Florida punk-rocker named one of 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time: What to know

Billboard just announced its Top 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time, and one of them is a former Southwest Florida punk rocker who went on to international fame.

Laura Jane Grace of punk-rock band Against Me! ranks No. 31 on the music magazine's list, which was released Aug. 16, 2023.

That’s higher than Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead (No. 44), Courtney Love of Hole (No. 43), Paul McCartney of The Beatles (No. 39), Iggy Pop of The Stooges (No. 38), Grace Slick of Jefferson Airplane/Jefferson Starship/Starship (No. 35), and Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath (No. 32).

Grace faced her ranking with apparent humility on Facebook.

“I absolutely do not deserve to be on this list,” she wrote Thursday afternoon. “And yet there I am. Thanks Billboard!”

Her friends and fans cheered her ranking in the comments ― and added that she totally deserved to make the cut.

“You sing with more emotion and power than some others on that list,” wrote Jennifer Powrie.

And Aaron Harris had this to say: “You have one the most powerful voices I've heard, and I've heard a lot.”

Ranking No. 31 in Billboard's list of greatest rock singers

Billboard’s senior director of music, Jason Lipshutz, explained why Laura Jane Grace deserved to be ranked No. 31 on the list.

“Becoming one of the first famous punk rock musicians to come out as transgender in 2012 required an astonishing level of courage from Laura Jane Grace — but the leader of Against Me! had always exhibited a high degree of fearlessness throughout her career, whether leading countless mosh pits or prodding at her identity in her songwriting,” Lipshutz wrote in Grace’s entry.

“The band’s first album after Grace came out, 2014’s Transgender Dysphoria Blues, stands as an indispensable piece of rock history, and demonstrated that Grace wouldn’t be losing an ounce of her snarl while speaking her truth.”

Florida punk-rock icon Laura Jane Grace: What to know about the Against Me! singer

Read our 2020 profile of Laura Jane Grace: Punk-rock star talks new album, Naples and being a transgender icon

Grace was born in Fort Benning, Georgia (now Fort Moore) and moved to Naples when she was about 10. She famously hated Naples, though, and left for Gainesville as soon as she turned 18 − right after her first tour with Against Me!

Billboard chose its Top 50 singers from rock groups only, not solo artists or singers in bands named after them (such as Bruce Springsteen or Joan Jett), according to the article.

Grace was nudged out of Billboard's No. 30 spot by Steve Perry of Journey. And the No. 1 singer, according to Billboard's list? Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.

Another Floridian made Billboard's list: Jim Morrison of The Doors

Grace wasn’t the only singer on the list with Florida roots. Jim Morrison of The Doors ― born in Melbourne ― came in at No. 21.

Morrison, whose father was in the Navy, traveled throughout the U.S. as a youth with his family but at times returned to the Sunshine State. He lived with his paternal grandparents in Clearwater and attended college in St. Petersburg before transferring in 1962 to Florida State University in Tallahassee.

There's also the Morrison Family Homestead in Pensacola, a house once owned by relatives where the musician's parents lived for a short time before he was born. The home is in the National Register of Historic Places and part of the Downtown Pensacola Historic District.

"In the late ‘60s, the Doors’ seemingly mythical frontman transcended the bounds of performance, navigating between melancholic introspection and fevered rebellion," wrote Isabela Raygoza in Morrison's entry. "With his brooding charisma, poetic soul and electrifying stage presence, Morrison became a conduit between realms of consciousness and artistic expression.

"His voice, a deep-yet-velvety amalgam of raw power (“Roadhouse Blues,” “Five to One”) and haunting delivery (“The Crystal Ship,” “Riders on the Storm”) possessed an otherworldly feel that could plummet into the depths of human emotion, or turn thunderous.

"He transformed into The Lizard King and wore skintight leather pants on stage, often prowling the stage in sinuous movements, an unsettling yet captivating presence. Morrison’s seductive provocations and fearless exploration of the human psyche have enshrined him as a timeless muse."

Who else made the cut? Check out the full list of the 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time here: billboard.com/lists/best-rock-singers-bands-lead-vocalists/freddie-mercury-queen

Connect with this reporter: Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. For news tips or other entertainment-related matters, call him at 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. You can also connect with him on Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Florida's Laura Jane Grace makes Billboard's 50 Greatest Rock Singers