Best Male Singers of the 20th Century


There is an interesting current discussion about the best female vocalists on CD. I have my own ideas about the best male singers (any category) of the 20th Century, but would like to hear other opinions.
sdcampbell
If I was to follow my subjectivity, then for me it is Franco Makiadi and Burning Spear (probably you have never heard of them - you shouldn’t care either, they have not sold a million copy!

However, if I was to be pragmatic and objective, then it would be Stevie Wonder. He has more than thirty top 10 hits, 22 Grammy Awards, which is the most for a solo artist. If Stevie had only one hit song out of the several you already know, he would have been just as famous as he is today! That is genius
I'd give a vote for James Taylor. His attention to the music, the harmonies and the quality of recordings also is a plus. He has a silky smooth voice and is a great musician/song writer. He has produced great music for 4 plus decades.
Sam Cooke. Maybe somebody already mentioned him (I enjoyed the thread, but did not have time to read all of it), but he would certainly warrant a repeat reference.
Let's see, how about Jussi Bjorling, Feodor Chaliapin, Roy Orbison, Jackie Wilson, Solomon Burkes, and. . .

for the 21st century: Ronaldo Villazon.