Is this your list or is it culled from some specific source? Care to
'splain yerself?*
Thanks loads for mentioning Mahalia Jackson - now what about Ma Rainey,
Bessie Smith, Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald? What about The Carters?
Why no Frank Sinatra?
Influences:
Bessie Smith - Ma Rainey
Janis Joplin - Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey
Aretha Franklin - Mahalia Jackson, Bessie Smith
Ruth Brown - Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith
Diana Ross - Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald
The Carter's along with Jimmie Rodgers - didn't just about every country
artist back in the forties and fifties cite the afore-mentioned as
influences?
Frank Sinatra - put the romantic leading man into big-band swing melodies;
the bobby-soxers - not since Rudolph Valentino did the young girls swoon....
a prequel to Elvis and Beatle-mania;
Anyway, Armstrong IS one of the greats, but I'd rank Ellington higher.
Do not forget the ladies, m'dear...
Tera
*BTW - you are not allowed to take the popular music bill of rights Billie
Holliday amendment clause, "Don't Explain".
-----Original Message-----
From: David Cantwell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: passenger side <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Monday, April 19, 1999 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: Single Most Influential 20th Century Pop Musician
>The most influential pop musicians of the 20th century are, in order:
>
>1) Louis Armstrong
>2) Elvis Presley
>3) James Brown
>4) Bing Crosby
>
>Armstrong and Crosby loom over the first half of the century the way Elvis
>and JB do the second.
>
>Who's #5? Mahalia? Ellington? The Beatles or Dylan? Hank? I don't know, but
>those first four, man, no one can touch them. --david cantwell
>
