The 100 Greatest Musical Artist of the Last Century - The Top 10 !

Beyond the shadow of a doubt in the little over a year in a half I have been loitering here at Hubpages I have never enjoyed anything as much as presenting my little series here on the greatest musicians ever. Of course not everyone has completely seen eye to eye with me on the placement of some on this list and some question a couple of them being on this list at all ! That is to be expected . However I believe I can safely say that overall the response has been positive and I take great joy in the fact that I am getting alot of I can't wait for the top 10 responses ! We have already seen 90 of the all time greats and all have made huge contributions to the history of music. But today I salute the megawatt superstars , the Icons , the by far and away most Influential and legendary performers you and I will probably ever have the pleasure of listening too. And If you have not seen the previous 90 I Invite you to take a quick trip over to check them out and Invite you to make a comment on them if you feel compelled. And here they are !

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-100-Greatest-Musical-Artist-of-the-last-Century-100-81

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-100-Greatest-Musical-Artist-of-the-Last-Century-80-61

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-100-Greatest-Musical-Artist-of-the-last-Century-60-41

http://hubpages.com/hub/The100GreatestMusicalArtistofthelastCentury

http://hubpages.com/hub/The-100-Greatest-Musical-Artist-of-the-last-Century-20-11

Now lets get down to business !

#10- The Who- There are so many reasons why The Who belong in the top 10. Lets look at a couple , for starts is their anyone today or ever who has ever sounded like The Who ? The answer is a definitive no ! From the beginning as a part of the British Invasion The Who gave us an immediate classic with the song " My Generation ". From there they went on to perform at Woodstock the greatest assembly of musical talent that there will ever be. And then in 1971 they gave us one of the recognized all time best albums ever made " Whos Next " . And the song " We won't get fooled again " is an uber classic. Then we also have "Quadrophenia ". And now lets talk about the rock opera " Tommy " one of the best soundtracks to a movie I have ever heard. Pete Townsend is easily one of the most Influential rock music writers. And The Who are considered by many to be the first Punk Rock band. Also the song " Who are you ? " gets steady airplay on that CSI tv show regularly now. I think aside from all their accolades The Who are truly unique in their sound and their creativity is unparalleled ! Do I still need to make my case ?

#9- Michael Jackson- Now this one may seem a little tricky because truly Michael Jackson was more of a performance artist then a musician. However you only need to look back to last June to know the Impact that Michael Jackson has made on popular music not only here but globally. There was not a bigger news story in 2009. I would also like to point out that the epidemic of Boy Bands we have had over the course of the last 15 years or so are directly attributable to the Influence of the Jackson 5 !

By the way I still love the song "ABC ". Then of course with 3 albums produced in the 1980s "Off The Wall " as well as " Bad " and of course one of the best selling albums and quite frankly a very creative one " Thriller " firmly embedded Michael Jackson into the pantheon of rock and roll Immortality and legend status. So in summation there is no understating the Impact of Michael Jackson on popular music as we know it today. The guy is a piece of music history !

#8- Aretha Franklin- This Memphis Tennessee native is firmly secure carrying the well deserved title as " The Queen of Soul ". And can there be any doubt about that ? Aretha Franklin is also a damn good piano player by the way too ! Now lets just name a couple of her legendary songs here ! For starts obviously we all know " Respect " and of course then there is the great " Chain of Fools " and then we also have " I say a little prayer" not to mention " Rock Steady " and off the top of my head I can think of at least five more songs she recorded that fall under the all timer category ! Now did I mention the fact that Lady Aretha has 18 Grammys to her credit ? Oh and in 2005 received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Kennedy Center honors the Rock and Roll hall of fame etc etc. Aretha Franklin is the royalty of all the Divas . No Beyonce or Mary J Blige without Aretha first ! So obviously she belongs on this list !

#7- Chuck Berry - Now some of the younger early 30s and under readers might be saying to themselves what ? But folks make no mistake about it , there is no rock and roll without Chuck Berry , you have no Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton or Jimi Hendrix or Beatles or British Inmvasion without Chuck Berry ! So you damn well better believe that Chuck Berry belongs near the top of this list because in your humble correspondents estimation rock and roll started with Chuck Berry !

Chuck Berry is a pioneer and the influence he has given to all artist of any genre of rock and roll cannot be overemphasized ! Chuck Berry burst onto the scene in 1955 with the first megahit " Maybelline " and how about the song " Roll Over Beethoven " or there is also the matter of an all time rock and roll standard " Johnny B Goode " folks these songs have the signature of Chuck Berry on them ! So I will close my case with this any popular music we listen to today is because of the pioneering efforts of Chuck Berry ! And from the days when the guitar player was a featured member of any rock band that is also because of Chuck Berry ! He is rock and roll !

#6- Jimi Hendrix- To me this one is so simple . Chuck Berry as I had previously mentioned is the first rock and roll guitar player and there is no disputing that. However when any music aficionado brings up the subject of the electric guitar there is always one name that will come up first and that name will be Jimi Hendrix. James Marshall Hendrix after getting out of the 101st Airborne burst onto the scene with a couple of guys named Noel Redding and a mercurial drummer named Mitch Mitchell in 1967

These guys went on to form the Jimi Hendrix experience and over the course of 3 short years put out some of the most blistering and innovative music that we have ever heard.Of course Jimi Hendrix had collaborations with other great musicians such as Buddy Miles and many others. He culminated his epic rise with a historic performance at Woodstock. We have had so many great guitar players in rock and roll as well as other genres of music but there is one guy by who all guitar players are immediately measured and that man is Jimi Hendrix ! There are many these days who some might find technically more proficient. However Jimi Hendrix with his larger then life persona and legend made the electric guitar a centerpiece of performance and no one did it better ! I Included one extra music video here and that is the Hendrix song "Angel ". It is not his most aggressive piece of rock and roll. However for those of you music fans here just do me a favor and put the video on and close your eyes and listen to nothing but the guitar playing in the song. It is mind numbingly awesome. It is jaw dropping , it is beautiful and it is a testament to why Jimi Hendrix is considered the best guitarist ever and why he is in the top echelon of this list !

#5- Led Zeppelin- When people talk about Heavy Metal I always laugh when they try to put Led Zeppelin in that category. Led Zeppelin is definitely a hard rock band but they were not a metal band ! Of all the hard rock bands who are on this list I think we know who has influenced more modern hard rock bands then any other band on this list and that would be Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin came about at the end of The Yardbirds when Jimmy Page had to put together a band to fulfill tour date obligations for the Yardbirds. Boy did he ever get a recruiting class ! John Paul Jones came on board along with a kid barely out of High School named Robert Plant and the drummer from Plants band John Bonham.

Led Zeppelin was a blues based and rock band and have music that is still in heavy airplay on radio today including a song called " Stairway to Heaven" that is still one of the most requested songs on the radio nearly 40 years after its creation. Not to mention a song called " Whole Lotta Love " from their second album. And the mystique of Led Zeppelin was every bit as fascinating as their music with the supposed occult influences that surrounded their music. Led Zeppelin was an Instant hit from the getgo and even rock bands today revere them as the Icons of modern rock music that they are.For my money though among the rock classics that Led Zeppelin created my favorite was " Gallows Pole " which starts out as a Mississippi Delta blues type of feel to it and progresses into a great hard rock standard as the song goes on. Also there is a song called " Bron-Y- Aur Stomp that could borderline on being bluegrass. But then again Jimmy Page is without a doubt one of the masters of his craft. I am glad that Robert Plant did not want to get back together with the other members after their 2007 special concert. I think it would have diminished their legend ! I was fortunate enough to see Led Zeppelin in the late 70s while still a high schooler , I know now I am blessed ! But I am done gushing now and feel safe in saying that Led Zeppelin remains one of the most Influential bands ever and their talent and style is one that all rock bands today wish they could come close to duplicating !

#4- The Rolling Stones- The Rolling Stones even today almost 50 years since their Inception are a sure sellout anywhere they decide to play a show. Mick Jagger and Kieth Richards are the original toxic twins and they along with our #1 selection are the crown jewels of the British Invasion. From all the hits they made in the 1960s like " Paint It Black " and " Jumpin Jack Flash " this blues based rock band has never failed to deliver as a live act. Not to mention the fact that " Sticky Fingers " remains one of the coolest album covers created and those lips on the stickers are Iconic ! But mainly it all revolves around The Stones music. The Rolling Stones probably did blues based rock better then any unit from the United Kingdom that we have had before or since. Quite frankly though I believe that the album " Some Girls " which came out in 1978 was actually their last great effort. But The Rolling Stones epitomize one of the greatest aspects of old school rock . In a day and age where the modern entertainer proclaims their own greatness after they have a hit song or if they are decent a hit album , The Rolling Stones used to put out great albums ! Like " Exile on Main Street " and " Let It Bleed ". And great songs like " Brown Sugar " and " Honky Tonk Woman ". The Rolling Stones have easily secured their position of elite among the all time greats !

