Most Important Popular Musicians

[Ignatz]

I had an interesting roundtable discussion on this the other night at a local watering hole and I thought I'd toss it out to you folks as well. What I propose is a list of the 10 most important and influential figures in popular music since the beginning of the 20th century. "Popular," for the purposes of this poll, includes jazz, blues, country, rock...anything but classical. (And any classical artist with crossover appeal can be listed as well.)
I'm still refining my own list and will post it later.
Please remember we're considering an entire century here, not just the twenty or thirty years since you were born.

 

[CellarDweller]

Wow. That is gonna be difficult. specifically the "century" part, as I can assume most people are not familar with the music from about 100 years ago.

I gave it a shot. Here is my list of 10 performers I feel are/were important to the music scene. How objective was I? Out of the 10 artists, I only own cds by 4 of them. The other 6 I don't listen to, or like very much, but I acknowledge their importance to the "scene".

Beatles-Although they generated the same hysteria we saw with New Kids or N'Sych, they were not the typical "boy band". More than pretty faces, they had innovative music, meaningful lyrics, experiented with sounds and styles, and bought Rock & Roll to homes all across Amercia.

Elvis-The ultimate showman. He understood the roots of Rock & Roll came from R&B. His musical style and stage presence showed that rock music could be a stage spectacle.

Janis Joplin- Although she didn't release a huge amount of music, her merging of folk and blues, as well as her outrageous style of dress, and behavior (usually reserved only for men) earned her respect in the music field after her death.

Led Zepplin- One of the pioneering bands of "Hard Rock". Took rock, and gave it an "edge" that found a home with a huge amount of music fans.

Black Sabbath- One of the pioneering bands of "Heavy Metal". Took hard rock in a new direction, and turned it into a sonic sledgehammer.

Aretha Franklin- A legendary voice, who combined her raw energy, gospel and R&B and bought a mainstream audience to "black" music. Continues to record, perform, and influence artists of today.

The Ramones- One of the first punk rock bands. They took rock, gave it a harder edge, and angry energy, and maintained it's integrity, while giving it mainstream attention.

Donna Summer- The Queen of disco. Her voice and performances helped bring disco out of the clubs and onto radio and tv. One of the few disco acts that managed to continue to have her new music played on the radio in the 80's & 90's, after disco was called "dead". Her success with disco allowed for more experiemtation with the genre, which lead to the evolution of dance music, giving us "house", "hi-nrg", "freestyle", and others.

Michael Jackson- Current troubles aside, Michael Jackson used his voice, and energy to bring he and his brothers (Jackson 5) to international success. Has one of the most successful solo albums ever (Thriller) and managed to cross barriers, having his music played on "dance", "rock" and "R&B" stations. Was one of the first black performers to break into MTV.

Madonna-starting out as a "disco/dance" artist (her first songs "Everybody", "Physical Attraction" & "Burning Up" were huge club hits) Madonna recognized the power of TV and image. She went on to write/co-write & produce/co-produce her own material, and helped bring dance music back to prominence on radio. Helped open the doors for many more female performers to get their music heard.

 

[morgandee]

ben folds
😡

and l'arc en ciel

 

[Ignatz]

Thanks for getting the ball rolling, C.D. And for setting an example with your objectivity.
Here is my own list, in roughly chronological order.

1. Enrico Caruso--The great Italian opera singer would have been a success in any event, but the new medium of the phonograph made him an international superstar in the early decades of the 20th century...and, symbiotically, his stardom fueled the infant recording industry. His name became a byword for a great singer and his recordings still sell today. And his repertoire did include popular favorites and sentimental ballads, not just grand opera. One of his biggest hits was "Over There" during WWI.

2. Louis Armstrong--Satchmo casts a long, long shadow. The term "swing" was coined to describe his unique melodic rhythm. His style of trumpet playing influenced not only every jazz player who came after him but symphonic brass musicians as well. And popular singers in every field owe much to him. If there were a Mount Rushmore of American Music, Satch would have the George Washington position.

3. Bing Crosby--Arguably the first singer to exploit the potential of the newly invented electric microphone. Before him, vocalists like Cohan and Jolson belted it out to reach the back seats of the theaters. Crosby strolled into the studio and crooned into the mic, setting the standard for pop singers for the next three decades.

4. Bessie Smith--The Queen of the Blues, her style echoes through the century in Billie Holiday, Janis Joplin and dozens of contemporary blues and rock performers.

