robert johnson

I could say most of the same about Alice Cooper (aside from the alt and Indie rock). He did glam, goth, punk, theatrical and shock rock before just about anybody else. The Velvet's were influential - but of "all time"? Please.

not yet mentioned:

Frank Zappa
Captain Beefheart
Leadbelly
Tom Waits
George Clinton
Bo Diddley
Howlin' Wolf
Woody Guthrie
Grateful Dead

so many jazz greats that it's ridiculous so I'll just give one:

Louis Armstrong

Ray Charles
Janis Joplin
The Doors
Hank Williams
Billie Holliday
Bo Diddley
Fats Domino
Woody Guthrie
Pete Seger

No, but you asking if it is a joke is a joke.

Paul Stanley has a fantastic voice, is a really good songwriter, and could be called the Elvis Presley of the 70's and 80's. (Except that he wrote much more of his own material than did The King.)

Very few performers can match Paul Stanley when it comes to live performances (vocally, or when it comes to energy and charisma on stage), even to this day.

No, Paul is an excellent vocalist and performer, as well as a decent songwriter. Don't let the greasepaint or Gene Simmon's colossal ego overshadow his talent.

He'll certainly be remembered long after The Decemberists.

Or the Strokes, for that matter.

Apart from Marilyn Manson and some late-90s nu-metal, how many bands can you point to and say, "Yes, that's clearly inspired by 'I'm 18'," or "School's Out"? With the VU, it's simple -- just turn on a rock station for ten minutes and you'll hear a band that was either influenced by them directly, or secondarily through the Pixies, Nirvana, the Ramones, or the Bauhaus.

How many bands were influenced by Alice Cooper?

KISS, Motley Crue, WASP, Twisted Sister, Megadeth, L.A. Guns, Guns N Roses, etc, etc, etc....

Hey, it's not just the music, it's the image and look, too. Cooper was sporting dark hair, wearing black leather jackets and jeans long before The Ramones came onto the scene. He did the glam look in the late sixties (on the west coast) long before it even became a 'scene' in the early 70's. He pretty much set precedents for wearing makeup, gender bending, fantastical costumes, and outrageous stage shows. The entire punk attitude - that's Alice, too.

And as for the music, you point out "I'm Eighteen". Well what do you think "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is? It's the 90's version of "I'm Eighteen". And as for other bands influenced musically, well B5Erik listed some, and like him, I could continue, but I don't have the time to list them all. It would take all night.

You should really delve deeper into the man's musical output, aside from just the 'hits'. A wealth of fantastic, nay, genius, stuff awaits. Cooper's still around and going strong, about to release his 25th studio album of new material (not counting live and hits compilations) later next month. Oh, and how many albums did the Velvet Underground release? Five? Six? How long did their career last? But I'm not really trying to crap on them. Like I said, I consider them influential, just nowhere near as much as you seem to. Besides, they were highly influenced by Dylan, anyway, so I guess it would cycle back to him, not them, for the real influence. Anyway, there's only one true all-time most influential band, and that's The Beatles. End of story.

Believe it or not, there were arrogant pricks who aside from their insults added nothing to the topic at hand before Oct 2001.

I still feel Tom Waits is the last great American songwriter. So that really causes me to not like a lot of stuff that comes out in the singer/songwriter style of music. Although I do enjoy Elliot Smith, but he is no Waits and at the same time Waits is no Elliot Smith.

And to the poster above, The Velvet Underground is very important to the scene you are describing, but they are not the all time. However,I put The Stooges higher on the list. For me punk is three bands in this order:

The Stooges
The Velvet Underground
The New York Dolls

Granted there are a few more that could make the list after the Dolls, but those three are the most important.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

Really? You can't think of one? :)

These artists have all had a huge impact on music as we know it:

Muddy Waters
James Brown
Miles Davis
Charlie Parker
Duke Ellington
Louis Armstrong
Elvis Presley
Chuck Berry
Frank Sinatra
Phil Spector
Brian Wilson/The Beach Boys
Bob Dylan
Jimi Hendrix
Johnny Cash
The Velvet Underground
Pixies
The Ramones
Michael Jackson/Jackson 5
Prince
Afrika Bambattaa/Kool Herc/Grandmaster Flash
Run DMC/Eric B & Rakim/BDP/NWA/Public Enemy/De La Soul/A Tribe Called Quest
Derrick May/Juan Atkins/Kevin Saunderson

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

Tom Petty and the Heart Breakers, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Johnny Cash.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

I don't think most of those bands would fall into 'legendary'.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

Little Richard.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

Alice Cooper is by far the most underrated and under appreciated music talent in history.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

I would add the MC5 to that list. I think the Velvets were the most accomplished but the other 3 really rocked.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

Most of the greats have been mentioned but one that hasn't.

Queensrÿche it's easy to think of them as a joke now, but [80's] Queensrÿche definitely influenced a lot of artists out there. Despite their recent efforts, I would definitely put them higher than some of the artists being mentioned.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

I would agree. Empire was their pinnacle of success. They introduced thought provoking lyrics, and awesome twin guitar solos. All their stuff in this decade has really sucked!

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

I am going to add a big +1 to that statement. MC5's are probably what Deep Purple was to metal...they might not be on the top of the list, but you can't leave them out.

Detroit invented punk rock, New York made it mainstream, and LA made it fashionable. There is really no debate about that.

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

Fleetwood Mac is a British band. Lindsey Buckingham & Stevie Nicks were American and joined almost a decade after the bands inception.

However, I'd definitely add Lindsey Buckingham to the list of "All-Time Best American Artists." The man is incredible.

Some of my other picks:

Johnny Cash
Blondie
Emmylou Harris
Tom Waits
Patti Smith
Bob Dylan
Talking Heads
Dolly Parton
Billie Holiday
Bonnie Raitt
The Smashing Pumpkins
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Joni Mitchell
BB King
Ray Charles

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

Yeah and here is some..

Boston
Bon Jovi
Bob Seger
The Cars
Chicago
Extreme
Firehouse
Sammy Hagar
Heart
Alan Jackson
Journey
Kiss
Huey Lewis
Richard Marx
Michael Jackson
Motley Crue
Metallica
Prince
Queensryche
Ratt
R.E.M.
Tesla
Tom Petty
38. Special
Van Halen
ZZ Top

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

I didn't look him up, but he isn't American is he?

Re: All-time Best American artists?
 

John Puma Mountainlion