20 Best Female Singers of the 70s, 80s and 90s
From soul and rock to pop, country and dance, these 20 women helped define three remarkable decades of music.
There is no shortage of arguments when it comes to deciding who deserves to be called the greatest female singer of all time.
The 1970s, 1980s and 1990s produced an extraordinary collection of female vocalists who not only dominated the charts but also changed the sound and direction of popular music.
Some possessed astonishing vocal ranges. Others had distinctive voices that could never be mistaken for anyone else. Some became global superstars, while others influenced generations of musicians without necessarily achieving the same level of commercial success.
So, rather than judging purely on record sales, this list considers vocal ability, influence, longevity, musical achievements, versatility and the lasting impact of their work.
Here are 20 of the women who stand out above the rest.
1. Aretha Franklin
Although Aretha Franklin had already become a major star before the 1970s, her influence continued to be enormous throughout the decade.
The Queen of Soul possessed a voice capable of extraordinary power, emotion and subtlety. Songs such as Rock Steady, Day Dreaming and Until You Come Back to Me demonstrated why she remained one of the most respected vocalists in popular music.
Franklin's influence crossed soul, R&B, gospel and pop, establishing a standard that few singers have ever matched. She is frequently recognised among the greatest singers in music history.
2. Tina Turner
Tina Turner had already achieved fame alongside Ike Turner, but her transformation into a solo superstar in the 1980s became one of the greatest comebacks in music history.
Her voice was instantly recognisable: powerful, gritty and full of attitude.
What's Love Got to Do with It, Private Dancer, We Don't Need Another Hero and The Best helped establish Turner as the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll.
Her ability to command a stage was just as important as her voice, and her career demonstrated that an artist could reinvent themselves and reach an entirely new generation.
3. Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston's arrival in the 1980s changed expectations of what a mainstream pop singer could do vocally.
Her extraordinary range, control and power made songs such as Saving All My Love for You, Greatest Love of All and I Wanna Dance with Somebody instantly recognisable.
The 1990s brought another extraordinary chapter with I Will Always Love You and The Bodyguard soundtrack, which became one of the defining musical successes of the decade. Houston's influence on later generations of singers remains enormous.
4. Stevie Nicks
As a member of Fleetwood Mac and later as a solo artist, Stevie Nicks developed one of rock music's most distinctive voices.
Her husky, emotional delivery helped define songs such as Dreams, Rhiannon and Landslide, while her solo career produced hits including Edge of Seventeen and Stand Back.
Nicks proved that a female singer didn't have to rely on vocal acrobatics to become iconic. Her tone, songwriting and stage presence were enough.
5. Kate Bush
Kate Bush was one of the great musical innovators of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Her extraordinary imagination resulted in songs that sounded unlike almost anything else on the radio. Wuthering Heights, Running Up That Hill, Babooshka and Hounds of Love demonstrated her ability to combine theatrical vocals, experimental production and unconventional songwriting.
Her influence extends well beyond pop music, with generations of alternative and art-pop artists drawing inspiration from her work.
6. Madonna
Madonna's importance to music goes far beyond her singing voice.
She became one of the defining figures of 1980s pop, continually reinventing her image and sound while pushing boundaries surrounding sexuality, fashion, gender and celebrity.
From Like a Virgin and Material Girl to Like a Prayer and Vogue, Madonna repeatedly demonstrated an extraordinary understanding of popular culture.
Her ability to remain commercially relevant while constantly changing direction made her one of the most influential pop artists of her generation.
7. Diana Ross
Diana Ross had already become a superstar with The Supremes before launching her solo career in 1970.
She quickly established herself as one of the biggest female stars of the decade with songs including Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Love Hangover and Theme from Mahogany.
Her combination of vocal elegance, glamour and stage presence made her one of the most recognisable performers of the era. Her success with The Supremes and as a solo artist gives her an exceptional place in music history.
8. Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox became one of the defining voices of British pop through Eurythmics and her subsequent solo career.
Her powerful but emotionally controlled vocals were central to songs such as Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), Here Comes the Rain Again and There Must Be an Angel.
As a solo artist, Lennox continued that success with songs including Why and No More I Love You's.
Few singers combined emotional delivery and unmistakable vocal identity quite like Lennox.
9. Debbie Harry
Debbie Harry helped bring punk, new wave and pop closer together through Blondie.
Her ability to move effortlessly between punk attitude, disco, rock and pop made her one of the most versatile frontwomen of the era.
Heart of Glass, Call Me, Atomic and The Tide Is High showed just how broad Blondie's musical palette could be.
Harry also became an important cultural and fashion icon, helping establish the image of the modern female rock star.
10. Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton's career crossed country, pop, rock and songwriting, making her one of the most versatile artists on this list.
Her songwriting was particularly remarkable. Jolene, 9 to 5, Coat of Many Colors and I Will Always Love You demonstrate her extraordinary ability to tell emotionally powerful stories in remarkably simple terms.
