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Fifty Greatest Jazz Vocalists​

A black and white portrait of a female singer.
Gottlieb, William P.
/
Library of Congress
Portrait of Billie Holiday, Downbeat, New York, N.Y., ca. Feb. 1947

More than 4,600 votes were cast by our listeners for the songs they felt were the best jazz vocal songs of all time. The votes have been counted and the top 50 vocal jazz songs are now available!

  1. "Strange Fruit" by Billie Holiday
  2. "Lush Life" by Johnny Hartman
  3. "God Bless the Child" by Billie Holiday
  4. "How High The Moon" by Ella Fitzgerald
  5. "Mack the Knife (in Berlin)" by Ella Fitzgerald
  6. "At Last" by Etta James
  7. "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong
  8. "My Funny Valentine" by Chet Baker
  9. "Girl From Ipanema" by Stan Getz & Astrud Gilberto
  10. "Fever" by Peggy Lee
  11. "Lullaby of Birdland" by Sarah Vaughan
  12. "Summertime" by Ella Fitzgerald
  13. "Birdland" by Manhattan Transfer
  14. "My One and Only Love" by Johnny Hartman and John Coltrane
  15. "I Loves You Porgy" by Nina Simone
  16. "A Tisket - A Tasket" by Ella Fitzgerald
  17. "Every day I Have the Blues" by Joe Williams w/ Count Basie and his Orchestra
  18. "Autumn in New York" by Billie Holiday
  19. "Misty" by Sarah Vaughan
  20. "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" by Ella Fitzgerald
  21. "Feelin' Good" by Nina Simone
  22. "Fine and Mellow" by Billie Holiday
  23. "My Baby Just Cares For Me" by Nina Simone
  24. "Route 66" by Nat King Cole
  25. "One for My Baby" by Frank Sinatra
  26. "Blue Skies" by Ella Fitzgerald
  27. "Something Cool" by June Christy
  28. "Georgia on my Mind" by Ray Charles
  29. "I've Got You under My Skin" by Frank Sinatra
  30. "Sweet Georgia Brown" by Anita O'Day
  31. "All of Me" by Billie Holiday
  32. "Black and Blue" by Louis Armstrong
  33. "The Waters of March" by Susannah McCorkle
  34. "Fly Me To the Moon" by Frank Sinatra
  35. "Good Morning Heartache" by Billie Holiday
  36. "You Go to My Head" by Louis Armstrong
  37. "Mumbles" by Clark Terry
  38. "My Man" by Billie Holiday
  39. "Peel me a Grape" by Diana Krall
  40. "Unforgettable" by Nat King Cole
  41. "Stardust" by Nat King Cole
  42. "Let's Get Lost" by Chet Baker
  43. "Lover Man" by Billie Holiday
  44. "Someone to Watch Over Me" by Ella Fitzgerald
  45. "Autumn Leaves" by Eva Cassidy
  46. "They Say It's Wonderful" by Johnny Hartman & John Coltrane
  47. "Compared To What" by Les McCann and Eddie Harris
  48. "Cry Me a River" by Julie London
  49. "Minnie the Moocher" by Cab Calloway
  50. "Nature Boy" by Nat King Cole