Artist with longest, most consistent quality over time?*

Probably has been covered before, but I searched and didn’t find any threads.

Which artist has put out the most consistent amount of quality work over the longest period of time?

Tony Bennett comes to mind

 

Tom Waits

 

I'm partial to Indigo Girls, Melissa Etheridge and Joe Jackson's output. These are artists for whom the passion and interest in their music seems to have waned, and I'm not all that enthused about picking up anything new from them for the past decade...but, once I finally do, it's love all over again.

 

Joni Mitchell.

There are a handful of albums around the middle of her career that I don't much care for, but I think most of them are brilliant, despite - or perhaps because of - showing a great deal of evolution in her style.

 

I'd say Willie, consistent "and" prolific. Not counting compilations, over one hundred albums since 1962, an average of a little over two albums per year...and hardly any clunkers. Anybody close to that?

 

First name I thought of too.

 

Richard Thompson. Quality since 1967.

 

Nick Cave

 

Johnny Cash , slight dip mid 70s - 80s but there is still some good stuff on those records .

 

Jeff Beck

 

Bob Dylan pretty consistent for 57 years.

 

depending on your definition of quality, for rock band, I'd go with Golden Earring.

 

Definitely - 1st that came to my mind..

 

Sun Ra/Arkestra is worthy of some consideration. Sure, there's been variability in quality over some 70 years, but they're still going.

 

The Rolling Stones.

 

an awful lot of artists fit this category, and i have no doubt they will all be listed lol

 

Fela Kuti

 

Van Morrison

 

Frank Sinatra

 

Ella Fitzgerald

 

Peter Hammill

 

It's hard not to include a lot of the cannon Jazz artists with some being longer than others...Charlie parker, Coltrane, Bill Evans, Mingus, Sonny Rollins, Ornette Coleman, Miles, Clifford Brown.

 

Mark Knopfler

 

Steve Tibbetts
Robert Plant
Mellencamp
Van Morrison
Terry Riley
Stephan Micus
The Necks
Jeff Beck
Bjork
Tim Berne
Sinead O'Connor
Kate Bush
PJ Harvey

 

I agree with your general premise -- but not all of these examples are great, e.g. Clifford Brown's entire career lasted like 4 years.