Your List of the Top 10 Musicians who Matter Most in Rock History?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by houston, Oct 27, 2009.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Landis

    Landis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Boston
    Sort of revisionist history on your part since we will never know. The Beatles songs were already covered by jazz musicians in 1964 on the strength of their chord progressions and melodies. Were songs by Chuck Berry and Buddy Holly being widely covered by other musicians who were not rock related? To say they would have ended like the Dave Clark Five is beyond being revisionist. I guess you have not heard what some of their peers were saying. Maybe the discovery of avant music and classical Indian music and being better musicains had something to do with their growth. I give George Martin credit for the classical influence on the Beatles.
     
  2. Roninblues

    Roninblues 猿も木から落ちる。

    Les Paul
    Muddy Waters
    Willie Dixon
    Fats Domino
    B.B. King
    Chuck Berry
    Bob Dylan
    Al Kooper
    Berry Gordy
    Jimi Hendrix
     

  3. But we do know what late Buddy Holly and late '50s early '60s Chuck Berry sounded like, and it was more sophisticated than the first two Beatles album... and lyrically Chuck was far ahead of them for quite some time - this is not revisionist at all. I am not denying the Beatles as musicians - they are my all time favorites; however listening to them pre-Martin and after Martin is a huge difference EVEN on the first two albums. By the time they make it to Revolver, Martin had taught them many things... he was the teacher, they were exceptional students who went further than the teacher... but how much further? You have to admit that the best sounding Beatles projects had his involvement and generally the worst did not. Love it or hate it, Abbey Road is a much better sounding album than Let It Be... and how much of the Beatles solo stuff matches up?
     
  4. Emmett66

    Emmett66 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    My top 11, in no particular order:

    Ike Turner
    Carl Perkins
    Jerry Lee Lewis
    Elvis Presley
    Chuck Berry
    Little Richard
    Buddy Holly
    Bob Dylan
    Jimi Hendrix
    John Lennon
    Paul McCartney
     
  5. Jackson

    Jackson Senior Member

    Location:
    MA, USA
    Chuck Berry
    Buddy Holly
    Bob Dylan
    Elvis Presley
    Lennon/McCartney
    Jagger/Richards
    Jimmi Hendrix
    Jim Morrison
    Eric Clapton
    Plant/Page
     
  6. mrbillswildride

    mrbillswildride Internet Asylum Escapee 2010, 2012, 2014

    Off the top of my head:

    The Beatles, OK John and Paul, so 2 of ten (for depth and clarity of songwriting)
    Bob Dylan ~ Lyrics like no olther
    Jimi Hendrix ~ guitar god
    Jimmy Page - guitar armies
    Neil Young ~ lyrics and thinking outside the box
    Joni Mitchell ~ the femme perspective lyrics
    Pete Townshend ~ spirituality and sharing Moon.
    Sandy Denny ~ lyrics and vox - huge influence on Albion folk-rock
    Roy Harper ~ lyrics and vox - huge influence on UK musicians
    :love:



    :D
     
  7. Lord_Gastwick

    Lord_Gastwick Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pasadena, CA, USA
    Nick Mason (For his infinite suppleness — the essence of fusion.)
    Jon Moss (Complete eyebrow command.)
    Andrew Ridgeley (For just standing there. No one just stood there like Andrew Ridgeley.)
    Simon Le Bon (Stunning singer and liquid dancer.)
    Paul Young (For his radical, insightful, brilliant reworking of "Love Will Tear Us Apart".)
    Bonnie Tyler (For being the first major female singer to come out. After Bonnie, no young woman need ever be ashamed of being Welsh.)
    Meat Loaf (Gave courage to the fat and talentless.)
    Suzi Quatro (Pure danger. Pure rocket-fuel.)
    Cyndi Lauper (Empowered icky-wicky-weirdy-girly-wirlies everywhere.)
     
  8. Roland Stone

    Roland Stone Offending Member

    1. Elvis Presley

    2. James Brown

    3. Chuck Berry

    4. Little Richard

    5. Beatles

    5. Bob Dylan

    6. Ray Charles

    7. Jimi Hendrix

    8. Bob Marley

    9. Fela Kuti

    10. Velvet Underground
     
  9. Good call on Marley...
     
  10. titaniumman

    titaniumman New Member

    Location:
    West Hollywood, CA
    For the record, a singer is a musician. And a voice is an instrument. There is actual no room for debate on this matter. Not all singers are GOOD musicians necessarily, but a musician is anyone who makes music.

    That said, this nonsense about including MJ and Elvis is ridiculous. They were both essentially song-and-dance men, contributing very little in the way of music that "matters in rock history," of note. Elvis simply was the conduit to bring "Black Music" to white audiences.
     
  11. PH416156

    PH416156 Alea Iacta Est

    Location:
    Europe
    First that came to mind - No particular order (10 is small number, so I'll pass on some fave already mentioned by most forum members)

    Jimi Hendrix
    Robert Fripp
    Frank Zappa
    Jimmy Page
    Chuck Berry
    Brian Wilson
    John Bonham
    Tom Verlaine
    Pete Townshend
    Brian Eno
     
  12. mrstats

    mrstats Senior Member

    I respectfully disagree with you. Define music that matters in rock history. It's a matter of opinion. Just my 2 cents of course...
     
