Who is the greatest musician of all time

Tracy Sheehan · Post by **Tracy Sheehan** » 1 Feb 2005 1:22 am

Earl Scruggs is considered the best banjo player,but only by those who have never heard b0b play one.
Will comment again later if i haven't been banned after that crack.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 1 Feb 2005 1:39 am

The Beatles were also great lyrisicts as well as melodicists.

They wrote standards in a genre that wasn't at the time considered as a base for ANY standards.
Little did they know...

Yes,they will have great longevity and are still having a great affect on production styles to this day.

They also were a heck of a good blues band...
But Bach still wins in 1000 years. His logic was impecable.[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 01 February 2005 at 01:40 AM.]

Andy Volk · Post by **Andy Volk** » 1 Feb 2005 6:34 am

Kidding aside, I too vote for Bach - at least in terms of Western music. As for Dylan, he's not fit to carry E.Y. "Yip" Harburg's notepad. (lyricist of Somewhere over the Rainbow, Old Devil Moon, Brother Can You Spare a Dime, Lydia the Tatooed Lady, and many, many more). As for Rock-era songwriting, I suspect that Lennon & McCartney are going to be among the very few songwriters whose tunes will still be played 100 years from now.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 1 Feb 2005 6:53 am

When I am older
Losing my hair
Many years from now...

Will you still miss me,
will you still kiss me,
when I'm 64[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 01 February 2005 at 06:57 AM.]

ebb · Post by **ebb** » 1 Feb 2005 7:50 pm

bach longevity transposition

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 2 Feb 2005 12:49 pm

If we're arguing most brilliant, I'd argue Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for music, Karl Friedrich Gauss for science. But if we're arguing most influential, I'd argue Johann Sebastian Bach for music, and Isaac Newton for science. Scientists far from agree on who is the most brilliant or influential scientist. An awful lot of this perceived view has to do with opportunity to influence, which relates to time period and, to some degree, luck.

Yes, most of us here live in the western world, no surprise our world view is western. There may be largely unknown but brilliant people out there in any field who eclipse well knowns by some measure.


IMO, all this is quite different from "Who's your favorite musician?". Me, I'll take Danny Gatton, surprised nobody mentioned him. They didn't call him "The Humbler" for no reason.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 2 Feb 2005 2:45 pm

Okay, I got a variation on this that could be interesting. When I was in graduate school in Lost Angeles in the late '70s, I was a teaching assistant. I had to go to some of the big undergrad lectures so I would know the material for the labs and workshops I taught. It was mostly boring stuff I had already had as an undergrad myself. So I would sit down front over to one side and look out over a hundred or so undergrads and play a head game with myself. Which girl would I most like to have a one night stand with, then which one would I want to have an affair with for a few months, then which one would I want to marry for the rest of my life. Well, there are some gorgeous young women from all ethnic and racial groups at USC, and I always came up with a different one for each of my categories.

So which composer or musician would you: A. like to listen to for a few hours tonight; B. like to have as the only music you could listen to for the next couple of months; C. like to have as the only music you could listen to the rest of your life?

I guess for me it would be: A. I'm thinking Al Green right now; B. Linda Ronstadt for the next two months - she's got a good variety of great sounding stuff; C. for the rest of my life I guess I'd pick Wagner, he's got a lot of material, and it's all good.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 2 Feb 2005 3:08 pm

My similar music line of demarcation is:

If your on a desert island till the end of your days what ONE peice of music would you want..
Most people have picked Beethoven's 9th. Which is a good choice.

But for me it is clearly
Bela Bartock's Concerto for Orchestra
Sir George Solti London Symphony version.

But as to best player musician Bach did the most with what he had to work with. if he had better tools and different culturale restraints he could have done more. Nothing against Amadeous.

I have played Motzart and Beethoven,
then next concert Bach.

Bach ALWAYS KICKED MY BUTT. It SEEMS simple, but oh no...

Post by **b0b** » 2 Feb 2005 3:20 pm

While we don't all agree by a long shot, it seems that Bach always gets the most votes. Maybe that's because I always vote twice...

Tony Glassman · Post by **Tony Glassman** » 2 Feb 2005 5:31 pm

Charlie Parker - for using "all the rest of the notes" in such a mind boggling fashion.

Eric West · Post by **Eric West** » 2 Feb 2005 8:30 pm

Now that I think about it..

Bobbe Seymour.

Second would be Brandella, if she plays anything..

EJL

Henry Nagle · Post by **Henry Nagle** » 2 Feb 2005 9:45 pm

Bruce Springsteen

Rick McDuffie · Post by **Rick McDuffie** » 3 Feb 2005 1:59 pm

Is J.S. Bach playing at the Super Bowl? W.A. Mozart?? I don't think so.

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 3 Feb 2005 2:10 pm

Ricko,
you ain't either LOL .

