Queen's Freddie Mercury voted The Greatest Rock Singer of All Time

There were just 255 votes between the top two

Freddie Mercury on stage with Queen in 1982
Author: Scott ColothanPublished 28th May 2024
Last updated 28th May 2024

Queen legend Freddie Mercury has been voted The Greatest Rock Singer of All Time by listeners of our sister station Planet Rock.

Following similar polls in recent years including The 50 Greatest Rock Albums of All Time and The Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time, over the past month Planet Rock listeners have been voting for their favourite rock vocalists.

A total of 8,627 votes were cast, and it was an open poll meaning that any rock singer in the history of music was eligible for inclusion.

Who is the Greatest Rock Singer of All Time?

Testament to his enduring legacy and popularity, Queen's Freddie Mercury took the crown as The Greatest Rock Singer of All Time with an impressive 13.4% of the total vote.

Queen legend Freddie Mercury

Narrowly missing out on the Number 1 spot, and just 255 votes behind Freddie Mercury, was late-great heavy metal titan Ronnie James Dio who picked up 10.5% of all listener votes.

Other big names inside the Top 10 include Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant, Alter Bridge and Slash vocalist Myles Kennedy, Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson, Soundgarden and Audioslave legend Chris Cornell, and Whitesnake’s David Coverdale.

Heart’s Ann Wilson was the highest placing female vocalist at Number 8, with eminent artists including Janis Joplin, Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks, and Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale also making the Top 50.

Heart vocalist Ann Wilson

Iconic singers that picked up votes but failed to dent the Top 50 include Van Halen’s David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, KISS’ Paul Stanley, Alex Harvey, Within Temptation's Sharon den Adel, Jim Morrison and John Fogerty.

The 50 Greatest Rock Singers of All Time:

50) Beth Hart


49) Sebastian Bach

Bands a member of: Skid Row, Madam X, Damnocracy, solo artist

48) Elvis Presley


47) Mike Patton

Bands a member of: Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, FantĂ´mas, Tomahawk, Dead Cross, Peeping Tom, Lovage, Kaada/Patton, Hemophiliac, Nevermen

46) Layne Staley

Bands a member of: Alice in Chains, Mad Season, Class of '99

45) Sammy Hagar

Bands a member of: Van Halen, Montrose, Sammy Hagar & the Waboritas, Chickenfoot, Sammy Hagar and the Circle, Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve, Planet Us.

44) Chester Bennington

Bands a member of: Linkin Park, Dead by Sunrise, Grey Daze, Kings of Chaos, Stone Temple Pilots

43) Jon Anderson

Bands a member of: Yes, The Warriors, Mabel Greer's Toyshop, ,Jon and Vangelis, Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe, Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin, Rick Wakeman

42) Bruce Springsteen


41) David Draiman

Bands a member of: Disturbed

40) James Hetfield

Bands a member of: Metallica

39) Dave Grohl

Bands a member of: Foo Fighters (vocals, guitar); Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures, Scream, Mondo Generator (drummer and backing vocals); Sound City Players, (vocals, guitar and drums); Probot (lead guitar, drums, bass)

38) Geddy Lee

Bands a member of: Rush, The Big Dirty Band (bass only).

37) Steve Marriott

Bands a member of: Small Faces, Humble Pie, solo artist

36) David Bowie


35) Shane Greenhall

Bands a member of: Those Damn Crows

34) Danny Vaughn

Bands a member of: Tyketto, Waysted, Vaughn, Snake Oil & Harmony, solo

33) Mick Jagger

Bands a member of: The Rolling Stones, From the Inside, The Illegal Eagles, Burning Kingdom

32) Lemmy

Bands a member of: Motörhead, Hawkwind, The Rockin' Vickers, Opal Butterfly, The Damned, The Head Cat, Sam Gopal

31) Jay Buchanan

Bands a member of: Rival Sons

30) Geoff Tate

Bands a member of: QueensrĂżche, Operation: Mindcrime, Sweet Oblivion, solo artist

29) Eddie Vedder

Bands a member of: Pearl Jam, Temple of the Dog, Hovercraft, Bad Radio

28) Janis Joplin

Bands a member of: A solo artist who also performed with Big Brother and the Holding Company

27) Phil Lynott

Bands a member of: Thin Lizzy, Grand Slam, The Greedies, Skid Row

26) Stevie Nicks

Bands a member of: Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham Nicks and an esteemed solo artist

25) Brian Johnson

Bands a member of: AC/DC, Geordie

24) Glenn Hughes

Bands a member of: Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Trapeze, Black Country Communion, The Dead Daisies, Finders Keepers, Hughes/Thrall, Phenomena, Hughes Turner Project, Michael Men Project, Kings of Chaos, California Breed, solo artist.

23) Brent Smith

Bands a member of: Shinedown, Smith & Myers

22) Roger Daltrey

Bands a member of: The Who

21) Floor Jansen

Bands a member of: Nightwish, Northward

20) Meat Loaf


19) Axl Rose

Bands a member of: Guns N' Roses, Hollywood Rose, L.A. Guns

18) Steven Tyler

Bands a member of: Aerosmith, Chain Reaction

17) Noddy Holder

Bands a member of: Slade

16) Steve Perry

Bands a member of: Journey, solo artist

15) Rob Halford

Bands a member of: Judas Priest, Halford, Fight, 2wo

14) Ozzy Osbourne

Bands a member of: Black Sabbath, solo artist

13) Danny Bowes

Bands a member of: Thunder, Terraplane, Nuthin' Fancy, Bowes & Morley

12) Lzzy Hale

Bands a member of: Halestorm, Skid Row (temporary singer)

11) Bon Scott

Bands a member of: AC/DC, Fraternity, The Valentines, The Spektors

10) Chris Cornell

Bands a member of: Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog, solo artist

9) Ian Gillan

Bands a member of: Deep Purple, Gillan, Black Sabbath, The Javelins, Episode Six, Ian Gillan Band, Gillan & Glover, WhoCares

8) Ann Wilson

Bands a member of: Heart, solo artist

7) David Coverdale

Bands a member of: Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Coverdale-Page

6) Bruce Dickinson

Bands a member of: Iron Maiden, Samson, solo artist

5) Myles Kennedy

Bands a member of: Alter Bridge, Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, Kings of Chaos, solo artist

4) Paul Rodgers

Bands a member of: Free, Bad Company, The Firm, The Law, Queen + Paul Rodgers, solo artist

3) Robert Plant

Bands a member of: Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Band of Joy, The Honeydrippers, various solo bands

2) Ronnie James Dio

Bands a member of: Dio, Black Sabbath, Heaven & Hell, Rainbow, Elf, Ronnie & The Red Caps, Ronnie Dio & The Prophets, The Electric Elves, The Elves

1) Freddie Mercury

Bands a member of: Queen, Ibex Sour, Milk Sea

Listen to Absolute Radio across the UK on your digital radio, the free Rayo app, by hitting that play button on the bottom of your screen or by asking your smart speaker to "play Absolute Radio".