They were the first band to do so, like Brian, who was the first person to write a song about time travel ('39). Freddie was an amazing musician and performer. He reached out to everyone in the room and told them they could be who they wanted to be while he was trying to discover himself. Their concerts ...more
The Beatles and Jackie Evancho have no business on this list. They were/are very good singers, but "Greatest Singers" is not the subject of this poll. The Beatles stood in one spot and sang their songs, and that's all Jackie does. How can that possibly be called entertaining?
Have you ever heard Janet Jackson's first album? The girl can't sing one bit. She had the good sense to get with the fantastic writing and producing duo Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and they made her a superstar with songs that appealed to the masses but anyone can sing them. She was talent-less without them. Similar goes for Madonna and Beyonce. At least they are both good singers, but what would they be without their writers, producers, and choreographers? They would be nothing. And well, Mick Jagger just ran around acting like a fool on stage like most of the other rockers.
Real entertainers are born. They don't need and don't have teams of people telling them what to do, how to do it, and when to ...more
Best songs of all time and best concerts were performed via Freddie Mercury. When he sang all stadium would feel his presence. I think when he was on stage he felt like at home, if you would let me say his second home. Its to bad he isn't here to sing for us one last time.
Freddie Mercury should be at the top of this list. He is far better than the people in the top 10.His performances were magnificent and the effect he had on the crowd is unparalleled. The others don't hold a candle in front of him, DARLING!

The best performer of ALL TIME why isn't he the nr1 of this list. People wake up!
Pure genius, the true total performer.
Best stage performance combined with great vocals in different styles

I have personally seen "live" in concert: the Rolling Stones, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, James Brown, the Beach Boys, Eric Clapton, Prince, Fleetwood Mac, Elton John, The Eagles, and many other HOF acts. I know what greatness looks like, and Jackie Evancho is true greatness.
Its very funny that the haters seem to always be fans of Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato and other worthless pop princesses.
What is a little disconcerting is that the haters seem unable to comprehend that somebody could actually disagree with them, and could dare to vote differently than they would. Welcome to life, get used to it.
She is the whole package: immensely talented, cute, funny, positive and caring. She lights up everything around her.
The affect she has on the audience is astounding.
Comes across as genuine and humble, even naive, but has a voice that is other-worldly!
We've seen some of the greats of music but Jackie Evancho is the only one that we would travel anywhere in the world to hear sing. And she is only 17.

Watch the celia cruz tribute in the ama's 2013 and opening dance number at the ama's 2015. She should be in top 5
She should be in top 10
Should be in the top 10

David Bowie is very unique and I like him so much. He's my 2nd biggest influence
Very unique and cool.

The Beatles were nothing if not epic. Their albums were so ambitious and out-there they crossed back to mainstream. The Beatles managed to get pyschedellic pop to Number One. The Beatles made girls cry just by standing onstage. Never has any band achieved so much success. The Beatles are still being swooned over by females from age fifty to age fifteen. The Beatles were like crack cocaine: they were short-lived, made people become ecstatic, and left everyone wishing for more.
The Beatles wrote their own material, pushed the boundaries of music, challenged their contemporaries to keep up and opened the door for everyone who followed. No one stands above them. Not even the vastly overrated Michael jackson
Trumps Michael Jackson every time. They wrote music heads and tails above him and had depth and creativity that he could never imagine!
They are number one. Michael Jackson doesn't have an ounce of the creativity, ingenuity and intelligence they had!

Cher is known as "The Goddess of Pop"! How is she not in the top ten?
She is the Goddess! No one compares.
Cher is the best!


Chithra is just so totally unique, and... the world needs to see and hear such a nice young lady with so much talent. "
"surprisingly beautiful voice - original"
"Wonderful singer would graciate any stage
Although Chithra is fairly new to the music scene, she has already inspired countless people, including myself, to never be afraid to be different. Her outlandish costumes and extravagant stage shows, along with the artistry of her music, have proven that Chithra is here to stay. Her songs explore aspects of real life, written down in clever lyrics and put to a catchy beat.. She does a fantastic job of capturing a moment in time and presenting it to our generation.
Chithra has a lot to give. Her voice is strong, well controlled, and agile. Power is the most wonderful thing on her voice; and by power I mean her soul when she sing. I think her voice has no limits. Like I said she has a lot to give unpredictably. Chithra is full of surprises!
She controls the crowd every single time. All eyes on her, yet you feel so connected and intimate because no matter the size of the attendance, she makes sure that her eyes are on you.
Amazing voice, fantastic person, and obviously she can sing many different genres.


