Who are the musician's musicians?

Look at the long list of artists that learned songwriting from Guy Clark.

 

Paul McCartney seem to appeal to the general public as well as musicians. His bass playing and stuff like that.

 

Benmont Tench - keyboards
Dean Parks - guitars
Nathan East - bass
Vinnie Colaiuta - drums
Paulhino da Costa - percussion
Steve Jordan - drums
Marcus Miller - bass
Jack DeJohnette - drums

 

Yes. Watt should be on those Who tours.

Pino's such a brilliant player, but he doesn't play to move the band out the way, like the Ox. Ox was playing like a truck coming through and the band had to figure out how to play around him. That dysfunctional role he played is why that band was special. Between Moonie's tourette syndrome style and the Ox being the Ox, it should have never worked. The chaos under the melody was the thing.

 

Of the living.....

Clem Burke (can't believe he's not showed up here yet)
Jimmy Chamberlin
Ginger Baker

Michael Rhodes
Danny Thompson
Edgar Meyer

Richard Thompson
Glenn Campbell
Doyle Bramhall II

Bela Fleck
Michael Cleveland (most will have to google him. Blind bluegrass fiddle player, super aggressive style)

 

Rob Wasserman, bassist, who played with so many great musicians (Lou Reed and Ratdog live, and studio work with many others, including Elvis Costello Jackson Browne, David Grisman). He also released his own albums Solo, Duets, and Trios.

T-Bone Burnett who's played with and produced so many artists, from Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue as well as a long list of movie credits.

 

Richard Tee
Jeff Porcaro
Sam Bush
Tony Rice
Steve Gadd

 

That's why I think Mike Watt would have been a great replacement for the Ox. Zak has the chops to play around him, and Watt would bring the bass to the foreground in a way that's inspired by Entwistle, but not outright copying him. (Really, kind of like Zak with Moon.)

 

Robbie Robertson
Rick Danko
Richard Manuel
Levon Helm
Garth Hudson

They weren't called "The Band" for nuthin'...

 

people that make good music?

Aphex Twin
Augustus Pablo
Fela Kuti

 

Some jazz guys: Dick Hyman,piano. Hank Jones,piano. Jimmy Rowles,piano. John Coates,piano(just ask Keith Jarrett). Pete Jolly,piano. Jim Hall,guitar. Howard Roberts,guitar.Thad Jones,trumpet & flugelhorn. Teamed with another mm, Mel Lewis,drums to create a band full of musician's musicians today known as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Dennis Irwin,bass,would be a later mm with the VJO. Scott Hamilton, tenor sax. While some of these guys did indeed lead recording dates and have their non-musician fan bases,their work can make a player pay attention and they work with others without stealing the spotlight.

 

The Shaggs.

 

Al Caiola

 

Jeff Beck

 

John Cale (former member of the Velvet Underground) said that drummer Budgie (known for playing with the bands, Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Creatures and The Slits) is a "musician's musician". Cale toured with Budgie on drums back in 1998.
source: https://www.bimm-institute.de/study/tutors/berlin/peter-budgie-clarke/

A musician's musician is a top notch artist, not really famous, who is not in the spotlight but who is revered by luminaries.

Name another musician's musican:
I'll say Eric Drew Feldman who played for Captain Beefheart and PJ Harvey.
I also think about Mick Harvey for his work with the Bad Seeds and PJ Harvey...

 

Nicky Hopkins comes to mind. Ian Stewart, too.

 

How about the late "Thumbs Carlisle" (Kenneth Carllile) the unconventional Nashville guitar wiz?
The only people I ever heard mention him were top-tier pickers themselves like Danny Gatton,
Paul Glasse, Richard Thompson, Mitch Watkins, Marty Stuart etc.

 

became somewhat famous but certainly qualifies.

 

The late Pete Tolson, lead guitarist and songwriter for The Pretty Things and xPTs.

 

Mick Ronson RIP

Although Ian Hunter co-credited Mick a lot on song writing.

 

Marshall Crenshaw
XTC

 

David Bromberg
Michael Bloomfield

 

Bruce Hornsby


Known in many households, yes, but I think he qualifies .....

 

You can also name Steve Peregrin Took who worked with Marc Bolan.

 

Richard Thompson