just for fun . . . 5 Most Influential Popular Music Artists . . .

[OneBlueSky]

of the 20th Century . . . "influential" defined as impacting music, culture, or both . . .

here's mine (posted in order of influence) . . .

1. Louis Armstrong
2. The Beatles
3. Bob Dylan
4. Elvis Presley
5. Frank Sinatra

anyone care to play? . . . :)

[Journeyman]

1. Someone once posed the question, if I could choose the song . . .

that would go on the Voyager spacecraft and travel beyond the edges of the universe, which would I choose? Remembering, of course, that this could be the only contact alien life might have with us, and so it would need to express the best about us, and put forth our best image.

Without hesitation, I named Louis Armstrong's Wonderful World. Second I'd put the Beatles In My Life. After that, it gets murky.

I can't argue with your choices, One. Depending on the day, I might choose someone other than Sinatra, but he'd be in the top ten no matter how I sorted my thoughts.

[WCGreen]

2. Yea

Take out Elvis and put in Gearge Gershwin....

And maybe Hank Williams instead of Bob Dylan...

But they would both be in the top ten

[enigmatic]

3. My 5

The Beatles
Sinatra
Hank Williams Sr.
Enrico Caruso
Louis Armstrong

Honorable Mention: Elvis

[Robeson]

4. In no particular order....

Aaron Copeland, Miles Davis, The Beattles, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash.

[enigmatic]

6. Want to know what's funny?

I almost put Paul Robeson on my list..

[Robeson]

9. A gesture he would have kindly appreciated...

...:thumbsup:

[ForrestGump]

5. I'd choose exactly your list

Though it's hard to make such lists. I don't even particularly like Sinatra's stuff and Bob Dylan's voice is, to me, like nails on a blackboard, but I acknowledge their influence.

[Bombtrack]

7. if you include groups/bands

The Beatles (who's had more influence on all rock/pop?)
Bob Dylan (who's had more influence on folk/political rock?)
The Ramones (who's had more influence on punk rock?)
Michael Jackson (who's had more influence on modern top 40 pop?)
NWA ( who's had more influence on Gangster rap?)

I don't see how Sinatra was as influential as any of these guys. Who's the king of his genre these days? Michael F'ing Buble ? His genre is basically dead compared to the spawning of the afformtioned artists/groups.

The same basically goes to a lesser degree for Louis Armstrong and Elvis.

[ForrestGump]

8. "The Beatles (who's had more influence on all rock/pop?)"

Elvis? He influenced the Beatles, massively. Ditto to varying degrees for Buddy Holly, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Paul Simon, and everyone from Barry White to Travis Tritt. That's a lot of influence and a lot of influence on others who were, themselves, hugely influential.

So who were Elvis' influences? Too numerous and eclectic to name -- everything from Dean Martin, Caruso, Roy Hamilton, Billy Eckstein, and Mahalia Jackson to country and hillbilly singers and legions of bluesmen and obscure black and white gospel groups. Elvis was the nexus for melding disparate musical forms that not only formed the most potent branch of the rock 'n' roll tree but also, in turn, changed most of those original musical forms in some way and provided additional influence for performers largely working within those musical forms. He broke down the barriers, in more ways than one.

The Beatles were also influenced by Buddy Holly (who switched from country after seeing Elvis perform in Lubbock in 1955), Little Richard (who has often stated that Elvis broke down the doors for black performers so that their music could be more widely heard and accepted), and skiffle performers (at least partly influenced by Elvis and the new music that he spearheaded). Either way you cut it, without Elvis there would have been no Beatles. John Lennon said so.

[WCGreen]

10. Well if your taste in music lies in the here and now

I can see your point...

But the music you listen to now would never have come about if people like Caruso, Crosby, Sinatra and Gerswin hadn't laid down the way for the likes of Elvis and the Ramones....

And the Beatles, took all that came before them and juggled it all together and recreated pop music....

These guys and gals from the past were there when everything changed....

Punk rock is important but it is still just a form of rock.....

[OneBlueSky]

11. Louis Armstrong CREATED America popular music . . .

and has massively influenced virtually every genre -- jazz, the blues, rock, pop, big band, etc. . . he was the first, for example, to make a place for the soloist in ensemble playing . . . every time you hear a guitar solo by your favorite band, thank Pops . . .

[ForrestGump]

12. And Louis was a cool dude

For that matter, listen to his early-'50s shows, for example, and you'll find basically the same kind of energy (not necessarily as overt) present that is present at good rock concerts. This was pre-rock 'n' roll and pre-Elvis. Satchmo was a great showman, too, a fact that may not have been as influential (his live act didn't garner the same kind of attention later accorded the likes of Elvis, Jerry Lee, Little Richard, and later luminaries like Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Alice Cooper, and Ozzy), but that prefaced the rise of the rock 'n' roll showman.

[liss681]

17. What about Charlie Parker?

[Gimley13]

13. heres mine:

The Beatles
Michael Jackson
The Sex Pistols
The Doors
Elvis PResley

Sinatra, Louis Armstrong and Elvis are incredibly influential, and its not even direct influence. They each spawned new genres, each of which were used and taken and twisted and molded to new genres and mashed together, many of which are present today. So to say there genre is dead is a lie. It just lives on in different forms.

[AntiCoup2K4]

14. Try this list...

Robert Johnson
Hank Williams Sr
Woody Guthrie
Les Paul
Chuck Berry

Why avoid the "big names" like Elvis or the Beatles? Because as influential as they were, they were themselves a product of their own influence. Elvis and those who worked with him such as Sam Phillips of Sun Records will readily admit that he combined the "white" country and the "black" blues to create his sound. So right there you have Hank Williams and Robert Johnson, representing their genres.

Woody Guthrie created the blueprint that Dylan and others would follow, and Dylan in turn would influence others like the mid 60's Beatles and the Byrds.

Les Paul for creating the electric guitar, and Chuck Berry for knowing what to do with it. Not only is Chuck still playing (so is Les for that matter) but two bands whose sound comes directly from Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones and Ac/Dc, have continued to recycle those riffs for decades and still make em sound good.

Elvis was a great singer and a Hell of a live performer, but it was Chuck who was the TRUE King of Rock n Roll.

[trebizond]

15. Wont try and put these in order, but...

The Beatles
Bob Dylan
Hank Williams Snr
Louis Armstrong
Chuck Berry

[Tikki]

16. Five here....

Robert Johnson
Louie Jordon
Chuck Berry
Ray Davies
Dee Dee Ramone



Tikki

[Initech]

18. Frank Zappa is missing from the list

I mean, come on, the man practically invented alternative music.