Her career eventually stretched across more than six decades and included thousands of compositions, with her influence reaching far beyond country music.
11. Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper brought something completely different to 1980s pop.
Her distinctive voice, colourful personality and fearless approach to fashion made her instantly recognisable.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun, Time After Time and True Colors demonstrated both her ability to deliver upbeat pop and her talent for emotional balladry.
Lauper became one of the most recognisable female voices of the decade and an important figure in 1980s popular culture.
12. Pat Benatar
Pat Benatar helped prove that women could stand at the centre of hard rock without compromising their identity.
Songs such as Love Is a Battlefield, Hit Me with Your Best Shot and We Belong showcased her powerful rock voice and impressive versatility.
She became one of the defining female rock singers of the 1980s and opened doors for many artists who followed.
13. Cher
Cher's career is almost impossible to contain within a single decade.
Having achieved fame in the 1960s, she reinvented herself repeatedly during the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
From Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves and Dark Lady to If I Could Turn Back Time and Believe, Cher demonstrated an extraordinary ability to remain relevant.
Her 1998 hit Believe was particularly significant, helping popularise the heavily processed Auto-Tune vocal effect that would become a defining sound of modern pop.
14. Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson emerged from one of America's most famous musical families but established a musical identity entirely of her own.
Albums such as Control, Rhythm Nation 1814 and Janet produced an extraordinary run of hits.
Her music combined pop, R&B, funk and dance, while her videos and performances helped redefine what could be achieved by a female pop artist.
Her influence on 1990s R&B and pop is difficult to overstate.
15. Shania Twain
Shania Twain helped transform country music into a global pop phenomenon during the 1990s.
Her 1995 album The Woman in Me was followed by the enormous success of Come On Over, which produced songs including You're Still the One and That Don't Impress Me Much.
Twain's success demonstrated that country music could reach an enormous international audience without losing its identity. Her 1990s achievements remain remarkable.
16. Sade
Sade Adu possessed one of the most distinctive voices of the 1980s and 1990s.
Rather than relying on vocal theatrics, Sade's delivery was controlled, sophisticated and effortlessly cool.
Songs including Smooth Operator, Your Love Is King and No Ordinary Love helped create a sound that blended soul, jazz, pop and sophisticated R&B.
Her influence can still be heard throughout contemporary soul and R&B.
17. Alison Moyet
Alison Moyet's extraordinary voice helped make Yazoo one of Britain's most distinctive electronic acts before she embarked on a successful solo career.
Her deep, soulful vocals contrasted beautifully with electronic production.
Songs including Only You, All Cried Out and Is This Love? demonstrated the enormous range of her voice and her ability to move between electronic music, pop and soul.
18. Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor possessed one of the most emotionally intense voices of her generation.
Her 1990 version of Nothing Compares 2 U became a global phenomenon, but her career was about far more than one song.
O'Connor consistently used her music and public profile to address political, social and personal issues, often at considerable personal cost.
Her willingness to challenge convention made her one of the most important and individualistic artists of her era.
19. Gloria Estefan
Gloria Estefan helped bring Latin influences firmly into mainstream American pop music.
With Miami Sound Machine and later as a solo artist, she produced hits including Conga, Rhythm Is Gonna Get You and Anything for You.
Her success helped demonstrate the enormous commercial potential of Latin-influenced pop and made her an important figure in the increasingly multicultural sound of 1980s and 1990s music. Forbes also highlights Estefan among the defining female stars of the 1980s.
20. Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey arrived at the end of the 1980s and quickly became one of the defining vocalists of the 1990s.
Her extraordinary whistle register, huge range and ability to combine pop, R&B and soul helped create a new blueprint for the modern superstar vocalist.
Songs such as Vision of Love, Hero, Fantasy and Always Be My Baby demonstrated her versatility.
Carey's influence on the generation of singers who followed is enormous, particularly among vocalists who adopted her melismatic style.
The Verdict
Trying to choose just 20 female singers from three decades of music is almost impossible.
There are countless artists who could have made the list. Donna Summer, Gladys Knight, Patti LaBelle, Joan Armatrading, Joan Jett, Bonnie Tyler, Kim Wilde, Siouxsie Sioux, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Tracy Chapman, Mary J. Blige, Toni Braxton and Sheryl Crow are just some of the names that could easily have been included.
The sheer variety of female musical talent during these decades was extraordinary.
The 1970s brought the continued dominance of soul, disco, country and rock. The 1980s transformed the female pop star into a global cultural phenomenon. By the 1990s, alternative rock, R&B, country-pop and dance music were giving women even more opportunities to redefine what a successful artist could be.
And perhaps that is what makes these three decades so special.
These weren't simply singers with great voices. They were artists who changed music.
So, who deserves the number one spot?
That's the beauty of a list like this — there is no definitive answer.
For some people it will be Aretha Franklin. For others, Whitney Houston, Tina Turner, Madonna, Dolly Parton, Kate Bush or one of the many other extraordinary women who shaped the soundtrack of their lives.
Who would you put in your top five?