5. Hank Williams--Country legend who moaned the blues like a wounded animal and lived a life as heartbreaking as a Greek tragedy. They called him the Hillbilly Shakespeare for songs like "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry." Rock and roll owes him a debt, too. Listen to his "Move it on Over" from 1947...then listen to "Rock Around the Clock" from nearly a decade later.

6. Frank Sinatra--The supreme interpreter of popular song in America in this century. Period. Feel like arguing the point? Shut up and listen to his album
"Songs for Swinging Lovers." Then, later that night, put on "Only the Lonely."

7. Elvis Presley--Over-hyped and parodied to death and beyond, he is still the seminal figure of the last fifty years. Rough and raw in his early cuts, he developed into the finest ballad singer this side of Old Blue Eyes. And his rock and roll chops were electrifying. The Lincoln slot on Rushmore.

8. Ray Charles--Sinatra called him the only true genius in the business. 'Nuff said.

9. The Beatles--Quite simply lightning in a bottle, musically and as a cultural phenomenon. McCartney was probably the finest composer of the group, Lennon less capable but more original, Harrison woefully underrated until it was all over, and Ringo...just loveable old Ringo! We shall not see their like again.

10. Bob Dylan--Himself the heir of pioneers like Jimmie Rodgers and Woody Guthrie, Dylan is the father of generations of folk and rock singer/songwriters, the finest being probably Springsteen.

Honorable mentions: Billie Holiday, Jimmie Rodgers, Ella Fitzgerald, Jerry Lee Lewis, Patsy Cline, Barbra Streisand, Linda Ronstadt, Elton John, the Rolling Stones and all the people on Cellar Dweller's list (except, maybe, Donna Summer. Sorry, C.D.)

 

[Ignatz]

By the way..

...many of these lists will probably be of American and British musicians only, depending on who submits them. But it will be interesting to read the contributions of those from non-English-speaking countries.

 

[MistressValerie1]

I can't come up with 10, but I would nominate Selena, who introduced Americans to Tejano music and helped make it mainstream; Henry Mancini, the best semi-classical musician of our time; John Williams, who created his own style of modern classical music with broad mainstream appeal; and Andrew Lloyd Webber, one of the most innovative musicians ever.

 

[alchemy1]

Well, I am probably not going to answer this question correctly, but I can give you my list of the most influential rock/metal musicians...in no particular order...

(by the way, I'm listing individual musicians, not bands)

Paul McCartney
Jimi Hendrix
Ozzy
Eddie Van Halen
Eric Clapton
Tony Iomi
Ronnie James Dio
Bruce Dickenson
Randy Rhodes
Yngwie Malmsteen

 

[Ignatz]

Well, I am probably not going to answer this question correctly...

There are no correct answers, Al. It's an opinion poll. Thanks for shoring up the hard rock/heavy metal end of the spectrum. I probably should have asked for the top 20, but that seemed like a lot of work to put on the folks. Initially, when my low companions and I started kicking this around, it was the idea of a musical Mount Rushmore with only four faces on it. It became clear pretty soon that such an idea was unfair to scores of important artists (just as the real Mount Rushmore fails to include many of our greatest presidents). Covering the whole century was agreed on, simply because the recording industry is just over a century old.
I notice that most of your nominees are guitarists. Did you include McCartney for his playing? Some people, notably John Lennon, have long maintained that Paul is one of the most underrated bass players ever.

 

[Celtic_Emperor]

Stevie Ray Vaughan. I'm not much for blues, but this made had soul and heart. He'd probably still be playing if he was still alive.

 

[Iluv2Btickled]

You all know what I'm gonna say...so I wont say it..I'll just point..

*points at the picture in my sig pic*

 

[Faramir]

Hendrix....influential to me personally as he was the first I saw 'Live" (well, actually the 2nd, but I doubt Frankie Vali and The Four Season's had much effect on my musical development....I was very young when I saw them at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, NJ many, many years ago).

One of the best, if not THE best, "live" bands I've ever seen.....

AC/DC...!!!

