All-Time Greatest Music

Emerging Singer – Erik Gronwall (10 of 11)

Per Erik Magnus Grönwall (born 3 December 1987) is a Swedish hard rock and heavy metal singer. In 2009, he won the Swedish Idol reality television show, receiving several standing ovations from the jury for his performances over the course of the competition. His first single, “Higher”, (https://youtu.be/ytSP6E9Rv_M?si=0ykBE9IvfRHs5Xu5) reached gold on digital downloads after only three days. His debut album Erik Grönwall was released just ten days after the finals and debuted at number one on the Swedish albums chart, eventually certified platinum. Both as a solo artist and band member, Grönwall has numerous top 40 hits.

In 2010, Grönwall joined rock band H.E.A.T as its lead singer. In 2018, he portrayed Simon Zealotes in the NBC live television concert production of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Jesus Christ Superstar, for which he received a Grammy nomination in the Best Musical Theater Album category. He left H.E.A.T in 2020 after four albums with the band, and in 2022 joined Skid Row. Grönwall left Skid Row in March 2024 to prioritize his recovery from leukemia.

Emerging Singer – Julia Goodwin (11 of 11)

Born and raised in Baldwinsville NY, her piano playing father initially introduced her to music, where she frequently sang with him and her younger sister, Sara. Shortly after, she became involved with musical theater and started directing, producing, and choreographing her own pop shows with her friends and family members in her basement. This developed her love for the stage and for connecting with others. It also sparked her interest in writing her own songs starting around the age of 10.

Goodwin was introduced to the music of The Great American Songbook in 2013 where she won Michael Feinstein’s Songbook Academy, serving as the Junior Songbook Youth ambassador. Through this, Feinstein became a forever friend and mentor to her. The two performed nationally together on some of the world’s most renowned stages including Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Birdland, The Palladium, 54 Below, The Wynn, among others. Julia was a guest performer at the 2014 and 2017 Great American Songbook Hall of Fame Induction Galas honoring Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Linda Ronstadt, Shirley Jones, Ray Gilbert and performing a tribute to Mitzi Gaynor. Julia has taken her love for jazz music to the Symphony stage as well, working with Syracuse-Pops (Symphoria), The Naples Philharmonic, The Pasadena Pops, The Louisville Orchestra and The Rochester Philharmonic. The New York Times has applauded Julia and her jazz chops calling her “phenomenally gifted.” Goodwin released an album in 2014 titled “Feeling Good” featuring some of her favorite songbook standards.

Julia was featured on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” (GPUyfM1wArPWTZ1K) and became a quarterfinalist on the show, performing at The Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and Radio City Music Hall. Other notable television appearances include “Michael Feinstein’s New Year’s Eve” on PBS filmed in The Rainbow Room as well as ABC’s “Inside Edition” and “Extraordinary.”

Eventually, Goodwin was introduced to social media in her high school years and quickly had a knack for making short covers to her favorite pop songs. Frequently filming with her sister, Julia gained over 230k fans on Vine with her popular covers of “Airplanes” by B.O.B, “Knock, Knock” by Mac Miller and many more. Julia currently creates videos for Instagram, which has morphed into performing her own original music and creating derivative works with lyrical rewrites.

Over the years, she has been invited to join an A-list of multiple award-winning singers from the worlds of Jazz, Broadway, Cabaret and Pop which include: Freddy Cole, Christine Ebersole, Kristin Chenoweth, Dan Brubeck, Darren Criss, Elaine Paige, Marilyn Maye, Aaron Tveit, Jake Miller, Benny Mardones, Andy Grammer and Jessica Sanchez. Julia performed at the 2014 M&T Jazz Fest opening for Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and Trombone Shorty and at the 2016 Jazz Fest opening for Michael McDonald.

In 2016, Goodwin attended Syracuse University, majoring in Music Industry with a concentration in Jazz Commercial studies.

In December of 2019, Goodwin released her Christmas time classic “Home for The Holiday.” (https://youtu.be/06emElUxmi8?si=IB3e4bVxyG1uX_SC).

Wilt Chamberlain, the singer

Many of you remember Wilt (The Stilt) as a Hall of Fame NBA player (1959-1973). Still, throughout high school (in Philadelphia), his best and favorite sport was track. He was fast (48:06 in the 440 yard run), had significant hops (6’6” in the high jump) and was strong (47’ shot put).

