Which single artist has had the biggest impact on music ever?

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  • Tim Simmons
    Tim Simmons Posts: 10,003
    Elvis Presley
    I would have chosen Robert Johnson given his massive influence on the Blues and what would be comes R&B and Rock, but he only became widely known after rock musicians like the Stones and Clapton and Jimmy Page talked him up. While his impact was big in one respect, I think you need to consider other types of impact as well. Thats why I went with Elvis on this list. I think success also factors in and elvis has run the spectrum. A much wider spectrum than Dylan. 


  • thispureamericanriot
    thispureamericanriot California Posts: 514
    Robert Johnson
    Tim Simmons said:
    I would have chosen Robert Johnson given his massive influence on the Blues and what would be comes R&B and Rock, but he only became widely known after rock musicians like the Stones and Clapton and Jimmy Page talked him up. While his impact was big in one respect, I think you need to consider other types of impact as well. Thats why I went with Elvis on this list. I think success also factors in and elvis has run the spectrum. A much wider spectrum than Dylan. 


    I think the IP made the right call on the trifecta: Dylan, Elvis and Robert Johnson. All three probably equal in my book. Bob Marley certainly the most influential Jamaican musician of all eternity. Now if I had to pick the best songs from these artists, I'd go:

    Dylan - "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)"
    Elvis - "That's All Right Mama"
    Johnson - "Hellhound On My Trail"
    Marley - "Redemption Song"
    ZF0 on SoundCloud

  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    Bob Dylan
    rummy said:
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    I thought Vanilla Ice broke white guys into the rap game?
    Nah. 1986....Run DMC and Aerosmith (along with Beasties) was the game changer.
    I was taking the piss :wink:
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    Bob Dylan
    Ashamed to say I never heard of Robert Johnson until this thread.
    Checking out some songs on YouTube.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    Bob Dylan
    Wow I never knew They're Red Hot is a Robert Johnson song, heard it on a RHCP album.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • Hobbes
    Hobbes Pacific Northwest Posts: 6,438
    Elvis Presley
    See the source image
  • 23scidoo
    23scidoo Thessaloniki,Greece Posts: 20,083
    Robert Johnson
    And Johnny Cash..
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  • dionnesimone
    dionnesimone Posts: 86
    OffSheGoes35 said:
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    What about female artists?
    Thought about that question myself. I couldn't think of one to put forth as a suggestion really. Bessie Smith? I know she influenced Janis Joplin. That's a hard one.
    Bessie <3
  • thispureamericanriot
    thispureamericanriot California Posts: 514
    edited July 2018
    Robert Johnson
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    Ashamed to say I never heard of Robert Johnson until this thread.
    Checking out some songs on YouTube.
    Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin all worshiped Robert Johnson. He's original Club 27 member too.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson

    PS - Bob Dylan's famous Bringing It All Back home album cover depicts Robert Johnson famous King Of The Delta Blues Singers on the cover (see red arrow). Trippy!

    Post edited by thispureamericanriot on
    ZF0 on SoundCloud

  • lolobugg
    lolobugg BLUE RDGE MTNS Posts: 8,195
    Bob Dylan

    Robert Johnson/Leadbelly/Woodie Guthrie are all up there.

    Dylan just took it to an unbelievable next level. 

    Elvis had a massive influence too in turning white kids on to the blues... or his watered down version of it.

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  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    Robert Johnson
    Woodie Guthrie should have made the list!
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  • RS151862
    RS151862 Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 2,727
    Ike Turner - Rocket ‘88 ... influenced them all. 
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  • PJ_Soul
    PJ_Soul Vancouver, BC Posts: 50,779
    edited July 2018
    Bob Dylan
    rgambs said:
    I thought of a few women, Aretha Franklin, Billy Holiday, Whitney Houston, even Gwen Stefani...
    I think that the music industry has downplayed, destroyed, subverted, and mostly constrained and controlled female artists for it's entire history and that's why it's hard to come up with such an iconoclastic example as Dylan or Marley.

    It should be noted that I was buzzin' when I created this thread so it's just a fun little thing.  Bill Monroe was the thought train that spawned the idea for a poll.
    I think Billy Holiday, Aretha Franklin, or Ella Fitzgerald are every bit as iconoclastic as Dylan or Marley. But yeah, generally, the music industry is terrible to female artists, and it's oddly become worse in many ways over the years, not better. 
    Post edited by PJ_Soul on
    With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be careful. Strive to be happy. ~ Desiderata
  • Thoughts_Arrive
    Thoughts_Arrive Melbourne, Australia Posts: 15,165
    Bob Dylan
    thispureamericanriot said:
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    Ashamed to say I never heard of Robert Johnson until this thread.
    Checking out some songs on YouTube.
    Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin all worshiped Robert Johnson. He's original Club 27 member too.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson

    PS - Bob Dylan's famous Bringing It All Back home album cover depicts Robert Johnson famous King Of The Delta Blues Singers on the cover (see red arrow). Trippy!

    Cool.
    Well done spotting that.
    Adelaide 17/11/2009, Melbourne 20/11/2009, Sydney 22/11/2009, Melbourne (Big Day Out Festival) 24/01/2014
  • pjhawks
    pjhawks Posts: 12,965
    Beethoven or Mozart
  • DewieCox
    DewieCox Posts: 11,432
    Elvis Presley
    I gotta say Elvis. There have been tons influenced by Dylan and Johnson, but all the great 60s and 70s artist namechecked Elvis.
  • rgambs
    rgambs Posts: 13,576
    Robert Johnson
    pjhawks said:
    Beethoven or Mozart
    Considered both, but thought JS Bach would be a better option than either.  Both Beethoven and Mozart were brilliant, but they didn't change the landscape or create new genres.  Bach was much more influential, but they all had contemporaries doing the same thing they were, and the best options I thought of were doing something novel.
    Monkey Driven, Call this Living?
  • MedozK
    MedozK Tennessee Posts: 9,212
    Elvis Presley
    pledgeagrievance said:
    Missing the Beatles. They are the 1

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,677
    Robert Johnson
    thispureamericanriot said:
    Thoughts_Arrive said:
    Ashamed to say I never heard of Robert Johnson until this thread.
    Checking out some songs on YouTube.
    Bob Dylan, Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin all worshiped Robert Johnson. He's original Club 27 member too.
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Johnson

    PS - Bob Dylan's famous Bringing It All Back home album cover depicts Robert Johnson famous King Of The Delta Blues Singers on the cover (see red arrow). Trippy!

    Ha!  Excellent!  I'd never noticed that.  Good eye!
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

  • brianlux
    brianlux Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 43,677
    Robert Johnson
    MedozK said:
    pledgeagrievance said:
    Missing the Beatles. They are the 1

    I'll bet Neil Young would very possibly go along with your pick!  "The king is gone but he's not forgotten."
    "It's a sad and beautiful world"
    -Roberto Benigni

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