Andrea Bocelli has performed alongside some of the most legendary voices in music history, but when asked which artists he considers the greatest of all time, he singled out six names that span opera, classical crossover, pop, and soul. His picks reflect his own belief that a singer’s greatness depends not on genre but on the ability to move an audience. The first name on his list is Luciano Pavarotti, the Italian tenor whose enormous, warm voice defined opera for decades. Bocelli’s connection to Pavarotti goes back to the early 1990s, when he was still trying to establish himself.
Italian singer Zucchero was working on the song *Miserere* and asked Bocelli to record a demonstration version of the tenor part. The tape eventually reached Pavarotti, who was so impressed that he encouraged Zucchero to use the young singer. That recommendation provided Bocelli an important break when his career was still taking shape. Pavarotti, born in Modena in 1935, became one of the most celebrated opera singers of the 20th century, known for roles in operas by Puccini, Verdi, and Donizetti, but also for breaking down the wall between classical music and popular entertainment.
His *Three Tenors* performances alongside Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, beginning with their 1990 concert tied to the FIFA World Cup, introduced millions to the spectacle of world-class tenors singing together. Pavarotti also became a friend and mentor to Bocelli, though their relationship reportedly included moments of tension. The two strong personalities eventually moved beyond those disagreements, and Bocelli has often spoken about the advice and guidance he received from the older singer. Pavarotti died in 2007, but for Bocelli, he remains an example of what a truly great singer could be: someone with technique, personality, and a voice that people could recognize within seconds.
The second musician on Bocelli’s list is Frank Sinatra, a name that may seem out of place next to opera, but the connection becomes clear when examining how both singers approached a song. Sinatra, born in Hoboken, New Jersey, in 1915, came from the big band era, rising to fame through his work with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey before developing a solo style that made the orchestra secondary to the man in front of it. His phrasing became legendary; he could take a familiar melody and make it sound as though it had been written specifically for him. He understood how to stretch a word, pause before a line, and play with rhythm without making the performance feel forced.
Sinatra’s career survived changes in musical fashion, professional setbacks, and the decline of the big band era. He reinvented himself during his Capitol Records years, working with arrangers such as Nelson Riddle, and later became a major Hollywood star, winning an Academy Award for *From Here to Eternity* in 1955. Bocelli, who has never confined himself to one musical lane, sees a kindred spirit in Sinatra, a performer who mastered crossover appeal decades earlier. Both men also share Italian heritage, Sinatra having been born to Italian immigrant parents.
Sinatra died in 1998, but his influence on phrasing, microphone technique, and musical storytelling has lasted across generations, and Bocelli has himself recorded songs associated with the great American songbook. **
Elvis Presley, another unexpected name for an opera star, appears third on Bocelli’s list. While Elvis’s sound could not have been more different from Bocelli’s classical approach, both understood that a song should feel bigger than the notes on the page. Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1935, Elvis grew up surrounded by gospel, blues, and country, and those influences collided in his own style, creating something fresh and rebellious in the 1950s.
His early recordings at Sun Records caught attention quickly, and once he moved to RCA, his career exploded with hits such as *Heartbreak Hotel*, *Hound Dog*, and *Jailhouse Rock*. But Elvis was never simply popular because of the songs; his performances were a huge part of the attraction. He moved differently, dressed differently, and carried himself with a confidence that fascinated audiences and alarmed some critics. His television appearances turned him into a national sensation, while his live shows created the kind of excitement that record sales alone could never explain.
Although often associated with rock and roll, Elvis’s versatility was remarkable; he could move from energetic rock songs to country ballads, gospel performances, and romantic material. Gospel, in particular, remained deeply important to him throughout his career, and he won Grammy awards for his gospel work. After his initial explosion, his career became increasingly tied to Hollywood, but he returned to the stage dramatically with his 1968 television special, known as the comeback special, and the 1970s brought elaborate Las Vegas performances. Bocelli, who has spent his own career moving between opera, classical repertoire, Italian songs, and contemporary pop, appreciates Elvis’s emotional instinct and his understanding that technique can impress people, but emotion makes them remember you.
Elvis died in 1977, but his influence has only grown, with Graceland becoming a cultural landmark and his recordings continuing to inspire singers across rock, country, pop, and gospel. **
Maria Callas, the fourth name on the list, represents for Bocelli something close to the ideal of what an opera performer could be. Callas, born in New York City in 1923 to Greek parents, was raised largely in Greece, where she studied at the Athens Conservatory and made her professional debut as a teenager. She was not simply a singer with a conventionally beautiful voice; her instrument was unusual, with remarkable range and flexibility, and she used it as an expressive tool to bring dramatic intensity to her performances.
