BARRINGTON Levy says being named among Rolling Stone magazine’s 200 Greatest Singers of All Time is like getting a platinum record (over one million copies). He is one of five reggae artistes named on the list which was published January 1.

Levy, 58, is named at 119, behind Bob Marley (98), Toots Hibbert (94), and Dennis Brown (67). Luciano came in at 143.

“That’s huge for me; this is the best new year’s present I could get. To know that out of 200 artistes I am one of them, come on…,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

Known as The Canary, Levy’s career erupted as a teenager in 1979. In the 1980s he recorded a number of songs that helped put dancehall music on the map, including Looking my Love, Here I Come, On The Telephone, and Under me Sensi.

In the 1990s he won new dancehall and hip hop fans through collaborations with Bounty Killer (on Living Dangerously) and with rapper Shyne (on Bad Boyz).

Levy is particularly pleased he is on an August list that includes two of his biggest musical heroes — Dennis Brown and Michael Jackson, who came in at number 86.

“Dennis Brown is responsible for me being in the music business. That’s my singer right there! Michael Jackson, when he was singing as a kid with the Jackson 5 I used to watch him, wanted to be like him,” he said.

Brown, reggae’s greatest hitmaker, died in 1999 at age 42. Jackson, the acclaimed King of Pop and arguably music’s greatest artiste, died in 2009 at age 50.

Jackson’s low rating is one of the criticisms levelled at the Rolling Stone tally. There is no place for Canadian Celine Dion, while legendary stylists such as Diana Ross (87), David Ruffin (66), Teddy Pendergrass (42) and Marvin Gaye (20) placed behind Beyoncé (number eight) and Mariah Carey (number five).

Soul legend Aretha Franklin was selected number one ahead of Whitney Houston and Sam Cooke, with Billie Holiday at number four. The top 10 is completed by Ray Charles (six), Stevie Wonder (seven), Otis Redding (nine) and Al Green (10).