On the start of her career, she performed at an event called the Lollapalooza Festival during 2007 whereby a record label company Interscope found her due to her performance being “amusing” to watch. Since Interscope found her, she was a mastermind behind her songs with a team of producers namely Rob Fusari and RedOne. Most of her songs were deep unreleased cuts, due to her having more than 30 songs and 17 were picked. ...read more.
Although GaGa is fairly new to the music scene, she has already inspired countless people, including myself, to never be afraid to be different. Her outlandish costumes and extravagant stage shows, along with the artistry of her music, have proven that GaGa is here to stay. Her albums explore aspects of real life, written down in clever lyrics and put to a catchy beat. "Beautiful, Dirty, Rich" on The Fame talks about the prep school club scene in NYC. She does a fantastic job of capturing a moment in time and presenting it to our generation.

Hey, I'm a Prince fan, but he couldn't hold a candle to Frank as far as being an entertainer. Just because you like someone does not make them a great entertainer. They might be a great musician or songwriter, but entertainer is different. The Beatles were not entertainers. Frank was called the Chairman of the Board for a reason. He took control of every stage he walked on like no other except maybe Michael Jackson. Patti Labelle should be on this list too, but don't give me Madonna or Beyonce. Please..
Unparalleled command of stage and screen. THE idol and symbol of America in his time. And that voice.
Greatest entertainer along with Elvis of all time.

She's the best princess of pop. I love her performances and the ones from her prime era is untouchable.

How is this 14? Madonna, Elvis, MJ, Beyoncé and frankly almost everyone above pink Floyd on this list ain't got $*it on pink Floyd, pink Floyd does not lip sync, they do not get famous for some stupid dance or whatever, the reason Pink Floyd got famous was because they made some of the most beautiful music and most deep lyrics, Pink Floyd is the absolute puriest music you can hear, if I meat an alien, and need to show him one musical artist that completely defines what music is, is show that alien Pink Floyd
Omg, are you serious? Lady Gaga, Chithra, Miley Cyrus, and Madonna above Pink Floyd? Sorry, but that is just wrong. Many of the fake artists I mentioned lip-sync, but all can't sing. Pink Floyd is the ultimate stoner music; it is the closest thing to a drug I can think of. Their live shows are pretty awesome too. They were among the first to use bright-colored light shows then their live. All these artists I mentioned are gonna die soon anyway. Bands like Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Pink Floyd will live on forever.

2006 Williams entered the Guinness Book of World Records for selling 1.6 million tickets of his Close Encounters Tour in a single day.
Total perfection in every way.
His live concerts are the best I've ever seen.
By far the most charismatic and entertaining, the full package...


Most people remember her as the girl next door Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. But she did 2 movies a few years later: "Babes in Arms", and "Babes on Broadway" that really showcased her incredible talent. Unfortunately those movies are never shown on T.V. or cable because they each had small vaudeville blackface scenes that are not politically correct. She was quite beautiful in her early 20's before the amphetamines Hollywood studios gave her slowly tarnished her looks and health. Fred Astaire said she was the greatest entertainer that ever lived. That pretty much says it all.
Sadly, Judy Garland passed too early for many young people to experience her amazing talent!
No one has ever possessed her wealth of talent!
Her 'singing' communicated with her audience like no other will ever be able to accomplish!
Her ability to 'act' is amazing, even in light that she never was able to really get the 'serious' roles because we loved her too much to in her 'singing' roles!
She could 'dance' with the best of them, Gene Kelly, Fred Astair, or just by herself!
She possessed a 'comedic' skill that was admired by none other than Lucille Ball!
Yet it was her 'empathy' and 'tender sincerity' that drew us to her and made us all love and root for her!
Even in her darkest days of drugs and when she was most ill in the late 60s this unsurpassable talent entertained her audiences in the most unbelievable manner. Nobody can ever mimick or beat a voice and a presence like Miss Judy Garland.
She was the greatest entertaining talent on the world stage and ended up with nothing at all, she had nothing left but the audience that loved her, what else counts?