Top 10 Best R&B Singers of All Time
R&B is the genre that brought us soul-soaked confessions, sensual grooves, and those late-night tracks that somehow explain exactly how you're feeling even when you don't have the words yourself.R&B, short for rhythm and blues, has always been more than just a sound. It's a feeling. It's the aching falsetto in a breakup ballad, the confident swagger in a groove-heavy banger, and the velvet tone that slides into your ears and sticks with you for days. It blends emotion with style, rawness with polish. At its best, R&B artists don't just sing. They bleed through the speakers. Their voices carry stories of love, struggle, redemption, and sometimes just the thrill of the dance floor.
The genre has constantly evolved. From the smoky clubs and Motown studios of the '60s and '70s to the genre-blurring experiments of modern-day hitmakers, R&B has changed shapes many times. Classic crooners gave way to silky smooth vocalists, then to artists who fuse soul, pop, hip-hop, and even electronic elements. Still, the defining trait of a great R&B singer has remained the same. They make you feel something.
This list of the best R&B singers is a celebration of those voices that have moved generations. These are the artists who've given you slow dances, ugly cries, late-night road trip anthems, and maybe even that one song you sent to your crush in high school hoping they'd finally get the hint. Think someone deserves more love? Vote them up and help shape the list of the greatest R&B voices to ever do it.

The greatest R&B artist ever. If his singing language were English, he would break all the records. He was releasing hits after hits every week, and by the end of the week, all Farsi-speaking people were singing them. Now, he is arrested in Iran, so we pray for his freedom.
King Amir Tataloo is the best of all-time human being in history. If you can call him human because he is more than any human. He is the champion of my generation and the greatest teacher for his society. He has brought many new styles into the world from lifestyle and music to sports. No one can even be compared and near him.

I was blown away when I first listened to Michael Jackson's Butterflies a cappella. His range, pitch, and delivery as a singer are perfect. Not only that, but Michael can sing all kinds of styles such as Broadway, rock, soul, and classical. Did you know Michael Jackson was also an incredible beatboxer?


I'm kinda okay with Luther Vandross or Michael Jackson (who, let's be honest, inspired Brian himself in some way) being above him. But I wouldn't put Usher, Akon, or Nicole Scherzinger (who are good but not as legendary as Brian) above him, and I definitely would not put Chris Brown or Beyoncé (who are very overrated) even near him!
Love McKnight! His voice takes me to another dimension.
Come on, him and Joe are supposed to be in the top five, not Chris Brown or Beyonce.

I think he's good. Confessions is one of my favorite R&B albums of all time, and Here I Stand is great too. But he's definitely not better than Joe, Brian McKnight, Johnny Gill, Luther, Teddy, Marvin, etc.

Beyoncé above Luther is an insult to music. Beyoncé isn't even R&B, pop is not R&B!
Beyoncé and Chris Brown above Luther? Wow. They shouldn't even be in the top 50. There are so many better singers than overrated Beyoncé and Chris Brown!
Luther should be number one. He's the master of vocal notes.

She's got an incredible voice (as demonstrated by her live performances), but sadly she doesn't sing as much R&B as she should and instead makes mostly generic pop music that hides her beautiful, soulful voice.
It is a shame too, because she really could have been unstoppable as an R&B artist with great music.
She has a great voice, and I wish she had more true R&B songs to show it off. Plus, don't forget she's fine!
Nicole Scherzinger! No doubt about this chick!

He has one of the best voices I've ever heard! It's upsetting that people with so little talent are more famous than him.
He needs to be higher! He should be above Beyoncé, the pretentious mainstream artist, and Chris Brown, who is nowhere as good as Johnny is and uses auto-tune on every song!

He has one of the best lyrical and flowing songs. Konvict and Koncrete are two of his albums that reached platinum.

This list is just sad. How is the man who inspired all of these people not even in the top five, let alone the top 10! And to make it worse, he is under Beyoncé, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Drake, Eminem, and The Weeknd as well as some singers who are good but are not as legendary as Teddy.
Teddy is an R&B GOAT and should be in the top five.
Usher is good and deserves a spot on this list, but definitely not higher than Teddy, Luther, or Marvin.
The Newcomers
Super underrated singer! If you love soulful, sophisticated R&B and have never heard of this man before, do yourself a huge favor and give his music a listen. You will be hooked for good!

He has some R&B songs here and there, but he's more of a rapper to be honest. But I do think he's a better R&B singer than he is as a rapper. As an R&B singer, he's kind of like a better version of The-Dream.

He's much better than The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. Him and BJ the Chicago Kid are the best doing it right now!
For a 2010s artist, he's one of the few good ones.

Uncle Charlie definitely should be higher than Drake, the Canadian crybaby, and The Weeknd, the whiny pop artist. That's for sure.

He should clearly be much higher. What is Drake even doing above him? He is a rapper. He is arguably the most successful artist in the world, and his songs back it up. If you think he is overrated, just watch The Hills, Starboy, or Wicked Games, and you will see that he is worth the hype.
He has amazing vocals. Listen to "Wicked Games." "Starboy" is awesome and sincere. Just like Beyoncé's "Hold Up," his "The Hills" and "Party Monster" reveal his darker persona. He should be at least number 10 on the list.
This man set the bar for modern R&B. His trilogy is still one of the best albums ever.

He definitely has his great moments, but then he also has his awful stuff (like Black Panties). I personally wouldn't put him in my top 5 or maybe not even top 10, but probably definitely in the top 20.
One of the greatest R&B singers of all time is not number 1 and is below Chris Brown, the mainstream pop artist? Akon, who is good but not as legendary as R. Kelly, is above him? And Beyoncé, the pretentious mainstream artist?

This is just insulting. How is she not at least in the top 3? And she is under Beyoncé and Rihanna? Those girls are nowhere near Whitney and could never dream of being half as great as she was. "Saving All My Love" is better than Beyoncé's entire career.
It's an insult to have her listed so low. Easily one of the greatest inspirations for a lot of R&B artists (especially women).
No one can sing better than Whitney!



She's the queen, nobody can top her. Beyoncé, take notes.

With his incorporation of K-pop elements, he's somewhat strayed from his R&B roots. However, every now and then he releases a song that'll remind you he is an R&B artist.


Maybe people have heard an Al Green song. They just didn't know the song was his. Another trailblazer for R&B artists.

This guy is the grandfather of modern R&B, and it's a shame few people even know about him. From Michael and Prince to Usher and Ne-Yo, James Brown paved the way for all of the artists we have now.

Given a lot of his new music isn't really R&B anymore, his older works are definitely worthy of some recognition. From 'With You' to 'No Air' with Jordin Sparks, Chris definitely has it in him if he ever chooses to go back to it.
To say this guy is talented is an understatement. He isn't even my favorite R&B artist. People will hate on him because of his previous problems, and he's not quite the role model, but this list isn't about that! He is definitely one of the best voices in R&B now.
It's odd that he's hated now these days. He used to do good songs.

She's not as good as she once was, but she set a high standard for female R&B artists.