Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Most Influential Modern Musical Performers: You Tell Me!


I was in Toronto this weekend, and heard a radio show that, along with some comments on my site, sparked my curiosity.  The show was counting down the 40 most influential acts in classic rock.  They ended off on #21, Bob Marley, who is not a classic rock and roll act, and in my mind his influence on classic R&R is far higher than #21. Santana was #40; John Lennon was in the 30s, though I suspect the Beatles will be higher.

Similarly, on my site this past week I heard a number of people speak to the influence country musicians have had on rock & roll. Another person was speaking to me on the influence of some Jazz musicians.  And of course, R&B and R&R have been closely entwined for years, with artists on each side of the music influencing the others on a regular basis.

So the question I have is this: who do you think is the most influential modern artists? Name up to three modern artists that you think have really influenced music today. These artists can be country, R&R, R&B, funk, jazz, punk, rap, metal, pretty much whoever you think has really played a role in shaping modern music. To narrow it a bit, the artist should be from the 1950s or later.  


There are obviously many greats to choose from. I sort of suspect no list is complete without the Beatles.  To me, Eric Clapton moved the blues into the modern era and transformed it to a style that would appeal to a younger generation. And what would music be like today if we hadn’t had Led Zeppelin developing harder rock? Of course, this still leaves out the likes of Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Johnny Cash, Buddy Guy, the Ramones, the Rolling Stones, AC/DC, and hundreds of others!

So what three modern musical acts do you think have really influenced modern music, and why? I will read responses over the air on my Friday night radio show on Big Dawg, I’ll give credits and maybe even a couple disks to really good responses, and I’ll focus on one of these artists each week. So let me know who you think really influenced music today, and as time goes on we’ll also develop a poll where people can vote for their favorites.


Posted by Scottage at 11:17 AM / | |