Name The 25 Most Influential Artists of All Time

[Jahfin]

More specifically, 25 artists/band who you think have been the most influential on rock n' roll.

In no particular order, here's mine:

Hank Williams, Sr.
Chuck Berry
Joni Mitchell
The Grateful Dead
James Brown
Miles Davis
Elvis Presley
The MC5
Jimi Hendrix
Aretha Franklin
Johnny Cash
Robert Johnson
The Ramones
Bob Dylan
Little Richard
The Velvet Underground
Led Zeppelin
Janis Joplin
The Beatles
The Allman Brothers Band
Beach Boys
Rolling Stones
Frank Zappa
The Band
Buddy Holly

[springparrot]

Interesting list, Jah.

I'll have to think about my list.

[Jahfin]

Interesting list, Jah.

I'll have to think about my list.

I thought about mine and still somehow managed to leave out Bob Marley (and I'm sure, many others).

[springparrot]

Interesting list, Jah.

I'll have to think about my list.

I thought about mine and still somehow managed to leave out Bob Marley (and I'm sure, many others).

I'm sure it is an always changing list

[bravedave]

Hank Williams, Sr.
Chuck Berry
Joni Mitchell
The Grateful Dead
James Brown
Miles Davis
Elvis Presley
The MC5
Jimi Hendrix
Aretha Franklin
Johnny Cash
Robert Johnson
The Ramones
Bob Dylan
Little Richard
The Velvet Underground
Led Zeppelin
Janis Joplin
The Beatles
The Allman Brothers Band
Beach Boys
Rolling Stones
Frank Zappa
The Band
Buddy Holly

Great list. Mine would be similar, as noted.
To which I would add:

Sex Pistols
or
The Clash
Eric Clapton
and
Madonna
Michael Jackson
(like them or not, they have influenced pop music immensely)

Those omitted from my list above are some of my favorite performers, I just don't think they remained in a position of influence long enough to rank in the Top 25. Sometimes you get 15 minutes of fame, other times you gotta work hard to stretch it out over decades.

[Cubbie Bear]

Where is Tony Orlando

[Mr Play]

Where is Tony Orlando

Looks like he's playing Mohegan Sun next week;
http://www.tonyorlandoonline.com/TONYSCHEDULE.htm

[Jahfin]

Sex Pistols
or
The Clash
Eric Clapton
and
Madonna
Michael Jackson
(like them or not, they have influenced pop music immensely)

That's wonderful but this is supposed to be a list of artists/bands that influenced rock n' roll, not pop. To each their own but I personally wouldn't include Jackson or Madonna on such a list. The Jackon 5ive maybe...

[bravedave]

Sex Pistols
or
The Clash
Eric Clapton
and
Madonna
Michael Jackson
(like them or not, they have influenced pop music immensely)

That's wonderful but this is supposed to be a list of artists/bands that influenced rock n' roll, not pop. To each their own but I personally wouldn't include Jackson or Madonna on such a list. The Jackon 5ive maybe...

Pop music has encompassed varying musical styles over the years (swing, big-band, hip-hop, etc.), but for a recent period of time pop music was a sub-genre of rock n' roll.

[Desdamona]

Leonardo da Vinci
(or does that need a new thread?)

[Jahfin]

Sex Pistols
or
The Clash
Eric Clapton
and
Madonna
Michael Jackson
(like them or not, they have influenced pop music immensely)

That's wonderful but this is supposed to be a list of artists/bands that influenced rock n' roll, not pop. To each their own but I personally wouldn't include Jackson or Madonna on such a list. The Jackon 5ive maybe...

Pop music has encompassed varying musical styles over the years (swing, big-band, hip-hop, etc.), but for a recent period of time pop music was a sub-genre of rock n' roll.

Got ya, but I'm kindly asking that the lists be confined to rock n' roll. Thanks.

[sonofabeach]

Hank Sr. is rock n roll?

I can't think of 25 right now but I'd put Buddy Holly near the top of my list. As huge as he was, imagine all of the work he would have put out only if.....I believe he was one of the first artists to use overdubbing.

[East Texas Parrothead]

Frank Sinatra didn't make the list?

[tdparrothead]

In no particular order:

1. Johnny Cash
2. Buddy Holly
3. Brian Wilson
4. Ray Charles
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. Miles Davis
7. Bob Dylan
8. John Lennon
9. Eric Claton
10. Kurt Cobain
11. Jimmy Buffett... I just had to
12. Gordon Lightfoot
13. Neil Young
14. B.B. King
15. Jerry Garcia
16. Eddy Cochrane
17. Elvis Presley
18. Jerry Lee Lewis
19. Roy Orbison
20. Hank Williams
21. Bobby Darin
22. Woody Guthrie
23. Huddy Ledbetter
24. Robert Johnson
25. Duane Allman

I'm sure I can think of betters later, but that's my list for now.

[tdparrothead]

Already I saw that I missed Chuck Berry. I just did individuals and not groups, although I can think of some important groups too.

[chalksoperations]

There is no way you can come up with a list of 25 people and not include two who were both influenced HEAVILY by Robert Johnson. The list of artists who have admittedly been influenced by him span an extremely wide range of genres. The list includes The Blues Brothers, Canned Heat, Cream, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Fleetwood Mac, Grateful Dead, John Hammond, Jeff Healey Band, Elmore James, B. B. King, Led Zeppelin, Robert Jr. Lockwood, Taj Mahal, Steve Miller Band, Keb' Mo', Bonnie Raitt, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Rolling Stones, Ike & Tina Turner, Cassandra Wilson, and ZZ Top. Growing up, Elvis viewed Johnson as his biggest influence and he in turn influenced so many others. Led Zeppelin even used on of his lines in The Lemon Song.

You can come up with a list of motown, doo-wop, classic rock, soul, hard rock and blues artists for a top 25, but guaranteed all of them would have musical influence to some degree based on the work of Robert Johnson.

That being said, maybe it wasn't even Robert Johnson. Maybe it was all the jook joint bluesmen like Sonny Boy Williamson and the like. Maybe it was the death of his wife and baby during childbirth. Maybe it was plowing fields in Mississippi as a boy. Whatever it was that influenced Robert Johnson, it had a profound affect on just about all the music you can hear on any given station today.

[a1aara]

What about Muddy Waters?

[brettsky]

More specifically, 25 artists/band who you think have been the most influential on rock n' roll.

In no particular order, here's mine:

Hank Williams, Sr.
Chuck Berry
Joni Mitchell
The Grateful Dead
James Brown
Miles Davis
Elvis Presley
The MC5
Jimi Hendrix
Aretha Franklin
Johnny Cash
Robert Johnson
The Ramones
Bob Dylan
Little Richard
The Velvet Underground
Led Zeppelin
Janis Joplin
The Beatles
The Allman Brothers Band
Beach Boys
Rolling Stones
Frank Zappa
The Band
Buddy Holly

Hey where's Jonnie Johnson, as you know, he just passed away.....lots and lots of R&R star came to his wake....gota count him in

[Jahfin]

Hank Sr. is rock n roll?

He was definitely influential, not just from the reckless lifestyle he lived but musically as well (check George Thorogood's version of "Move It On Over"). In that regard Bob Wills should probably be in there too but as someone else said even limiting to 25 doesn't leave enough room to include everybody, that's part of the challenge of narrowing it down.

[Jahfin]

Frank Sinatra didn't make the list?

Not mine but that's not to mean I don't think he's eligible. I knew I'd leave a bunch of people out and I did. It would be impossible to include everybody. Again, that's the whole idea, to make your own list so you can include artists/bands you think are worthy.