I am betting that very few of you know that he also had a very good voice! He professionally recorded two songs in 1960: “By the River and That’s Easy to Say (https://youtu.be/CCn323X3c_0?si=SM-YeKk0X7kmk60B).

The photo of Wilt was taken from Sports Illustrated.

Best Female Lead Singers

Women (26 from the 1960s) Note: the photo above was taken from iStock.

This is a followup to my last post which reviewed forty-four male lead singers and their respective singing groups.

Looking back over sixty years ago, it may be difficult to know what the names of your favorite group lead singers were. I would suggest that there are six of the following twenty-six female lead singers that are superior to the other great lead singers.

I am basing my selections upon their technical skills, precise pitch, breath control, unique resonant tone and their ability to connect with an audience.

The six are: Judy Craig (The Chiffons); Judith Durham (The Seekers); Mama Cass Elliot (The Mamas & Papas); Gladys Knight (& The Pips); Ruby Nash-Garnett (& The Romantics) and Diana Ross (& The Supremes).

Here are all twenty-six lead singers, their respective groups and a Spotify link of one of their top recordings:

Barbara Alston, The Crystals (Then He Kissed Me 1963) https://open.spotify.com/track/01HtqrT522ETarRrnXVNRJ?si=cBRK7QLbSyyOKVm3F-5gNw

Shirley Alston Reeves, The Shirelles (Dedicated to the One I Love 1961) https://open.spotify.com/track/4HdRMye6yPWOFrfLLM7W6b?si=07UaryKHRJST6X2Kojchmg

La La Brooks, The Crystals (Da Doo Ron Ron 1961) https://open.spotify.com/track/4ANp6cNMvHic5klSdeNOXj?si=-c2XKcF9Qa2Drhjrt9bu-w

Chaka Chan, The Rufus Singers (Tell Me Something Good 1974) https://open.spotify.com/track/1OO2Fp9PsnaayiekeXuGJX?si=U2ooteiMSSq-nL6ihb3peQ

Judy Craig, The Chiffons (He’s So Fine 1963) https://open.spotify.com/track/2Bs1Lw9LX8hBm70t1iGdlh?si=6FMl9DbyTMa_mTIXtNz3kg

Sandy Denny, Fairport Connection (Who Knows Where the Time Goes 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/2cYBpE6L4dnDchKzQhTqYe?si=lK0Y7vN4Q6O15gbnJSSE6Q

Julie Driscoll, The Trinity (This Wheel’s on Fire 1968) https://open.spotify.com/track/2omByGzf4mhcyDAnOAdgWq?si=ooTL6ccwRrKHg6drUCVMyA

Judith Durham, The Seekers (Georgie Girl 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/73XQBWHSVLL1939hb8cQTm?si=5G0jL0P_QyC24lj9Rqs5qw

Mama Cass Elliot, The Mamas & The Papas (California Dreamin’ 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/1ZEOIhSn6BKErV59bIgn76?si=zKpiXafETYm6LU6zkdhyKw

Rosetta Hightower, The Orions (Don’t Hang Up 1962) https://open.spotify.com/track/6WU8iaVVYHvuhwkowevC0V?si=k-G9hX4MRE-p0One4WIHqA

Gladys Horton, The Marvelettes (Please Mr. Postman 1961) https://open.spotify.com/track/5fNDP3NTdE69szQHUl4fFr?si=sFYpv54rRKOSg62Exoyjng

Janis Joplin, Big Brother & The Holding Company (Me and Bobby McGee 1968) https://open.spotify.com/track/1IqFh00G2kvvMm8pRMpehA?si=EVlOA5CQQoetviJoNZlcig

Gladys Knight & The Pips (I Heard It through the Grapevine 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/1aRrJewQmqU3wMUf86VVc6?si=zSasgIn7RmG6bZA3neu-bQ

Rita Lee, Os Mutantes (Banho de Lua 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/72PwhCFGZhwNNZsPMC26fg?si=3sU0YAG6TWiUaJ3Oe-Hvvg

Ruby (Nash-Garnett), & The Romantics. (Our Day Will Come 1963) https://open.spotify.com/track/6ncy7ALy1d33xXkJ0Eh6G5?si=u8mSoks0QPifHaqBCKfc4w