  13. Paul McCartney
    John Lennon
    Brian Wilson
    Pete Townshend
    Jimmy Page
    Jimi Hendrix
    Eric Clapton
    Elvis Presley
    Neil Young
    Kurt Cobain
     
  14. Scope J

    Scope J Senior Member

    Location:
    Michigan
    88 posts and not one
    vote for Bo Diddley !!! WTF ?
     
  15. I would have voted Bo if Chuck Berry had never been invented, but as it is, I gotta go with Chuck...
     
  16. jwoverho

    jwoverho Licensed Drug Dealer

    Location:
    Mobile, AL USA
    If you asked those on the lists (and were able to ask those since gone)who mattered most to them, the majority would say Elvis.
     
  17. DPM

    DPM Senior Member

    Location:
    Nevada, USA
    In no particular order...

    1) Chuck Berry
    2) Jerry Lee Lewis
    3) Little Richard
    4) Brian Wilson
    5) John Lennon
    6) Paul McCartney
    7) Jimi Hendrix
    8) Jimi Page
    9) Eddie Van Halen
    10) Curt Cobain
     
  18. camrock

    camrock Active Member

    Ignoring singers (as singers, I mean) or writers:

    Chuck Berry
    Buddy Holly
    Eddie Cochran
    Bert Jansch
    Paul McCartney
    Curtis Mayfield
    Clyde Stubblefield
    Jimi Hendrix
    Tony Iommi (this hadn't occurred to me until a recent thread, but it's true)
    Klaus Dinger
     
  19. thedudeabidz

    thedudeabidz Stepping sharply from the rank and file

    Location:
    Bahstun, MA USA
    I was tempted to read through the thread, but I feel that would be cheating.

    Chuck Berry
    Frank Zappa
    Lennon & McCartney
    Jimi Hendrix
    Bob Dylan
    Jimmy Page
    Tony Iommi
    Roger Waters & David Gilmour
    Elvis Presley
    Pete Townsend

    IMO, the majority of Michael Jackson's material is not rock.
     
  20. Roninblues

    Roninblues 猿も木から落ちる。

    As much as I like Bo and have many of his discs, I don't see much influence except a little early rap. He had one "Bo-Beat" but unless you're in a band as a kid and played covers, you wouldn't play it because it was his! Still a man amongst men. :righton:
     
  21. PROG U.K.

    PROG U.K. Audiophile-Anglophile

    Location:
    New England
    Elvis Presley
    John Lennon
    Paul McCartney
    Brian Wilson
    David Gilmour
    Roger Waters
    Elton John
    Pete Townshend
    Stevie Wonder
    David Bowie
     
  22. mbleicher1

    mbleicher1 Tube Amp Curmudgeon

    Location:
    Washington, D.C.
    Even though I'm sure no one has read all of these, I can't resist.

    Elvis Prseley
    Little Richard
    Chuck Berry
    Buddy Holly
    The Beatles
    Bob Dylan
    Brian Wilson
    Mick Jagger/Keith Richards
    Jimi Hendrix

    You can trace almost everything else back to these dudes IMO.
     
  23. Robin L

    Robin L Musical Omnivore

    Location:
    Fresno, California
    Man Overboard !

    Any list of this sort that fails to include Pope Gregory I clearly is missing the boat.
     
  24. alexpop

    alexpop Power pop + other bad habits....

    Musicians

    Jimi Hendrix - Went further than any other electric guitar player.

    Paul McCartney - Most melodic bass player in rock music. (understatement :) )

    Keith Moon - Charismatic flamboyant rock drummer.
    (There's is also Ginger Baker, but he used 2 bass drums in his kit :) )

    Eric Clapton - Ground breaking blues lead guitar(gibson),not a fan of his later Fender period

    George Harrison - If he only just had played lead gtr on "Something" that would been enough for me, but he also inspired the later folk-rock sound with his A Hard Days Night ringing guitar chord.

    Nick Drake - Unusal accoustic guitar (Martin/Guild) tuning with perfect timing.

    Johnny Marr- Smiths man layered guitar constructionist, good stage mover.

    Ringo Starr - Any doubts about this man drumming abilit, check out Abbey Road.

    Brian Jones - Multi-instrumentalist, who put his stamp on the Stones sound.

    Keith Richards - Who shined more brightly in the sucking seventies.

    Singers

    John Lennon
    Paul McCartney
    Lou Reed
    David Bowie
    Morrissey
    Mick Jagger
    Bob Dylan
    John Lydon
    Neil Young -
    Frank Zappa - Never a great fan of his lead gtr playing, much preferred his vocal delivery.
     
  25. Coldacre

    Coldacre Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Melbourne
    Chuck Berry
    Jimi Hendrix
    Dave Gilmour
    David Bowie
    Jimmy Page
    Toni Iommi
    Ralf Hutter
    James Hetfield
    Kurdt Cobain
    Jonny Greenwood
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine