The Age of Music Giants

brianlux

I know I've asked something similar to what I'm posing here but it's a question that worms it's way into my head fairly often and that is, is the age of music giants over and if not, who are the up and coming giants?

My question is based on these observations:

Blues: The widely acknowledged giants of blues start (probably) with Scott Joplin and go to Louis Armstrong (and those two in jazz as well) and on to the likes of Robert Johnson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, Muddy waters, John Lee Hooker among others. But how many blues giants still stand? Certainly Buddy Guy but who else that will go down in music history as a blues giant (I don't count Eric Clapton because he is hybrid rock/blues). Are there any blues giants coming up today who will stand as tall as those mentioned?

Jazz: Looking again at the giants of jazz from Joplin and Armstrong to Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Sun Ra, Miles Davis, among some others who truly rank as giants of jazz. Who fills those shoes today? What young stars in jazz today will shine brightly in music history as a giants of jazz?

Rock: Same scenario- from Elvis Presley to Little Richard, Chuck Berry, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Who, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Ramones, among other true rock Giants. Who stands today? Yes, The Stones, The Who (half the group anyway), surely Pearl Jam and (in my humble opinion) Dinosaur Jr, but these are somewhat to rather aging or aged bands. What young bands today will go down in music history as true rock giants?

I don't know enough about rap, hip hop, and other forms of popular music so it's not right for me to speak much about those genres, but as far as blues, jazz and rock are concerned, is the age of the giants of those musics coming to an end? Hard to say. I surely hope not and find it hard to believe it could be.

Part of the problem is (and I've seen this documented a number of times) is that the music industry and the internet spits out and chews up bands and musicians in short order and seldom are they given space and support to fully develop, so that is part of the equation.

I do believe new giants will be born, but I'm uncertain as to the who, how and what.

And I'm open to the idea that maybe we don't need giants anymore. Maybe the world of music will become more regional and localized again. Don't know.

Thoughts?

goldrush

It's an interesting question Brian. I'm not sure if the age of giants has passed, but I don't think we'll see a 'golden age' with the calibre of bands that you mentioned again. Music has become so readily available, almost disposable, these days. New bands come, sell a million records and are then discarded for the next big thing. I can't imagine any new artists coming up today having the same kind of longevity or lasting popularity.

Then again, do they need to? Is a 'giant' now defined purely by album sales or YouTube hits? Somebody like Adele, for example, is often spoken of as being one of the best singers around. But she's only 3 albums into her career; can you see her still doing it in 30 years? Would she even want to? Conversely, someone like Gary Clark jr may well be around in 30 years, but will he ever be famous outside the blues or rock crowds?

The 2 that do spring to mind are Ryan Adams and Jack White. Both have had fairly long term success already that you can see continuing - Ryan because he is so prolific, and Jack because of the Third Man empire. Like you, I'm not really knowledgable enough in other genres to say if there are potential giants.

There's always a chance that someone will surprise everybody of course. Did anyone singing along to Fight Like a Brave in the mid 80s really expect the Chili Peppers to even still be going 30 years later, never mind have the massive success that they've had?

I remain optimistic though. I'd love to be talking amongst friends in 20 years time about this, hopefully discussing bands of today that are still going.

tempo_n_groove

Great question.

I don't think the age of Giants will ever happen again. As mentioned before everything is too disposable now a days. We are programmed to look for the next big thing and move on.

Take a hip hop/R&B station. They don't focus on older songs. They do play them but it's all about the now. Rock stations are nonexistent now. I listen to college radio to hear new stuff. I can't stand listening to rock stations. Their unimaginative song picks are boring...

So as for new bands that are going to get bigger? The Weeks. Look them up. They have been together since they were 16 and they are 25 now. They love each other and making music.

Jazz look into Jon Batiste. He's the guy that does the music for the Colbert show. I am impressed with whatever this guy does. I was captivated by him when I went to see PJ at the Colbert show. He is something special.

Drake is as big as it gets right now in rap. I can't picture Kendrik Lamar doing this for another 10 years. Nobody will be like Jay z or eminem in rap ever again.

I do have hope for music though. This revival of vinyl enthusiasm is a step in the right direction towards intimacy in music.