Stevie Nicks, Fleetwood Mac (Dreams 1977) https://open.spotify.com/track/0ofHAoxe9vBkTCp2UQIavz?si=NPvDdLEfReeI_WPmuDelVw

Nico, The Velvet Underground (Pale Blue Eyes 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/11VwZwNF29HrqwalYUMitb?si=0HD8Pt59SJGM2aGlipHpXA

Emma Pought, The Bobettes (Mr. Lee 1957) https://open.spotify.com/track/1mU4AfMj8OYJLsQ1vesY16?si=zlE9Xk4nT3avxq36AouIjA

Martha Reeves, Martha & The Vandellas (Dancing in the Street 1964) https://open.spotify.com/track/6rLqjzGV5VMLDWEnuUqi8q?si=c4_Ph0RYRRaZO2YhLM4ErA

Linda Rhonstadt, The Stone Ponies (Different Drum 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/3k63RLvRgkgPGx0keOH3P6?si=CVMzhh53RA2_i5aURYmi3A

Diana Ross, The Supremes (Where Did Our Love Go 1964) https://open.spotify.com/track/69RH84na5iUNwrwxpgjC5j?si=5guwl_5uSM-4OShzVRNw_g

Grace Slick. Jefferson Airplane (White Rabbit 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/4vpeKl0vMGdAXpZiQB2Dtd?si=HckJM0YmQAqmQYJ96wSrNg

Mavis Staples, The Staple Singers (I’ll Take You There 1972) https://open.spotify.com/track/7sxTjnPqokxnHlLrZorBK7?si=G9m8PR9OQ-2ficKSrbtfYg

Mary Weiss, The Shangri-Las (Out in the Streets 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/2nCMkTfSIjCSN7OjdQK1AC?si=LXbWP9qnT0uqZqqGuLu4_g

Ann Wilson, Heart (Crazy on You 1975) https://open.spotify.com/track/5zH710lFSLtkHbMkslLDjR?si=L7iyzvcZQDe1w1vh9aRL5Q

Wanda Young & Ronnie Spector, The Ronettes (Be My Baby 1963) https://open.spotify.com/track/2G2YzndIA6jeWFPBXhUjh5?si=eQxBZjKoS7a5nJThAI6dxQ

In case you want to do further research about female lead singers in groups, I would recommend utilizing Rate Your Music (RYM). Here is their web link: https://share.google/eCjZX2Wbe3kswD2pq.

Also, FYI, here is brief RYM background page: Launched in 2000, Rate Your Music (RYM) is an online encyclopedia of music releases and films where users catalog, rate, and review entries. The platform features community-generated genre information with a voting system, and users contribute artists, releases, and biographies, often requiring moderator approval. RYM also offers community-based charts and allows profile and list creation. While noted for its utility in discovery, the platform has been described as having a particular demographic and being susceptible to groupthink.

Best Male Lead Singers

MEN (44 from the 1960s) Note: The photo was a royalty-free pic from Shutterstock.

Looking back over sixty years ago, it may be difficult to know what the names of your favorite group lead singers were. I would suggest that there are ten of the following forty-four that are superior to the other great singers.

I am basing my selections upon their technical skills, precise pitch, breath control, unique resonant tone and their ability to connect with an audience.

The ten are: Jerome Gourdine (Little Anthony & The Imperials); Marvin Junior (The Dells); Ben E. King (The Drifters); Johnny Maestro (The Brooklyn Bridge); Sam Moore and Dave Prater (Sam & Dave); Gary Puckett (& The Union Gap); Smokey Robinson (& The Miracles), David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks (The Impressions); David Clayton-Thomas (Blood, Sweat & Tears); snd Frankie Valli (The Four Seasons).

Their Spotify song links are included with all of the following forty-four male lead singers:

Gregg Allman, The Allman Brothers (Whipping Post 1971) https://open.spotify.com/track/1uXZqJagwZS6QY7DhiILyk?si=C0DclrcNSM-xno2bqp_GEw

Gerald Austin, The Manhattans (Follow Your Heart 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/46VXY6ICU226D25CODh6zr?si=o5ca7pYeQFaGCAmaSk0SUg

Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (Nothing But Good 1961) https://open.spotify.com/track/0be3v1RAmETzOVcITGpUjE?si=E9lfhZtMTGOX8x06b9D_Eg

Archie Bell & The Drells (Tighten Up 1968) https://open.spotify.com/album/5zsOpnZyZidaZo5KXL0xzr?si=3C3WjWU7RFClds6Ebt0zTg

Joe Billingslea, The Contours (Do You Love Me Now 1962) https://open.spotify.com/album/0lsPVVIQ2e9CzDZCTtQB89?si=g0X29_InT-qvU14iJ31Hqw

Jay Black, Jay & The Americans (Come a Little Bit Closer 1964) https://open.spotify.com/track/0UXT8kfjYJjKFd00SkExE5?si=EwmNc6qMTLmeljcPuuxXag

Eric Burdon, The Animals (House of the Rising Sun 1964) https://open.spotify.com/track/2UNubhwW58kZLHj29uNRZb?si=hah7WVgWSruVHyhyhZVt9A

Arlester Christian, Dyke & The Blazers (Funky Broadway 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/16tZWLOZW2BDoHzsHh1lX0?si=Wt4ju0F_TGGIqojix3m_Kg

Allan Clark, The Hollies (Bus Stop 1966) https://open.spotify.com/track/5ffgAz1iEbGYC9EDrH07sy?si=kuf6QLn9TtueaIe6z820Bg

Jack Bruce, Cream (Sunshine of Your Love 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/6FRwDxXsvSasw0y2eDArsz?si=ReJPTbz7TrKT3rFHJw175A

Clarence Burke Jr., The Five Stairsteps (Baby Make Me Feel So Good 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/0wSvnAFcmkeP9gU5L6RRjQ?si=qcGuLIxCTwa65rgffSIVzA

Steve Cropper, Booker T & The MGs (Green Onions 1962) https://open.spotify.com/track/0LiHWulNk5Vws57m9pvo9D?si=XZYlyXCRTAylYIJZhYUo-A

Burton Cummings, The Guess Who (American Woman 1970) https://open.spotify.com/track/2FT4gakd3matx4vI6YCTD8?si=fRbxz_htTFCDCd2WXjbXnA

Roger Daltry, The Who (I Can See for Miles 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/64SFBGTQvXgEHds3F01rpc?si=dsztaNUyQLmgq5InXb8-Mg

Sweet James Epps, The Fantastic Four (The Whole World is a Stage 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/3nTQYbmBGXgeZfgDVAcjAm?si=dIZpHAJVQLSdw9QvC-LFTA

Jerome Gourdine, Little Anthony & The Imperials (Hurt So Bad 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/5N4ruSTYznhRHBiYRUkDPy?si=7LSTJjbTRzeIrdRl-O2c6A

William” Poogie” Hart, The Delfonics (You Got Yours, I’ll Get Mine 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/6MZfXzTL12sm7dqFn1m1jl?si=zgmITht-R92KAHdJRJVOqQ

Ronald Isley, The Isley Brothers (It’s Your Thing 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/3ZxfehzRtB3oJcBuxWXFZQ?si=LXfZEtSXRw2dGGvJB8Rlog

Michael Jackson, Jackson Five ( I Want You Back 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/5LxvwujISqiB8vpRYv887S?si=Dss9TqNTQGynLS1nbM49Jg

Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones. (Gimmie Shelter 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/14uQWXYRflpBP8J6olZ8mH?si=b35bUo5cT7qZqqQR2O5geA

Davy Jones and Micky Dolen, The Monkeys (Daydream Believer 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/43ewdqrSZLqA9UzFpOmQjn?si=ovODBxsgQMiwHt9t0QMx9Q

Marvin Junior, The Dells (Oh! What a Night 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/1S5eC9PiwzHG6QkVeQYbWn?si=q0AA5QMOQM6-j_WtROpEkQ

Ben E. King, The Drifters (Under the Boardwalk 1964) https://open.spotify.com/track/65jrjEhWfAvysKfnojk1i0?si=E8G58jN0TQy2ITD28Gph0w

John Lennon, The Beatles (A Day in the Life 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/0hKRSZhUGEhKU6aNSPBACZ?si=1-Izg6MoS7WYN5Fz_LiqSg

Eddie Levert, The O’Jays (Lonely Drifter 1963). Greatest Hits https://open.spotify.com/playlist/59yj6NaYHvV6AOgDBZIewI?si=wMl3l1ixSMSSxudPNjgnFA&pi=8-AgHE-rSeisw

