Who are the most important artists that aren't from the major English speaking countries?

Hans Moser

 

From Spain:

Los Suaves
Miguel Ríos
Rosendo
Leño
Extremoduro
Mago de Oz
Héroes Del Silencio
Barón Rojo
Obús
Medina Azahara
Triana
The Storm
Smash
Pekenikes
Lone Star
Radio Futura
Los Bravos

 

I beg to differ. Calling Pierre Kartner an important artist is a ludicrous and outrageous claim. Apart from The Smurf Song (which was a novelty song in the late 70's) he didn't do anything noteworthy afterwards. The guy is actually a complete joke.

 

Sigur Ros Iceland
Great albums:

Takk
()
Agaetis Byrjun

 

In France, in terms of importance by popularity, it would be Johnny Halliday but my favourite is Alain Bashung:

 

I beg to differ on your beg to differ... He wrote an incredible amount of music, much of which he sold. Unfortunately the wiki doesn't mention this.

 

Yeah, that is right: he wrote an incredible amount of trash. The guy is considered a joke in his country of origin, let alone outside of it. Pierre Kartner aka Vader Abraham is a nobody in the music world.

 

Since Quebec acts have been cited I'll mention progressive/dissonant thrash metal band Voivod. Two of their members couldn't speak English when the band started to move in the mid-'80s.

Quebec is a real hotbed for prog and extreme metal. Being surrounded by women listening to Celine Dion and the like will do that.

 

The only one I can think of is Hanoi Rocks from Finland...
I really like their original run [80-85]...

 

Ofra Haza from Israel, who passed away in 2000, had one of the best voices I've ever heard.
Im Nin'Alu is her most famous track but her cover of Led Zep's Kashmir is a feast for your ears.

 

Milton Nascimento is one of them.
At least in my book.

Part of the song title is in spanish but he's a portuguese speaker.

 

Jamaica is absolutely an English speaking country. English is the official language there. Patois is used by most all of the locals but on paper English official there.

 

Opeth. Would love a full record of them singing in their native language. I’d have no cognition but I’d enjoy just the same.

 

I liked him when he recorded in Spanish, in fact i had one of his albums. I can’t stand him in English.

 

Most important, as opposed to most commercially successful:

Jacques Brel
Jean-Michel Jarre
Kraftwerk
Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schulze
Serge Gainsbourg
Riuchi Sakomoto
Osibisa
Antonio Carlos Jobim

 

Ravi Shankar

 

Sgoed, jij je zin.

 

Although pretty global in where its chief exponents are from these days early the largest proportion of trance records back in the day were from Germany or the Netherlands and to a lesser extent Belgium.

Belgium New Beat.

All the countless Italo-House tunes that got big outside Italy too from late 80s and 90s.
All the essential Japanese jazz.
Latin-jazz from Brazil.


plus the obvious
Kraftwerk.
Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schulze
Vangelis
J-M Jarre
Cerrone
Giorgio Moroder
Demis Roussos
Riuichi Sakamoto/Yellow Magic Orchestra
Popol Vuh
Can

 

An interesting trivium:

In China, the highest selling non-Chinese recording artist is... wait for it...

Julio Iglesias.

 

From Galicia and no Celtas Cortos???