Top 3 Male and Female singers of all time

[mat.bez.lima]

Post your lists of 3 best female singers of all time and also of the 3 best male singers of all time.
Female:
Aretha Franklin. (the 60s, principally 67 and 68)
Sarah Vaughan. (50s, principally, but her voice was incredible in all her life)
Barbra Streisand. (the 60s, principally)
Male:
Freddie Mercury. (the 70s principally, but his voice remained great for all his life)
Elvis Presley. (70, 71, 72, 73, 74) Elvis voice was more mature in this period.
Frank Sinatra. (the 50s, years 57 and 58, principally. I don't care much for Sinatra's voice in the 60s)
It was for me considerably easier choice three male singers than choice three female singers. Another question: do you have a preference between male or female singers? Are by men or women the most beautiful singing voices?

[Bang Jan]

Male:
1 | Scott Walker
2 | Tim Buckley
3 | David Bowie

Female:
1 | Judee Sill
2 | Nico
3 | Laura Nyro

[mat.bez.lima]

If possible, post what was, in
your opinions, the years and
period of absolute vocal peak
and perfection of your favorite
singers.

[acroamor]

Male:
1. Tom Waits
2. Frank Sinatra
3. Van Morrison

Female:
1. Joni Mitchell
2. Beth Gibbons
3. Fiona Apple

[PlasticRam]

Male:
1. Exuma (Exuma, Exuma II)
2. Kanye West (808s and Heartbreak)
3. Art Garfunkel (Simon and Garfunkel)

Female:
1. Enya (Watermark)
2. Kate Bush (Wuthering Heights)
3. Joan Baez (self-titled album)

[prosecutorgodot]

It's much easier for the vocals of women than that of men to piss me off, but my favorite favorite vocals [the creme de la creme] are female vocals.
I've already listed my favorite vocals in another thread.

[EmilienDelRey]

                                  

[luney6]

Going purely by singing merits, judging by those that come at once into my head:

1. Tim Buckley
2. Jim Morrison
3. Robert Plant

1. Judy Collins
2. Grace Slick
3. Ella Fitzergerald

[Live in Phoenix]

I'd say, without saying much, that women's voices are more beautiful. Who sings "better" -- they're essentially tied and I see no need to un-tie it.

With sample great album performance in parenthesis. I used no technical criteria.
1. Frank Sinatra (Where Are You?)
2. Jim Morrison (debut Doors album)
3. Justin Hayward (Songwriter)

Though my single favorite album performance ever is Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.

1. Kate Bush (Hounds of Love)
2. Janis Joplin (Cheap Thrills)
3. Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard)

[Live in Phoenix]

...and then if I was rounding out a sort of top 10 albums by vocal performance, I might include Patsy Cline's 12 Greatest Hits, Michael Jackson's Thriller, and The All-Time Greatest Hits of Roy Orbison.

[mat.bez.lima]

I'd say, without saying much, that women's voices are more beautiful. Who sings "better" -- they're essentially tied and I see no need to un-tie it.

With sample great album performance in parenthesis. I used no technical criteria.
1. Frank Sinatra (Where Are You?)
2. Jim Morrison (debut Doors album)
3. Justin Hayward (Songwriter)

Though my single favorite album performance ever is Bruce Springsteen, Born in the U.S.A.

1. Kate Bush (Hounds of Love)
2. Janis Joplin (Cheap Thrills)
3. Whitney Houston (The Bodyguard)

You made great choices and commentaries. I will just add one more thing: At least alongside Where Are You, Sinatra's great album performance is the album Only The Lonely. These two albums are the absolute peak of Sinatra's singing in every sense: emotion, technique and the absolutely beautiful voice!

[Live in Phoenix]

Yeah, his '50s work including that album is just great. He crooned more in the '40s but it wasn't quite as expressive.