Johnny Maestro, The Brooklyn Bridge (Worst that Could Happen 1969) https://open.spotify.com/track/5fkpToUxgnHcaoICNr3AJF?si=yOUsZ_YoSgq-kmFZiXrolg

Curtis Mayfield, The Impressions (People Get Ready 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/6AeG6jSoAVbmUFO6LyYmBf?si=xBauOu-mR8i_xwVnjDJzUA

Garnet Mimns & The Enchanters Cry Baby 1963) https://open.spotify.com/track/5G0yErsdIKfplod526gygr?si=c7PKBxJyTXSEQLukVsZkGA

Sam Moore and Dave Prater, Sam & Dave (Soul Man 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/4EPb7V3UW4WpDmQQcxAPvd?si=4KH2GAfHTuaorY3SJJ96rA

Jim Morrison, The Doors (Light My Fire 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/5uvosCdMlFdTXhoazkTI5R?si=cpqaM5kqSQqKeP6JqazFMg

Peter Noone, Herman Hermits (Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/1GJCJpKYfzRUsYnSRy4Mfz?si=QZYBbVHqSYicgY0gRlR8uw

Wally Palmos, The Romantics, Wally Palmos (Talking in Your Sleep 1984) https://open.spotify.com/track/7fRvtXvJMpGfTLdF0M09a1?si=vk6k6ypPTkSYTnPfhjTKvQ

Joseph “ Joe” Pope, The Tams (What Kind of Fool 1963) https://open.spotify.com/track/619paal0VMcfrmtFdN6kGf?si=HzbTp2rGQsSOilfp-R94HQ

Gary Puckett & The Union Gap (Young Girl 1968) https://open.spotify.com/track/6s10XyfYy0X2vQrPAnJ2lh?si=JOzm5iOaSyuFsymw9VTIvg

Smokey Robinson, The Miracles (Shop Around 1960) https://open.spotify.com/track/47IRIQxGDe2Sc6F4pe2FMf?si=FKEegOQDSj2HqSDeuFkvMQ

David Ruffin & Eddie Kendricks, The Temptations (My Girl 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/745H5CctFr12Mo7cqa1BMH?si=liFbD0GpSDGAjlJTdmUzWg

Sly (Stone) & The Family Stone (Dance to the Music 1968) https://open.spotify.com/track/1MQWtVcs0PKsY4PA6ZvLiy?si=OWw-8rHsQ9GNA1zIh3WsPQ

Levi Stubbs, Four Tops (Reach Out, I’ll Be There 1966) https://open.spotify.com/track/6Pkj4nv5K53i64cLVgkVyY?si=yi1pESvPT-u-jESbfk57wQ

David Clayton-Thomas, Blood, Sweat & Tears (You’ve Made Me So Very Happy 1968) https://open.spotify.com/track/76OUhpuAQSQ2orR5TUeeRc?si=R9V53VeqT4yFVuqYGSiG4Q

Sal Valentino, The Beau Brummels (Laugh, Laugh) 1965 https://open.spotify.com/track/66V3speCvzVe6lUnIezZ0J?si=9OVjrGm0RnCe708JhJr2ug

Frankie Valli, The Four Seasons (Sherry 1962) https://open.spotify.com/track/7sqK6f8dHVx3Q1GjFrVyGl?si=92GnSfspTyqNhuw7kTI6TA

Junior Walker, & The All Stars (Shotgun 1965) https://open.spotify.com/track/2Zk0eoq7d6Vw0fRVRXPWnc?si=fYwcPnFxRE-d6qwRH4priw

Tony Williams, The Platters (With This Ring 1967) https://open.spotify.com/track/1ST5NcCW3ObipBqtSLpVow?si=QBGQRgP5SYq-fSGl5lwcDA

Steve Winwood, The Spencer Davis Group (Gimmie Some Lovin 1966) https://open.spotify.com/track/0e7GqIo8VprrozIcG3CZY9?si=tOpx54UkSoC5WkLd8G5YKA

In case you want to do further research about male lead singers in groups, I would recommend utilizing Rate Your Music (RYM). Here is their web link: https://share.google/eCjZX2Wbe3kswD2pq.

