Who are your three favorite female singers?

Karen Carpenter
Linda Rondstadt
Jennifer Warnes

Honorable mention - Norah Jones, Ella Fitz, Rebecca Pidgeon

Thanks to all.  Your responses are giving reasons to buy some more music!  

J

Well then let’s continue the list because three is slightly more silly than one

iF you love Jennifer then you must also adore Anjani, the Webb sisters and of course Sharon Robinson - just like Leonard did in turn...

I have heard Sarah M unamplified, Angelic , dig deep into her work with, ahem... other women

That’s tough. Current favorite three based on who have listened to the most recently? Joni Mitchell, Ann Wilson and Susanna Hoffs.

Oh, and nobody has mentioned Dolly Parton yet, shame!

Janis Joplin (saw her in 1970, blew me away)

Eva Cassidy

Stevie Nicks

love Aretha Franklin as well

Annie Haslam (from Renaissance)
Judy Collins
Jennifer Warnes

Runner ups and recent discoveries:

Karen Carpenter
Ann Wilson
Eva Cassidy
Morgan James
Janet Devlin

Freya Riddings
Mary Black
Eva Cassidy
Shelby Lyne

Impossible... here’s 3 that I’ve listened to recently 
Miss Tess
Rosie Flores
Susan Tedeschi 

Good thread Jim:

Limiting it to 3 (which most got) not only added to the variety/perhaps - but also added insight into the responder.

My pics, obviously, were of a sexual nature, and others were for other qualities such as (to pick one) purity of voice/Joni Mitchell.

DeKay

1. Natalie Merchant
2. Carole King
3. Stevie Nicks

Nina Simone
Lianne La Havas
Alanis Morissette 

Eva Cassidy
Annie Haslam
Mary Black

1. Whitney Houston
2. Ella Fitzgerald
3. Aretha Franklin

Françoise Hardy
Sonja Kristina
Kate Bush

1. Françoise Hardy
2. Sonja Kristina
3. Kate Bush

Surprising Omissions:

Nancy Wilson
Dinah Washington
Dianne Reeves
Annie Lennox

This thing is so slow to post, I thought I had to do it over. Oh well.

Gundula Janowitz
Stevie Nicks
Taylor Dayne
Barbara Streisand
Roberta Flack
Sarah Brightman
Loreena McKennitt

Margo Timmons
Lucinda Williams
Kasey Chambers

Bonus selection - Best Newcomer / New to Me

Bonnie Bishop 

Ella Fitzgerald
Sarah Vaughan
Eva Cassidy
Mary Black

In this precise moment in time

Sarah McLachlan
Alison Krause 
Eva Cassidy 

Eva Cassidy.
After her, I'd have a hard time choosing the other two.
Norah Jones, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Ricki Lee Jones, Linda Ronstadt, Chrissie Hynde, Amy Winehouse, Joan Osborne,...

Diana Krall
Carmen McRae
Jenna Mammina
Ella Fitzgerald 

Joan Baez
Ann Wilson
Shawn Colvin
Janis Ian
and more....

Sade
Janis Siegel
China Forbes 

Hello,
I can’t believe that nobody had mentioned Edith Piaf and Lizz Wright before.
My favorites are:

Old ones:

1. Edith Piaf
2. Sarah Vaughan
3. Ella Fitzgerald 
4. Billie Holliday 
5.Aretha Franklin

Not so old ones:

1. Lizz Wright 
2. Melody Gardot
3. Sade
4. Whitney Houston
5. Morgan James

Maynard from Tool.

Tracy Chapman
Loreena Mckennitt
Hannah Reid

Jennifer Warnes (must mention the amazing quality of all of her recordings), Linda Ronstadt (can sing the phone book), and of course Eva Cassidy

Then Julie London, K D Lang

My favorite three:

Alison Krause
Linda Ronstadt
Bonnie Raitt

Love the voice of Italian songstress, Laura Pausini, too.

So many other great singers/songwriters listed here.

Meiji Kaji
Hope Sandoval
Amy WinehouseMichelle Gurevich
Caro Emerald
April Stevens
Yma Sumac

(1)-Sabine Devieilhe
(2)-Marianne Crebassa

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1ZL5AxmK_A&feature=emb_rel_end

if you are having a bad day, this will make it better. and watching more than once will make it even a little bit more better.

i seem to watch this once or twice a week when i need a pick-me-up. otherworldly amazing.

Jill Scott
Diana Krall
Phyllis Hyman

Correction: Meiko Kaji. 

Sade
Susan Tedeschi
Nora Jones

Agnetha Faltskog (Abba)
Sandie Shaw
Sarah Brightman.

@mikelavigne 
Thanks for posting that. It was Flower Song by those two that got me into opera. Once I dialed in my system, it all made sense. I simply melt every time I play it.

I forgot to mention Jacintha,
Shirley Horn, 
Melody Gardot


All the best,
Nonoise

Sarah Vaughn
Dinah Washington
Aretha Franklin 
Chaka Chan
Wanda Hutchinson (of The Emotions)
Tammy Terrell (with Marvin Gaye)
Phyllis Hyman
Joni Mitchell
Patti Labelle   

Alison Kraus
Jo Hamilton
Laura Marlin

Shawn Colvin
Alison Krauss
Joni Mitchell

Kate Bush
Beth Gibbons
Joni Mitchel

Adele
Joni Mitchell
Tracy Chapman

Lots of fantastic ones, many mentioned here, but the first three that popped into my head are:
Joni Mitchell
Billie Holiday
Janis Joplin
The longer I think about it the harder it is to decide on just top 3.

Joni Mitchell
Emmylou Harris

Good post!

Diana Krall
Moya Brennan
Stevie Nicks

Dido, Dido and Eva Cassidy

In no particular order:-
Dame Janet Baker
Lorraine Hunt Lieberson
Eva Cassidy/Alison Krauss

+1 Judy Garland. Not one vote for Whitney Houston?🙁