( L - R ) Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert

REGGAE GREATS Bob Marley and Toots Hibbert are included in Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Singers, which is the focus of its special November issue.

Marley comes in at number 19 with Hibbert at 71. Soul legend Aretha Franklin topped the list, which was compiled by journalists, music-industry insiders and artistes including Bruce Springsteen and Alicia Keys.

An artiste gives their opinion on what makes each singer special.

Greatest voices

Rock singer Dave Matthews said of Marley: "To talk only about Bob Marley's singing voice would negate what makes him one of the greatest voices of our time - why his voice is stamped in our history. He sang about heavy ideas, and he put them out there so delicately and so lightly, with such a generous groove, a generous feel and a generous voice. He didn't sing correctly; he wasn't trained, but he had a beautiful voice, a lot like one of my other favourite singers of all time, Marvin Gaye. If they had more similar accents and had sung in more similar styles, you'd hear it."

The top 10 is completed by Ray Charles, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, John Lennon, Marvin Gaye, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Stevie Wonder and James Brown.