500 Greatest Albums in the 1960s

Just completed studying Uncut’s new magazine titled “500 Greatest Albums of the 1960s.”

My motivation was to add new artists to this blog. I found 184, many that I had never heard Of these, I feel that nine deserved being rated as one of the best artists from the 1960s along with 100s that I have already promoted in previous posts. These nine are:

Desmond Deckker & The Aces. Example song: Israelites. (Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/5U1GMgbXXM5eLvKUDnvqNS?si=sz_nEqlETXuJHPm_8_4LbQ).

Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto. Example song: Girl from Ipanema (link: https://open.spotify.com/track/7znjbX9XdoQayIrVNdd50Z?si=VTUyX_rRSdKkbBc8pOelRA).

Buck Owens & The Bucaroos. Example song: I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail. Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/2R6F4KMboA1iO3GE1f7Z5o?si=DD6thORdRT-w5A2eSlo-QA.

Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon). Example song: Yer Blues (Best of). Link: https://open.spotify.com/album/3zjgk5rbgVWwWkrvWfEoE6?si=Loh-bqyTQs6HLDcRXZnieg.

Henri Mancini. Example recording: Moon River). (Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/2F32YX18gVFmAOD8FVmkHZ?si=asAkFrq3T7uHXHsrms5tmg)

Rotary Connection. Example song: Lady Jane. Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/7KsvRoDsMl4hJx2fs5hS1d?si=CTN47qOoRHW2smaBd4jYxw.

Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels. Example song: (Jenny) Take a Ride. Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/3zpvKmAkd0IZgiC6haBNqy?si=DDfN0eExRk-t1tSU3nxSZQ.

The Monks. Example song: Cissy Strut. Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0WSlOSMLJWoWUpWci9nnRb?si=lQE4v-4hQg2-yCHvMAMN9w.

The Seeds. Example song: Pushin’ Too Hard. Link: https://open.spotify.com/track/0WSlOSMLJWoWUpWci9nnRb?si=lQE4v-4hQg2-yCHvMAMN9w.

After spending about a month listening to all 500 albums, I noticed right away that the editors of the publisher (Uncut) were not ranked correctly. I brought up each artist recordings into the song data base called “Rate Your Song.”. The results were as follows:

Rollingstone Top 100 Artist Genres (17)

R & B, Soul (24 artists): James Brown (No7), Little Richard (No8), Aretha Franklin (No9), Ray Charles (No10), Stevie Wonder (No15), Sam Cooke (No16), Marvin Gaye (No18), Otis Redding (No21), Fats Domino (No25), Prince (No27), Smokey Robinson (No32), Michael Jackson (No35), David Bowie (No39), Van Morrison (No42), Sly & The Family Stone (No32), Tina Turner (No63), Al Green (No66), The Temptations (No68), Jackie Wilson (No69), The Shirelles (No76), The Four Tops (No79), The Drifters (No81), Booker T & The MGs (No93), and Curtis Mayfield (No 98).

Rock and Roll (13 artists): Elvis Presley (No2), Chuck Berry (No5), Buddy Holly (No13), Bruce Springsteen (No23), Jerry Lee Lewis (No 24), Everly Brothers (No33), Roy Orbison (No37), John Lennon (No38), The Band (No50), The Kinks (No65), Frank Zappa (No71), Santana (No90), and Carl Perkins (No99).

Hard Rock, heavy metal (10 artists): The Rolling Stones (No3), Led Zeppelin (No14), The Who (No29), Queen (No52), Aerosmith (No59), Metallica (No61), Cream (No67), AC-DC (No72), Black Sabbath (No85), and Guns & Roses (No92).

Hip Hop, rap (7 artists): Public Enemy (No44), Run DMC (No48), Dr. Dre (No56), Beastie Boys (No77), Eminem (No83), Tupac Shaker (No86), and Jay-Z. (No88).

Blues rock (6 artists): Muddy Waters (No17), Bo Didley (No20), Janis Joplin (No46), Howlin Wolf (No54), Eric Clapton (No55), and The Yardbirds (No89).

Punk rock (6 artists): The Ramones (No26), The Clash (No28), Patti Smith (No47), Sex Pistols (No60), The Stooges (No78), and The Talking Heads (No100).

