50 Great Voices Explained

50 Great Voices was an NPR yearlong series from 2010 to 2011 to profile 50 singers who have made their mark internationally and across recorded history, revealing the selected voices one by one, weekly.

Concept of the series

Source:

What this project should do is look at artists who are great, but not as recognizable or as obvious a choice as Frank Sinatra.

Included in the 50 Great Voices are singers who are powerhouses within a genre, but not in the mainstream.

Whenever you come up with any kind of list, whether it's great athletes or great artists, there's bound to be controversy.

List of 50 Great Voices

Release date
(Year/month/day)
Title and selected voiceGenre and keywords
2010/01/25

The Voice As Weapon

Hard rock
Punk rock
2010/02/01

The Voice Of The Golden Years

Music of Afghanistan
"Afghanistan's Elvis"
2010/02/08

Voice Of The Civil Rights Movement

Gospel music
2010/02/15

Voice Of Perfect Imperfection

Opera
Soprano
2010/02/22

The Voice Of Pakistan

Qawwali
Ghazal
Jazz fusion
2010/03/01

The Voice Of Bollywood And More

Bollywood
Playback singer
Indian classical music
2010/03/08

The Feeling Between The Notes

MPB
Bossa nova
2010/03/15

'The Lady' Of Cairo

Arabic music
2010/03/22

The Singer And The Showman

R&B
Soul music
2010/03/29

America's First Lady Of Song

Jazz
Pop music
2010/04/05

'Queen Of The Gypsies'

Romani music
2010/04/12

The Voice Of Istanbul

Turkish pop music
2010/04/19

An Incandescent Voice

Jazz
Pop music
2010/04/26

The 'Crown Prince' Of Reggae

Reggae
Lovers rock
2010/05/03

A Great Voice, A Lonely Sound

Rock music
2010/05/10

Two Cultures, One Voice

Navajo people
2010/05/17 , And Confessions Of An Operaholic Opera
Tenor
2010/05/24

The First Lady Of Tejano

Tejano
Norteño
2010/06/07

The Queen Of Rock

Blues rock
Psychedelic rock
2010/06/14

Mercurial Queen Of British Folk Rock

British folk rock
2010/06/21

Neglected Heart Of Soul

Chicago soul
2010/06/28 R&B, Soul
Hip hop music
2010/07/12 Fairuz

Lebanon's Voice Of Hope

Arabic music
Music of Lebanon
2010/07/19

The Charming Irish Tenor

Opera, Tenor
Popular music
Music of Ireland
2010/07/26 Khaled

The King Of Rai

Raï
Music of Algeria
2010/08/02 Biggie Smalls

The Voice That Influenced A Generation

Hip hop music
2010/08/07 Björk

A Celestial Voice

Alternative rock
Avant-garde music
Music of Iceland
2010/08/23

Riffing On Gospel

Gospel music
Musical improvisation
2010/08/23

The Soul Queen Of New Orleans

R&B, Soul, Blues
Music of New Orleans
2010/08/30

Rock 'N' Roll's Humble Showman

Rock, Hard rock
Glam rock
2010/09/06

The Cantor With The Heavenly Voice

Jewish music
2010/09/13

Argentina's Tango Maestro

Tango music
2010/09/20

Born In England; Made In America

Rock
2010/09/27

Protest Through Poetry

Persian traditional music
Music of Iran
2010/10/04 Howlin' Wolf

Booming Voice Of The Blues

Chicago blues
2010/10/11

The Queen Of Country Music

Country music
Honky-tonk
Nashville sound
2010/10/18

The Voice Of Extreme Expression

Fado
2010/10/25

The Voice From Havana

Salsa music
Son, Guaracha
2010/11/02

The Voice Of Freedom

Flamenco
Copla, Soul, Jazz
2010/11/08

The Spellbinding Voice Of A Titan Tenor

Opera, Tenor
2010/11/15

The Voice Of Triumph

Ranchera
2010/11/22

Emotional Power Through Song

Jazz, Blues
Torch song
2010/11/29

The Velvet Voice

Contemporary R&B
Soul, Pop music
2010/12/06

The Voice Of Hawaii

Music of Hawaii
2010/12/13

The Voice Of Heartbreak

Country music
Rockabilly
2010/12/27

The Voice Of Senegal

Mbalax
Music of Senegal
2011/01/03 Camarón de la Isla

The Voice Of Flamenco

New Flamenco
Flamenco
2011/01/11

A Voice For All Time

Avant-garde music
2011/02/01

A Jazz Voice With Pop Sensibilities

Jazz
2011/03/08

A Voice Of Passionate Grandeur

Opera, Soprano
Bel canto

External links