We all have opinions. Of course, mine are far more valid than yours (snort). No seriously, for me rap music has no place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fane and while I love her music (in small batches) Dolly Parton does not either.
Yet without a doubt Rock music is undeniably the stepchild of country music and the blues. And country came straight from the coupling of gospel and slave dirges. Music is incest on a grand scale. So, while certainly not to my taste, perhaps rap belongs after all.
No artist bridges the gap of gospel, blues, and country quite like the granddaddy and candidate for most influential artist than the indomitable Elvis. No last name needed. He dragged “black music” into the mainstream with hip shaking fury and music was never the same.
Of course the real bridge between country and blues and gospel and someone we should consider the true father of Rock and Roll — Little Richard. He was Elvis before Elvis, only Richard was ignored because he was black and gay and mostly because he was black. Jerry Lee Lewis was a white version of Little Richard, only he was accepted by white DJs because he had the one thing Little Richard lacked — fair skin. Jerry Lee was cool right up until he married his 13 year old cousin…in our lexicon of most influential rockers we have to add Little Richard.
Then came the Beatles. Those rebel music makers who did not grab a guitar because of Elvis sure did when the four lads from Liverpool showed up. In hindsight the Beatles phenomenon is sorta head scratching. Their early stuff was nothing special. Three cords, tight harmonies, sophomoric love songs. But somehow the redefined not only rock music, but culture. There is no debating this one.
One could write a whole dissertation on the change in rock music from the simple notes of early Beatles records to the complex melodies and lyrics just a few years later in the Doors, The Beach Boys, Pink Floyd, psychedelic rock, hard rock, etc. it was a mere five years from full-blown Beatlemania to Jimmie Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, or even the fantastic progressive sounds of Yes or The Moody Blues.
Which brings me to number four: Led Zeppelin . They were not the first heavy metal band, but they redefined the genre. The first real arena rockers, they changed music in ways we had not seen before. Zep reworked old blues (stealing oftentimes from old records wholesale) and added folk and fantasy into a pounding guitar rich sound. How many eighties rockers just wanted to be Led Zeppelin?
Then from the excess of the eighties came punk rock. Barely able to play their instruments, I’m looking at you Sex Pistols, or are mostly the same three cords and melody repackaged from album to album — yes you Ramones, finally real musicians blended punk, rock, and world rhythms into The Clash. Their output was low, their influence great.
There you have it. My list of most influential Rock artists.
Interesting enough, most of my favorite bands didn’t make the cut. I left off several artists that could have been included. The Eagles redefined and created a whole genre unto themselves. We did not discuss progressive rock and I absolutely ignored Motown. Did Michael Jackson have any less influence than the Clash? Where is Metallica or Pink Floyd in my list? How about the Sugarhill Gang or Disco? How about Cream or Hendrix? Do we even have Led Zeppelin without them? No Beach boys? How do we ignore MTV?
Well, I certainly have fodder for many, many more posts.
