Most influential band or artist

[Kurt]

What do you think the most influential artist, band, or songwriter is and why? You can make a list if you want.

As is my custom, I'll post a few of my personal choices in a sec.

[pizzaman]

Eminem. Before Eminem, Rap wasn't considered to be anything but yelling meaningless words.


Plus, everybody is bleeching their hair! :nono:

[Kurt]

I'm talking about influential to other artists...

Eminem was inspired by rap mongols like Dre, Tupac and some other groups and stuff, who were around way before him, none of which I can remember right now. But I guess you're too young to remember that :D.

Anyway, who did Eminem influence? I don't get it. Almost anyone who is accused of copying him is immediately thrown out of the music industry with flaming arrows stuck in their back. He doesn't have many imitators, especially where I come from. Here, Eminem Fan is synonymous with mainstream idiot.

[pizzaman]

I'm talking about influential to other artists...
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. You could have mentioned that! :rolleyes:

[Kurt]

Well, how else could artists be influential? :D When we (music people) talk about influence, 99.999% of the time, we're talking about influence to other musicians. What way did you think I was using it? Influence to ordinary people? Influence to do what? No, when the music fans mention "influence", you'd best assume we're talking about musicians that inspire other musicians. Heavily copied artists are usually the most influential, or near the most.

[Kurt]

Most influential artists, in no particular order:

Chuck Barry
The Beatles
Elvis Presley
The Ramones
Sex Pistols (this is a bad thing)
Led Zep
Black Sabbath
Metallica
Soundgarden
Nirvana
Johnny Cash
Korn (they're relatively new, but they spawned so many copies of themselves it's not even funny)
Velvet Underground
AC DC
Aerosmith
Guns 'n Roses
Stone Temple Pilots List will be updated as soon as I can find my stack of CD cases.

[pizzaman]

Well I don't really talk about influential artists, because I don't really care how influenced they are. Although I think that Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera do INFLUENCE each other a lot, as you put it. Some of Christina Aguilera's newer songs are different, but go back a couple of years, and you'll see what I mean.

[Kurt]

Well I don't really talk about influential artists, because I don't really care how influenced they are. Although I think that Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera do INFLUENCE each other a lot, as you put it. Some of Christina Aguilera's newer songs are different, but go back a couple of years, and you'll see what I mean.INFLUENCE? INFLUENCE??? Why the caps?

I'm not talking about artists that are baisically the same person, I'm talking about artists that are the most copied and that the most bands heavily draw from when looking for source material. For example, how many halfassed Metallica clones have you seen/heard on the radio over the years? Probably tons. They're everywhere, because Metallica was very influential to speed metal. How many people copied the Beatles when they first got popular. A lot, right? Compare that to how many bands or artists use Eminem's work as a sort of guideline, and you'll see what I mean.

Okay, I have another example. The Sex Pistols copied a lot of The Ramone's work, not to mention their style, so you could say that The Ramones influenced the Sex Pistols and all of the people THEY influenced and ever will influence, if you can think that far ahead. Bands are still using The Ramones' style today. That's how influential they were; very.


I'm not saying Eminem wasn't influential, but he's not a good example.

[Mjshl2]

Eminem. Before Eminem, Rap wasn't considered to be anything but yelling meaningless words.
Plus, everybody is bleeching their hair! :nono:

Oh God, it still is meaningless words. When will Eminem Just die for the love of god.

Anyway An Artist I Find Influencial would be Tool, only for the fact there sound is like no other.
As for an actual artist Alex Grey.

[FireBird301]

Nirvana is the most influintial band I can think of. They made grunge big in the early 90's and that probably helped other bands like pearl jam get noticed. Also how many bands can go out in the early 90's and still be as popular as hell today?

[cherko]

The Doors
Elvis Presley
The Kinks


Of course, I can't mention all the influential bands and artists of the 60's there's a hundred. I wonder what music today would look like without the three I mentioned.

[Kameo]

Eminem. Before Eminem, Rap wasn't considered to be anything but yelling meaningless words.


Plus, everybody is bleeching their hair! :nono:

No dude, Eminem is the first white rapper that has been taking serious, others before him, like Vanilla Ice and Snow, they only had one big hit, or something.

People started to take rap more serious during the eighties with groups like Public Enemy and Naughty by Nature, but there's 100s more. Eminem hasn't made rap big all of a sudden, it was that way before anyone had ever heard of him.....

