Top 10 Pop Artists of All Time (from ‘About.com’)

10. Mariah Carey

Courtesy Columbia Records

With 18 under her belt, Mariah Carey is the only currently recording artist in striking distance of

reaching the Beatles' all-time record of 20 #1 pop singles in the US. Her collaboration with Boyz II

Men on "One Sweet Day" spent 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 which remains a record.

Mariah Carey's vocal range and melismatic approach are trademarks that have influenced

countless other female vocalists in the past two decades.

Essential Songs

"Fantasy"

"Vision of Love"

"Dreamlover"

"We Belong Together"

"Hero"

9. Stevie Wonder

Courtesy Motown

Stevie Wonder emerged in the early 1960s as a precocious child star with one of the most

infectious live hits ever recorded, "Fingertips - Pt. 2." Through the rest of the decade and early

1970s he matured as an artist until he took full artistic control as singer, musician, producer and

songwriter. His music ranged across styles, but usually remained rooted in highly rhythmic

textures. The songs are noted for their positive outlook even when dealing with difficult social

issues. After over 45 years Stevie Wonder continues to record for his original label Motown.

Essential Songs

"Superstition"

"Sir Duke"

"Fingertips - Pt. 2"

"If You Really Love Me"

"Living for the City"

Top 10 Pop Artists of All Time (from ‘About.com’)

8. Michael Jackson

Courtesy Epic

Michael Jackson, with the possible exception of Elvis Presley, was the epitome of larger than life

pop music figures. He hit the pop spotlight as a child of 11 in 1969 with his brothers in the group

Jackson 5. At the end of the next decade he emerged as a young adult recording artist. Michael

Jackson recorded Thriller, the bestselling album of all time, and was the world's biggest pop star in

the late 1980s. Sadly he died suddenly at age 50 in 2009.

Essential Songs

"Billie Jean"

"Black or White"

"Man in the Mirror"

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"

"You Are Not Alone"

7. The Rolling Stones

Courtesy Decca Records

Originally many saw the Rolling Stones as sort of a scruffy, explicit anti-Beatles. However, through

the decades to come the group developed their own distinctive status as "the world's greatest rock

and roll band." They have been responsible for bringing strong influences of American blues into

the pop mainstream and remain one of the world's top live bands.

Essential Songs

"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

"Brown Sugar"

"Miss You"

"Honky Tonk Women"

"Paint It, Black"

6. Barbra Streisand

Top 10 Pop Artists of All Time (from ‘About.com’)

Courtesy Columbia Records

Barbra Streisand is the bestselling female album artist of all time in the US. She is also a pioneer

among women in filmmaking having become a successful director as well as actor. Her success is

particularly notable, because her primary vocal style remains outside of the pop mainstream yet

she has released five #1 pop singles.

Essential Songs

"The Way We Were"

"Woman In Love"

"People"

"Love Theme from 'A Star Is Born' (Evergreen)"

"Stoney End"

5. Frank Sinatra

Courtesy Reprise Records

Frank Sinatra is the most successful pop artist at transcending the era of swing and pop standards

to remain a recording star after the advent of rock 'n roll. He first hit Billboard singles charts in

1939. His last significant chart hit, "Theme from New York, New York," appeared over 40 years

later in 1980 when he was 64. Frank Sinatra is the recipient of 11 Grammy Awards as well as an

Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in From Here to Eternity. Frank Sinatra died in 1998 at

the age of 82.

Essential Songs

"Strangers In the Night"

"Theme from New York, New York"

"My Way"

"Love and Marriage"

"Somethin' Stupid" with Nancy Sinatra

4. Madonna

Top 10 Pop Artists of All Time (from ‘About.com’)

Courtesy Warner Bros.

Madonna has released 37 top 10 pop hits in the US, more than any other artist. She also ranks as

the top dance artist of all time. Seven of her albums have debuted at #1 in the US. She is a

member of the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.

Essential Songs

"Like a Prayer"

"Vogue"

"Music"

"Like a Virgin"

"Ray of Light"

3. Elton John

Courtesy MCA

Elton John is the foremost piano player in pop music history. He has released over 50 top 40 singles

including a phenomenal 38 consecutive top 40 singles from 1972 through 1986. His music could be

considered definitive of mainstream pop in the 1970s. In recent years Elton John has toured

frequently with a fellow successful piano playing pop musician, Billy Joel.

Essential Songs

"Your Song"

"Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"

"Bennie and the Jets"

"Daniel"

"Philadelphia Freedom"

2. Elvis Presley

Top 10 Pop Artists of All Time (from ‘About.com’)

Courtesy RCA

Without Elvis Presley, it’s hard to imagine how much of what came after in pop and rock music

could have happened. He brought rock 'n roll into American living rooms. Elvis Presley became a

larger than life cultural icon. He recorded over 100 pop top 40 hits. Elvis Presley died in 1977 at the

age of 42.

Essential Songs

"Jailhouse Rock"

"Suspicious Minds"

"Are You Lonesome Tonight"

"Heartbreak Hotel"

"Don't Be Cruel"

1. The Beatles

Courtesy EMI

The Beatles are the pop band by which nearly everything else in pop music is matched and

measured. Their influence on pop artists that followed their phenomenal single decade career from

1960 to 1970 is unmeasurable. They continue to hold the record for the most #1 pop singles in the

US at 20 and are widely considered to be the bestselling album artists of all time. Their influence is

still felt so strongly they will rank as one of the top selling album recording act of the decade of the

2000's.

Essential Songs

"Hey Jude"

"Help!"

"Get Back"

"Come Together"

"A Hard Day's Night"