Who are the artists you respect the most?

Phil Keaggy is the man

I have seen him in concert twice with a band. Once in Austin with Sheila Walsh and once in Houston on the Keaggy, Dente, King tour. Amazing. I think I have every album he ever made.

 

Re: Phil Keaggy is the man

Nice choice! The man certainly doesn't get the reconition that his playing deserves.

 

Re: Phil Keaggy is the man

I saw him in concert with Randy Stonehill in 1989 (I believe that was the year). Just the two guys on stage together in front of a small crowd of 150-200. A very warm and intimate show with songs from both artists.

Randy Stonehill is a pretty respectable fellow too!

 

Randy Stone hill is a great guy but his music does not touch me like Keaggy. The Solo on "Train to Glory" on "play thru me" gives me chills. Even now just thinking about it.

Then the same on Glass harp Synergy. First tune , he was only 17 but he was already playing better than Eric Johnson does now. Faster than Zappa and more soul than Early Santana.

PS I am a former pro I know of what I speak.

 

Here's one...
Alison Krauss

as pure a musician as you can get

 

Bruce Springsteen
Peter Gabriel
Neil Young
Van Morrison
Tom Petty

Jeff

 

Bobby D as well as lots of the others mentioned so far..

...and Mick+John Head (Pale Fountains and Shack - for David Crosby-like reasons)

 

I definitely respect Gordon Lightfoot, Willie Nelson, the late, great John Denver, Neil Diamond and many others.

 

I also definitely respect Michael Johnson (of "Bluer Than Blue" fame but there is much more to him than just that song) as he is a nice guy, gives his fans the respect they give him, great guitarist and an all around great talent. He actually can write songs and has written many, but you wouldn't know it from his own albums (he wrote very little of the songs on his albums).

 

Yes, Gordon Lightfoot, what a songwriter...and Willie is just too cool!!!!!!

 

The more I learn about the Beatles, their spouses & the ever changing dynamic within the group - the more respect I have for Paul McCartney. He has been portrayed as the villian during Let It Be for so many years that it's taken for granted that it's true. Even the Beatles refer to Let It Be as the document of the breakup of a band, but I think it's actually the document of one member desperately trying to keep things togeher when the other primary member (and his wife) are heroin addicts & the other primary member couldn't care less.

If Paul was a little annoying in his attempt to juggle dual roles as diplomat & trying to lead a leaderless band, well it was an impossible task to begin with.

I see him as a man who has always tried to do the right thing. Aside from being a brilliant musician, I think he is an honorable man who took more crap than he deserved.

-BZync

 

Ringo seems to be one of the most genuine people you could possibly meet. Although it is impossible to know someone without meeting them, Ringo just comes across as a truly great human being - love pervades everything he says and does.

Maximum respect, Ring!

 

Didn't say anything about perfection. That's why I threw a couple of "seems" and a "most everything" in there. I think you'd agree that there are musicians and other people who are both talented and who act and feel much more overall genuine and thoughtful than others. That's all I'm looking for... those people who seem to have it pretty together, no matter where or when. As opposed to some artists, who seem rather vacant or childish much of the time.

 

For me it would be Frank Zappa.

Another one that commands respect from is Chuck D.

 

Warren Zevon
Neil Young
Lou Reed
John Lennon

 

For me Roger Waters. He has the reputation of being quite difficult to work with but I believe he got great results in his art (I'm not say being difficult was the only way to obtain those results though) I think he is a very socially conscious person and he reflects that in his music. Also the attention to quality has always been there in recordings, concerts, and even the artwork for the albums. All this has been very good in his works and I believe Roger Waters has been largely responsible for this, even though this tradition surly has continued even after he left.

I respect a lot of the others that have been mentioned as well.

 

Randy Newman. Brutally honest, insightful. Rare, rare talent, but always humble.

Brave enough to tackle his own (and humanity's) darkest demons and find art.

You can count his equal as a writer of song on one hand.



doug

 

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Musical talent aside, I respect each of these artists
for taking a personally risky stand against injustice:

NAT KING COLE - stood up to his bigoted neighbors
CHARLIE PRIDE - ditto
FRANK ZAPPA - stood up to Tipper Gore
SONNY BONO - stood up to Janet Reno
P.F. SLOAN - stood up to Lou Adler
FRED NEIL - stood up to the music business and retired (early)

 

Patti Smith. After the personal losses she suffered, I respect her enormously for staging a critically and artistically (if not commerically) successful comeback. Plus, I've just loved her through her whole career.

 

Most definitely Tom Petty. This says it all: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=16913

 

I also admire Tom Petty and would add the name of Mary Travers from Peter,Paul & Mary. While I don't agree with many of her political views, I respect the way she has stood up for them over the last 4 decades.

 

Andy Partridge
Colin Moulding
Kate Bush
The original 10CC
Robert Fripp
Tony Levin
Adrian Belew
Bill Buford
Pat Mastilitto
Johnny Cash
Peter Gabriel
Phil Collins (as a drummer whenever he drums anymore)
Joni Mitchell
Beth Orton

 

Ironic that Petty's principled stand is on the site of Rolling Stone, a magazine that published a major feature recently on a college guy with an abnormally large *****.

That's journalism with a capital J.

Once a great magazine, now not worth the piddling 39-cents an issue a subscription costs.

doug

 

Hey quentincollins,
Thanks for the Petty Link! I totally agree with him! Man...greed has
taken over America! I wonder how we can ever get back to what's really
real? Some people had better wake up !
txguitar

 

Paul McCartney for continuing to put out great music and tours, not to mention all that he does for chairity, most of which we never even hear about.