This year I heard it was going to be Ashlee Simpson replacing Janet Jackson,
but she will have MICROPHONE Failor this time around.
And in that case no one will boo.[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 03 February 2005 at 02:12 PM.]

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 3 Feb 2005 2:14 pm

Ali Akbar Khan is a consideration. The following is from his biography at his webpage: http://www.ammp.com/aak.html

"For us, as a family, music is like food. When you need it you don't have to explain why, because it is basic to life."

-Ali Akbar Khan

The classical music of North India is an uplifting and extraordinary music, dating back thousands of years. Ali Akbar Khan is one of today's most accomplished Indian classical musicians. Considered a "National Living Treasure" in India, he is admired by both Eastern and Western musicians for his brilliant compositions and his mastery of the sarode (a beautiful, 25-stringed Indian instrument). Concert violinist the late Lord Yehudi Menuhin called Ali Akbar Khan, "An absolute genius...the greatest musician in the world," and many have considered him the "Indian Johann Sebastian Bach."

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn

David L. Donald · Post by **David L. Donald** » 4 Feb 2005 3:42 am

Yes Glen he is super.
I also recorded Ustad Sabri Khan in Paris several years ago.
He plays the Moradabad Gharana

http://freespace.virgin.net/kamal.sabri/dwan20feb2001.htm

Awesome player also.[This message was edited by David L. Donald on 04 February 2005 at 03:43 AM.]

Tim Wallis · Post by **Tim Wallis** » 4 Feb 2005 10:15 am

The greatest musician? Hands down my money is on Tiny Tim and his ukelele. Man could that guy play. His mastery of "Tip toe thru the tulips" is still to this day unmatched. To watch his fingers fly up and down those plastic strings brought tears to my eyes.

I have to go now it's time for my medication? Besides, the lady here at the library says I have to put my pants back on or I'll have to leave.

Mark Lind-Hanson · Post by **Mark Lind-Hanson** » 4 Feb 2005 10:46 am

If I was to pick one clasical music record to take to a desert island it would be Beethoven's 6th, NOT 9th. My reason is that it is almost a perfect audial picture of what it is supposed to evoke-because by the time he wrote #9, he was suffering in so many ways that much of his youthful focus is diffused (esp. in that long segment before the choral finale.) In the 6th, you have real genius (and who wouldn't prefer some pleasant meadow to a desert island!)
And if I had to spend two months with someone, proablbly still be Shankar. Ali Akbar Khan is more or less his musical brother and some might argue, even "more spiritually advanced"- (even those two have their spats about the purpose of music!) But then, I could probably learn that more in just those two months than my previous 39 years at music...
(I'll stay out of this, now)

Glenn Suchan · Post by **Glenn Suchan** » 4 Feb 2005 11:19 am

David L. Donald said, "If you're on a desert island till the end of your days what ONE piece of music would you want.."

I've contemplated this conundrum ever since I saw Tower Records "Desert Island Discs" column for the first time. I have so many favorites from a multitude of music genres I could not pick just one. Instead, I would choose to pick none and play all my favorites in my head as I remember them. To pick one piece of music might erode my ability to remember other pieces of music.

Good question, none the less....

Keep on pickin'!
Glenn[This message was edited by Glenn Suchan on 04 February 2005 at 11:21 AM.]

Jennings Ward · Post by **Jennings Ward** » 5 Feb 2005 3:24 pm

FERRIS CURRIE IS THE GREATEST MUSICIAN IN THE WORLD.........NOW HE CAN REALLY MAKE A STEEL GUITAR RATTLE.....TO ANY TUNE YOU CAN THINK OF......AKA AS ??????? BUT HE IS MY BUDDY AND I VOTE FOR HIM.... IF HE WOULD ONLY GETT HIMSELF A P/P...............JENNINGS.......... PS..... WE BOTH LOVE POSSUM...........

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EMMONS D10 10-10 profex 2 deltafex ne1000 pv1000, pv 31 bd eq, +

Dan Sawyer · Post by **Dan Sawyer** » 5 Feb 2005 5:03 pm

Andy Volk, thanks for mentioning "Yip" Harburg who's almost always overlooked, but one the most brilliant lyricists of all time.

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 5 Feb 2005 5:13 pm

I vote for Tiny Tim and his masterful use of the ukelele, Not to mention his expertise in voice vibrato

Bob Wood · Post by **Bob Wood** » 6 Feb 2005 2:31 pm

If you're talking best "all-around" musician..., maybe "Ray Stevens"? Also, I understand that the "Marx Brothers" were also equally talented!

Bob

Jerry Warner · Post by **Jerry Warner** » 14 Feb 2005 7:47 pm

well there is all the great steel players and the great fiddle players and the great guitar players and boots but here is my choice's buddy, lloyd,curley,hal,mr byrd,and fiddle tommy jackson, chuby wise& that oter buddy on fiddle, guitar chet, hank garland & don rich 7 key boards floyd.