 

[gilmourwaters]

John Lennon

Janice Joplin

Jimmy Hendrix

Elvis Presley

The Stones

Led Zeppelin

Eric Clapton

Miles Davis

Frank Sinatra

 

[Melissa666]

1. Alice Cooper
2. Black Sabbath
3. KISS
4. Motorhead
5. Iron Maiden
6. Nirvana
7. Judas Priest
8. Slayer
9. Sex Pistols
10. Manowar

Im only discussing Heavy Metal type bands cuz thats all im interested in. I dont give a frogs fat ass about some fat, revolting freak like Madonna!

 

[Ignatz]

I can't come up with 10, but I would nominate Selena, who introduced Americans to Tejano music and helped make it mainstream; Henry Mancini, the best semi-classical musician of our time; John Williams, who created his own style of modern classical music with broad mainstream appeal; and Andrew Lloyd Webber, one of the most innovative musicians ever.

Astute choices, which never occurred to me! Mancini, especially...Lord, the theme from "Peter Gunn" has to be one of the coolest pieces ever penned and the Pink Panther theme is part of our DNA now.

 

[gilmourwaters]

KISS AND THE SEX PISTOLS......nice choices!

 

[Nerobob1]

Queen
Hendrix
Beatles
Nirvana (for all the angst out there now)
Bowie
Pink Floyd
Elvis
Clapton
Led Zepellin

 

[Nerobob1]

Queen
Hendrix
Beatles
Nirvana (for all the angst out there now)
Bowie
Pink Floyd
Elvis
Clapton
Led Zepellin

 

[Cbarton]

I'l add my listings...covering some areas missed so far...

Bill Gaither: literally revolutionized the gospel music industry from just hymns and 'inspirtational' into what is now contemporary gospel music. Plus his Homecoming videos have recorded many Southern gospel acts for future generations. Even if you are not a fan of that style or not a person of faith, that style is a part of Amereicana, as well as the one of the points of orgin for country music

Chet Atkins: THE best country-western guitarist of all time, of not one of the all time great guitarists period. Plus, as a producer has developed many country music stars of the past 20 years.

Elvis: Enough said already

The Cheiftains: The premier Irish folk group. Has toured all over the world, done albums with many famous artists including Roger Daltrey, played the soundtrack for films such as Rob Roy and others.

The Carter Family: If Hank Williams was the king of country music, the Carters were the first family. MaBelle and the rest were one of the first widespread successful country music groups, long before June Carter ever met up with Johnny Cash. Without the Carter familiy, there may not have ever been country music or the Grand Ole Opry.

 

[Melissa666]

If you dont think that KISS and Sex Pistols are influential Gilmourwaters fine but EVERY hair band including Motley Crue to Poison were heavily influenced by them (im not saying thats a good thing!) and their theatrics. Also how many bands wear face paint now? I saw a band called Behemoth who wore face paint open for King Diamond (more face paint) about a month ago. As for the Sex Pistols...they were the very definition of the word punk not just in music but in lifestyle.

 

[CellarDweller]

If you dont think that KISS and Sex Pistols are influential Gilmourwaters fine but EVERY hair band including Motley Crue to Poison were heavily influenced by them (im not saying thats a good thing!) and their theatrics. Also how many bands wear face paint now? I saw a band called Behemoth who wore face paint open for King Diamond (more face paint) about a month ago. As for the Sex Pistols...they were the very definition of the word punk not just in music but in lifestyle.

So in other words, it's ok for you to call Madonna a fat, revolting freak, but no one should deny the influence of Kiss or Sex Pistols?

I don't even have an issue with what you said about her. My issue is that the thread is to talk about influential people for the past 100 years.

By deciding to focus only on heavy metal, you completely overlook acts like:

Paul McCartney, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Lennon, Janice Joplin
Elvis Presley, The Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, Miles Davis, Diana Ross, Bessie Smith, and other acts that had more of an influence than the bands on your list.

Don't misunderstand me, I can appreciate that is your favorite type of music. To be honest, it was a toss up for me on my list whether to include the Ramones or the Sex Pistols.

 

[Melissa666]

Im not stupid enough to sit here and say the Beatles werent influental but my music is Heavy Metal so thats whats most important in my book and on a more humbling note, thats the music I know. Madonna to me isnt a human being, shes an alien from the planet over 40 and fat and only big in freaky places like New York City! And if you dont think KISS are an influential band then youre out of your head! If you dont like em thats one thing. Personally I dont like em either...theyre the Muhammad Ali of Rock-N-Roll staying around way too long after their prime but you have to respect em. They practically started glam rock and a bunch of Black Metal groups who wear KISS like face paint.