#3- Bob Dylan- Robert Allen Zimmerman came out of Duluth Minnesota and moved to New York and started doing the local club circuit in the city beginning in 1961. A disciple of Woody Guthrie who is also on this list Bob Dylans proclivity for folk music was obvious from the get go ! Of course Bob Dylan really did not start hitting his stride till about 1963. But since then I can sit here and recite album by album or song by song the legend of Bob Dylan. Lets look at some albums " Highway 61 Revisited ' or " Blood on the Tracks ' or the legendary " Blonde on Blonde'. Or just his songs " Maggies Farm " or " Hurricane " or " A Hard Rains a Gonna Fall ". It suffices to say that Bob Dylan as a songwriter is in a class all his own. It seems hard to believe that we have had Bob Dylan entertaining us for nearly 50 years now but that is the case. We will rarely ever get to have the treat of such a dynamic songwriting legend ever again in our lifetime. I feel lucky to have seen him at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles in the early 90s. I must confess I was not a big Bob Dylan guy in my early years. My Mom sure has been a fanatic over the years. But as I keep going on in life I have come to appreciate the eloquence and significance that Bob Dylan has earned in the pantheon of modern music ! Bob Dylan is beyond a legend and I cannot even think of a proper adjective to describe him. Just plain legendary will have to suffice. And who has Bob Dyan Influenced ? Everybody thats who !

#2-Elvis Presley- Lets face the facts , early rock and roll consisted of Little Richard , Chuck Berry , Bill Haley and the Comets and then not only was there the sound of rock and roll there was the face of rock and roll and that face belonged to Elvis Aron Presley ! Elvis Presley came to us out of Tupelo Ms. and ended up parking it in Memphis TN. He had done a recording of a song for his Mom and was overheard then sent to Sun Records in 1954 for his early recordings. Now the Sun sessions recordings are #11 on the all time greatest albums list according to Rolling Stone magazine. Not only is Elvis Presley a musical legend he is a social Icon as well and one of the ways that we mark history today ! Elvis along with Chuck Berry was being heard overseas and Influencing all of those who would become part of the British Invasion among the notables The Beatles and the members of Led Zeppelin.

Elvis was the first man to embrace blues style music or as it was called nearly 60 years ago " Colored Music " and make it a signature of his own. I am grateful that we have gotten beyond terms like that now ! But Elvis is the guy who influenced the guys who influenced the other guys and gals that we now listen to today. Elvis and the uber legend that he created in his brief 42 years on this planet cannot be overstated ! Elvis is rock and roll !

#!- The Beatles- Now like any list of all time greats in music a person is always going to pencil in The Beatles first ! And then you start from there ! And this list is no different in that regard. Besides are The Beatles not the most obvious choice ? 40 years since they broke up the Influence The Beatles have had on modern music is still being felt to this day ! Lennon/ Mccartney remains one of the best songwriting duos that there has ever been. And you cannot find one musical artist who does not cite The Beatles as a major musical Influence. Then lets just talk about the music ! These guys led the way for the British Invasion with songs like " Twist and Shout " and " Love me do ". And then as the 1960s progressed the look of The Beatles changed and so did the sound of their music. Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band " is still considered the best album ever created and while one of my favorites as well I personally have to give a shoutout to the album " Revolver " which to me signaled the transition from the cute lads from Liverpool to the songwriting legends that they are. I could go on and on about extolling the greatness of The Beatles but I really do not think that it is necessary. Their music is a testament in and of itself. Of course John Lennon and Paul Mccartney had monster success after the break up of the Beatles and George and Ringo also did pretty well themselves. But as a collective unit the Beatles remain the overall most Influential bands ever. I mean my God there are kids who were not even born yet that are listening to them on a regular basis today. So for me the Beatles are easily the #1 Greatest artist of the Last Century case closed !

 First and foremost I want to thank all of you who have dropped in and shared your thoughts. I hope you enjoyed my little series as much as I have enjoyed assembling this for you. I invite you to check out some of my other hubs on music and I hope you enjoy them as well. In the meantime hubbers rock on !

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