She became particularly associated with composers such as Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, and Puccini, helping revive interest in works that had become less frequently performed. Her signature roles included Violetta in Verdi’s *La Traviata*, Norma in Bellini’s opera of the same name, and Tosca in Puccini’s *Tosca*, each requiring extraordinary vocal control and the ability to communicate complicated emotions through music. Her dramatic instinct earned her the nickname *La Divina*; watching her was often as important as listening to her. She became a defining artist at La Scala in Milan during the 1950s, and her fame extended far outside traditional opera circles, making her a celebrity in an era when opera singers were not normally treated like mainstream stars.
But her career was also filled with controversy and pressure; she was famously uncompromising about the standards she expected from herself and others, and disagreements with opera companies occasionally became major public stories. For Bocelli, Callas represents the clearest example of the importance of communicating emotion through singing. She could take a musical phrase and make it feel like part of a conversation, with every pause and change in tone connected to the character’s emotional state. She understood that having perfect technique was only the beginning; what mattered was whether the singer could make the audience care about the character.
Callas died in Paris in 1977 at just 53, but her recordings continue to introduce new generations to her work, and she changed the way audiences thought about operatic performance. She proved that a singer could be technically brilliant, dramatically fearless, and intensely individual at the same time. ***
Enrico Caruso, the fifth pick, is perhaps the most historically significant name on Bocelli’s list. Born in Naples, Italy, in 1873, Caruso was one of the first opera singers to become a genuine international celebrity, and his influence went far beyond the opera house.
He began singing locally before making his professional stage debut in Naples in 1895, and his tenor voice, rich, powerful, and unusually expressive, quickly set him apart. He performed throughout Italy before making his international breakthrough, eventually becoming one of the biggest stars at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. But what truly changed everything was Caruso’s embrace of recording technology at the beginning of the 20th century. In an era when recording was still relatively primitive, he recognized that records could allow his voice to reach people who would never have the opportunity to sit inside an opera house.
His early records became extraordinarily popular, turning him into one of the highest paid entertainers of his era. He recorded hundreds of sides throughout his career, and his name became practically synonymous with the early era of commercial vocal recording. On stage, he was also a major attraction, performing roles in works by Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, and others, becoming particularly associated with characters in *Pagliacci*, *La Bohème*, *Rigoletto*, and *Aida*. His fame became so enormous that newspapers followed his career and audiences recognized him instantly, making him an early example of a global celebrity.
His voice carried the warmth and dramatic quality associated with the great Italian tenor tradition, which influenced generations of singers, including Bocelli, who stands firmly within that tradition. Caruso’s life, however, was tragically short; he became seriously ill in 1920 and died in Naples in 1921 at just 48. His recordings ensured that his voice would survive long after his death, and more than a century later, his name still carries extraordinary weight among tenor singers. For Bocelli, Caruso represents the roots of a musical tradition that he inherited and carried into a completely different era, proving that an Italian tenor could become a worldwide phenomenon and that opera could reach ordinary listeners*****
The final name on Bocelli’s list may be the most unexpected: Stevie Wonder.
Wonder, born Steve Hardaway Morris in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1950, was born prematurely and became blind as an infant, but that did not stop him from developing extraordinary musical ability. He learned piano, harmonica, drums, and other instruments as a child, eventually signing with Motown at a very young age, performing under the name Little Stevie Wonder. Rather than remaining a novelty act, Wonder grew into one of the most creative musicians of his generation. During the 1970s, he entered an extraordinary period of creativity, producing albums such as *Talking Book*, *Innervisions*, *Fulfillingness’ First Finale*, and *Songs in the Key of Life*.
He wrote songs, arranged music, played multiple instruments, and experimented with new technology while still creating material that connected with enormous audiences. His signature recordings, including *Superstition*, *You Are the Sunshine of My Life*, and *Sir Duke*, showed his ability to move effortlessly between romance, spirituality, social commentary, and pure musical celebration. He also used popular music to address serious subjects, with songs such as *Living for the City* dealing with racial inequality and difficult social realities, without forgetting the importance of melody. His success was enormous, racking up Grammy awards, selling millions of records, and becoming a defining figure at Motown.
For Bocelli, Wonder’s musical versatility is hard to overlook; like Bocelli, Wonder has collaborated across genres and let music move wherever it needs to go. Wonder’s voice is also immediately recognizable, and he understands the importance of phrasing, able to stretch a line, change the rhythm of a melody, or let his voice crack slightly with emotion to completely change the feeling of a song. Beyond his singing, Wonder is a complete musical creator, building songs from the inside out as an accomplished instrumentalist and arranger. He achieved massive commercial success while earning genuine respect from musicians, and his greatness comes from the depth of his musicianship, the emotional range of his voice, and his ability to keep pushing himself creatively.
Bocelli’s world may be built around opera houses and orchestras, while Wonder’s was shaped by studios, keyboards, rhythm sections, and soul music, but for both, the fundamental principle is the same: a truly great musician makes people feel something*******