Folk rock (5 artists): Bob Dylan (No2), Simon and Garfunkel (No40), The Bryds (No45), Joni Mitchell (No63), and James Taylor (No84).

Pop rock (5 artists): The Beatles (No1), The Beach Boys (No12), Madonna (No36), Elton John (No49), and Phil Spector (No64).

Southern rock (4 artists): Allman Brothers (No53), Creedence Clearwater Revival (No82), Tom Petty (No91) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (No95).

Alternative rock (5 artists): Velvet Underground (No19), U2 (No22), Nirvanna (No30), Radiohead (No73), and R.E.M. (No97).

Country rock (5 artists): Johnny Cash (No31), Neil Young (No34), Hank Williams (No74), The Eagles (No75), and Graham Parsons (No87).

Psychedelic rock (4 artists): Jimi Hendrix (No6), The Doors (No41), Pink Floyd (No51), and Parliament-Funkadelic (No58).

Fused rock (1 artist): Grateful Dead (No57).

Industrial rock (1 artist): Nine Inch Nails (No94).

MoTown Pop (1 artist): Diana Ross and The Supremes (No96).

Reggae (1 artist): Bob Marley. (No11).

Rollingstone No100 Talking Heads

(This is the thirty-first artist that was named to this Top100 list, but started recording music in 1975 so they missed being a part of the 1960s generation by only five years). Of course what is significant about this is that 69 of the 100 artists were either active in the 1950s or 1960s which further supports that these years represent the best music of all time.

By Dave Sitek, is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Wavves, Beady Eye, and Weezer. (years active: 2001-present).

Illustrator: Olaf Hajek

When I was a kid, I was really into hardcore punk. Hardcore was very rigid. Talking Heads was the first band I remember telling my punk friends about, saying, “Yo, check this out! This four-chord thing we’re doing? We’re missing out on something!”

The first song I really liked was “Once in a Lifetime.” MTV had just started to sink its claws into people, and that song was like an anthem for coked-up adults trying to make sense of their world. Remain in Light was this combination of ambient music and strong lyrics and incredibly inventive percussion and bass parts. I was a kid, but I still thought, “I should have been involved in that record!” It’s amazing.

Talking Heads greatest hits playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2dlu9733i94I0xUBTGILBs?si=bcE7t7V7QjOn1EctOMUKag&pi=yFOSie5_RQaep

They had so many things going on. If you listen to a Talking Heads bass line, you think the song’s going one way, and then you listen to the drums and you think it’s going a different way, and then you listen to David Byrne’s lyrics and you’re like, “This is a completely different song from what I thought it was going to be.” And then the guitars come in, and then the ambience comes in — it’s like several songs all blending into one. If Talking Heads were around a cool idea, they would make it their own. I feel like they saw Brian Eno, their producer, as another instrument.

The town that I grew up in was called Columbia, in Maryland. It was a planned community with man-made lakes. David Byrne’s parents lived there for a while. It presented this facade that everything around us is solid and real and going to be here forever, even though we know we created it. Byrne’s lyrics spoke to the artifice of the American landscape. The American Dream has a lot of back alleys, and he was showing those things, and I felt like, here’s a guy trying to talk to me about something I had seen firsthand.

I think the artist’s primary responsibility is to reflect what life was like in their time. Talking Heads did that. I’m all over the map emotionally and spiritually, like most people are, so different Talking Heads records speak to me at different times, but with Remain in Light and Fear of Music, the grit of modern living is there. What they’re addressing still applies.

They weren’t always complex, either — there’s some stuff where it’s just bare-bones essentials. “This Must Be the Place” is probably one of the most important songs in my entire life. I find the lyrics really calming. The song is simple, but when you look at all the elements and how they’re put together and where the downbeat is, it’s kind of … clever is not even really the word. Genius, maybe?

Rollingstone No99 Carl Perkins

By Tom Petty, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who led the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch. He also played in the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys and released three solo albums. Petty’s career spanned decades, selling more than 80 million records and topping charts. His raw, introspective, and unapologetic music influenced rock and other genres.

Illustrator: Shawn Barber

Carl Perkins’ songs will outlive us all. On tracks like “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Honey Don’t!” he took that country-picking thing into the rock world. He was an amazing guitar player: If you want to play Fifties rock & roll, you can either play like Chuck Berry, or you can play like Carl Perkins.