[Kameo]

Oh, and I'd like to add Bob Marley to the list, influenced the whole raggae scene worldwide :) ....

[Iconoclast]

I listen to various kinds of music and really have no particular, if at all, band or artist of influential source.

[Kraz3d-Kill3r]

Immortal Technique. The guy is a great influence to any who should want to become a rapper or hip hop artist cause he bring a newish style. he aint rappin about the usual hoes money fast cars and bling. he raps about political stuff, poverty, death, war, stuff that can make a difference! I dunno what others think but he is a big infuence to me!

[Kraz3d-Kill3r]

If u havent heard of him (which u probly havent due to being his own sponser label) Check out some of his stuff tell me what you think! The guys Rythmes are SICK

[Iconoclast]

If u havent heard of him (which u probly havent due to being his own sponser label) Check out some of his stuff tell me what you think! The guys Rythmes are SICKHeh, well, I thought Eminem - Square Dance was a Hell to listen to! When I'm Gone is also good.

Sorry, Mjshl2, but we all have our own tastes. Hell, maybe the Matrix is hypnotizing us to make us think rap is good. So save us, Neo.

[Kurt]

Oh, and I'd like to add Bob Marley to the list, influenced the whole raggae scene worldwide :) ....Bob Marley, another great.

Why the flying garbage-cat didn't I add Jimi Hendrix?

[Kurt]

Iron Maiden - Inlfuenced tons of the early and middle metal scene...
Rolling Stones - I don't like them, but they were very heavily copied, and unfortunately still are. Ugh.
Bob Dylan - Never liked any of his music. At all. But, he was nonetheless influential.
Pink Floyd - Need I say more?
The Yardbirds - Need I say more?
The Who - Need I say more?
The Monkees - Influenced almost all pop that ever existed, along with the Beatles and a few other bands that were around that timeframe. I forget.

[StoremBringah]

I think the greatest influence in music is David Bowie. David Bowie was years, and years ahead of his time who spawned so many influenced bands, and musicians.

[cherko]

Iron Maiden - Inlfuenced tons of the early and middle metal scene...
Rolling Stones - I don't like them, but they were very heavily copied, and unfortunately still are. Ugh.
Bob Dylan - Never liked any of his music. At all. But, he was nonetheless influential.
Pink Floyd - Need I say more?
The Yardbirds - Need I say more?
The Who - Need I say more?
The Monkees - Influenced almost all pop that ever existed, along with the Beatles and a few other bands that were around that timeframe. I forget.
I liked all the artists you mentioned. I can't belive I forgot Jimi Hendrix too, he was the greatest guitarrist there will ever be.

Most of you should already know, but after a few member changes, The Yardbirds changed their name to The New Yardbirds, and shortly after that - Led Zeppelin, the first hard rock band ever (though the first hard rock song was made before - no one knows excactly which song was the first hard rock song but it mighta been "You Really Got Me" or "All Day and All of the Night")

[FireBird301]

David Bowie, Huddie Ludbetter are also influintial because they influenced nirvana who also influenced many other bands.

[Kurt]

I'm an idiot. Frank Zappa, anyone?

[Tage187]

Metal - Metallica
Alternative - Tool
Hip Hop - NWA
Rock - Beatles

[recab2]

Jimi Hendrix.
why? he has probably inspired more artists to become guitarists than any other guitarist in history. He was one of the most influential figures in the psychadelic era, along with artists like the beatls, pink floyd, etc. In fact he, along with the bealts, was a forerunner of psychadelia. wihtout Hendrix, there'd be no stevie ray vaughn, steve vai, yngwie malmsteen, satch, eric johnson... he also was a big influence on guitarists of his time like eric clapton.

If not for Jimi, rock as we know it would not exist. rock as we knew it would not exist. guitar as we know it would not exist. Fenmde might not even be in buiosness today if not for Jimi.

[Gaara]

Pink Floyd(roger waters) is the good influential music
because the music is good and the lyrics always have a good meaning

[Tage187]

green day - inspired a revolution for punk teenagers until it grew out of it's fad and became last year's news

Ugh! no they influenced emo, Burn it Burn it! Evil emo

[DarkWizard_PitchBlackX]

Ozzy Osbourne... Without question. Oh and I'd like to give a shout out to, AFI! You guys suck!