Is Bob Dylan the greatest popular artist of the 20th century?

I completely disagree. You're only taking into consideration your own small frame of reference. All music grows and builds on what came before it. Popular music didn't begin with Rock and Roll.

 

Yah but most the people who found that popular music are dead. Big band and standards had little mark on popular music in the latter half of the century which is when most of us have been alive.

Sheesh you could have at least mentioned elvis.

 

if we are being pedantic

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_music#History

popular music began around the 17th Century.

 

I'd like to consider contemporary popular music began around the same time as pirate radio, and eventually when the radio started playing rock and roll. Somewhere in the mid sixties.

 

If we're doing list -- Dylan, , Presley, Neil Young, BB King, Hendrix, Jaggar, Joplin, Marley, Clapton, Carol King.

 

I would say jack white is heavily influenced by 30s style blues more than anything. It just happens to sound like he's rehashing the 70s because a lot of 70s music shared the same influences. but I do see what you're saying. He's not neccessarily doing anything new. I just love him because of his simplistic approach to music; not many people approach it that way.

matt bellamy is from muse, right? yeah, he's amazing. Jeff Buckley as well, he definitely had the potential to become one of the greats.

hell yes, no one plays guitar like david gilmour

 

Isnt jack white and matt bellamy more from this century? That's why I was hesitant to name people like Maynard James Keenan and Simon Posford too, they were around in the 90's but their bigger contributions have been after the millenium.

 

I think it's fair to span every decade, the 2000's are now another decade past in musical history.

I mean, there's no right or wrong answer to any of this, anyways.

 

True, I was just going based off the title of thread.

 

and what's does Dave Gilmour have to do with Bob Dylan being the greatest popular artist of the 20th Century?

 

I believe its a question being posed and common logic would suggest if you answer no to the question another response should be supplied...

 

good, in that case we both agree my post had some validity

 

Again, I respectfully disagree. An artists influence can outlive them indefinitely. Louis Armstong's vocal phrasing and solos are still informing popular music, either directly or indirectly. Hank Williams, Robert Johnson, John Coltrane...all dead yet still having an influence.

 

Your picking very niche artists though. Sure someone like Robert Johnson is very influential on some of the 60's artists like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin but he's not what I think the majority would consider a popular artist. I picked Bob Marley who I would say is a niche artist as well but his legacy I think vastly outweighs that of someone like john Coltrane or even Robert Johnson to anyone who is under 70 and doesn't transcribe music theory for a living.

I consider myself fairly knowledgeable about music and I can't tell you any Coltrane, I know I've heard some but jazz in general doesn't have the weight in terms of popular music because well a large percentage of it is instrumental. You can disagree with me all you want but I think you have a rather small view if you think any of those choices would be chosen over bob Marley or bob Dylan by the majority of people.