Carl Perkins greatest hits playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/album/3c1QLP7CZxfIDxA8RwfAGN?si=7qu5kttwSGKqsd2YJ-r-JA

Considering how important he is to rock history, many people don’t know about him. But the right people did. The Beatles covered five of Carl’s songs on record. Carl was actually there in the studio when the Beatles cut some of them. Listen to the guitar break in “All My Loving”: George Harrison told me that the Beatles would study the B sides of Carl’s records to learn everything they could from him.

Carl was the real deal — a true rockabilly cat. He told me about picking cotton when he was a kid and learning the blues from an older black field hand he knew. Carl would go home from the fields, be practicing a Roy Acuff country type of thing on his guitar, and then he would start bending the notes. He told me his father would actually get mad, saying, “Play that thing right, boy, or don’t play it at all.” But it was organic with Carl. He took it to the honky-tonks — the real honky-tonks where people would be drinking out of a jug. It sounds like a cliché now, that rock music was born out of cornfields and honky- tonks, but with Carl it was all true.

He didn’t get the breaks he deserved; hard luck seemed to follow him around. He had a terrible car crash on the way to The Ed Sullivan Show when “Blue Suede Shoes” was breaking really big. Elvis ended up covering the song and took a lot of the glory there. Some people might not know that Carl played guitar with Johnny Cash for 10 years on the road. At a certain point in the Sixties, things got tough for Carl — he had a drinking problem, which he eventually overcame — and he went back into the lead-guitar business.

Carl himself was a very bright guy, and very funny. He once told me, “Tom, I like you so much — if I lived by you, I’d cut your grass.” That warmth and wit came through in his music. He was not the kind of guy to blow his own horn; he was very humble. When we did a long stand at the Fillmore in the late Nineties, I talked Carl into sitting in with us. Backstage, Carl was very nervous about coming out with us. He said, “They may not know who I am.” I told him, “Carl, they’re going to know you and love you.” When Carl hit the stage, he just ripped the room apart. Neil Young was there that night, and he was shaking his head. Carl was that good.

Rollingstone No98 Curtis Mayfield

By Boz Scaggs, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was a bandmate of Steve Miller in the Ardells in the early 1960s and a member of the Steve Miller Band from 1967 to 1968.

Illustrator: Andrea Ventura

If, in the late Fifties and early Sixties, you were drawn to that place on the AM radio dial where the rhythms, the grooves and the beautiful sounds of African-American soul were playing, you would have found Curtis Mayfield. Many of us first heard him as backing vocalist in the Impressions behind Jerry Butler, singing “For Your Precious Love.” But he really came into focus in Butler’s next big hit, “He Will Break Your Heart,” which was written by Mayfield and features his strumming electric guitar to a saucy tango beat that you can hear echoing in Ben E. King’s “Spanish Harlem.”

After that he was front and center, singing the lead about a “Gypsy Woman” in an exotic brew of castanets and dark minor chords. At one point, after the lyric “She danced around and round to a guitar melody,” he fired off an accent on his guitar that resonated for years for many of us who tried to emulate him — she cast her spell and he followed, with the rest of us close behind. You can clearly hear his influence in the monumental “Little Wing,” by Jimi Hendrix.

But it was his voice that reached the higher ground. It burned with the abandon of the blues singer and an almost feminine longing, at once powerful and deeply personal. Women responded overwhelmingly to his profoundly respectful and sensitive approach. When he sang “The Wonder of You,” the vulnerability and passion got in real close. They knew he knew.

At first, he made a gospel-like call to rise up, get on board, get ready. “I know you can make it,” he exhorted to soul-stirring harmonizing. He later took the voice of activism, calling out diseases of urban America and challenging people to see what was going on, a plea Marvin Gaye would take up, too. The full range of his powers can be heard in the soundtrack to Superfly. It hits you in waves: driving rhythms with brass and strings countered by down-in-the-alley funk.

Curtis Mayfield greatest hits playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2WIJ85ojJG29Ua47xtuODt?si=Gk4FHPIWRZawNf2rTkTLCg&pi=g-2axA81TgC1d

He was a dynamic performer right up until he was disabled in an accident onstage in New York in 1990. I only met him once, after a show in San Francisco. He was funny, gracious to all, had a beautiful smile and a genuine way about him — a gentle and humble man at heart.