The considerably more ambitious task of sorting artists from an entire century necessitates the use of a somewhat different rating system. Why many critics would use “most influential” as the primary gauge for an artist’s importance, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about that.
While genre-defining innovation does help, it’s difficult to define originality. Even the earliest artists on this list, King Oliver and Fats Waller, borrowed from other influences. I am more concerned with the amount of music the artists have created that we can enjoy. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? Of course I’m not talking about sheer volume. If that were the case, then the 5,000+ self-indulgent hours of crap generated by the Grateful Dead would have placed them at the top of the list when in fact, they didn’t even make it.
The best artists get in a “zone” when they create a string of classic albums that unmistakably define their essence. I did my best to include some of the artists from the first half of the century who relied on the significantly shorter 78 RPM records, and the prolific songwriters whose works are scattered all over the place, like Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer and Kurt Weill. Some artists are ranked below others who have released fewer albums. For example, Prince has released more albums than the Beatles, and four times as many albums as Jimi Hendrix, but is ranked below. It’s interesting to note that the top ten are all people of color. Yet there is the obvious lack of women near the top. While the male-centric culture of most of the century explains most of it, it may have been my failure to dig deeper, and I’ll probably correct that some in coming years. I’m confident the 21st century will be a different story.
Others have managed to crank out so much consistently great music that they seem superhuman. It’s not surprising then, that many of the artists claim to have otherworldly connections, such as Sun Ra (who created over 100 albums), Lee Perry, George Clinton and Hendrix. Others, like John Coltrane and Fela Anikulapo Kuti, were fueled by a remarkably intense spiritual and political fervor. It’s easy to see that whatever motivations they had, these were without a doubt the most passionate, heaviest cats of the 20th century.
- Sun Ra
- John Coltrane
- Fela Kuti
- Tito Puente
- Duke Ellington
- Charles Mingus
- Lee “Scratch” Perry
- Miles Davis
- James Brown
- Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
- Bob Dylan
- David Bowie
- Bob Marley & the Wailers
- Funkadelic/Parliament
- The Rolling Stones
- Iggy Pop & The Stooges
- The Velvet Underground
- King Sunny Ade
- Dizzy Gillespie
- John Lennon & The Beatles
- Charlie Parker
- Tom Waits
- Otis Redding
- Ornette Coleman
- Louis Armstrong
- Jimi Hendrix
- Al Green
- Aretha Franklin
- Nick Cave (The Birthday Party, The Bad Seeds)
- Thelonius Monk
- Curtis Mayfield
- Brian Eno
- Can
- Toots & The Maytals
- Billie Holiday
- Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
- The Fall
- Sonny Rollins
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
- John McLaughlin (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Shakti)
- Arsenio Rodriguez
- Archie Shepp
- Herbie Hancock
- Hoagy Carmichael
- Count Basie
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Cole Porter
- George Gershwin
- Irving Berlin
- Johnny Mercer
- Kurt Weill
- T. Rex
- The Who
- Sonic Youth
- Peter Murphy & Bauhaus
- Eric Dolphy
- Stevie Wonder
- Sarah Vaughan
- Tom Ze
- Tim Buckley
- The Kinks
- Jimmie Rodgers
- Ry Cooder
- Chrome
- Van Morrison
- Caetano Veloso
- African Head Charge
- Elvis Costello & the Attractions
- Neil Young
- Tom Verlaine & Television
- Yo La Tengo
- Khaled
- Led Zeppelin
- Talking Heads
- Woody Guthrie
- Prince
- Marvin Gaye
- PJ Harvey
- Beck
- The Flaming Lips
- Arto Lindsay & the Ambitious Lovers
- James Blood Ulmer
- Fugazi
- Santana
- Howlin’ Wolf
- The Residents
- Celia Cruz
- Patti Smith
- The Meters
- Mongo Santamaria
- Sly And the Family Stone
- Muddy Waters
- Nina Simone
- Johnny Cash
- Bessie Smith
- Royal Trux
- Stereolab
- Amon Tobin
- Husker Du
- Amon Duul II
- King Tubby
- Professor Longhair
- The Clash
- Public Enemy
- Afrika Bambaataa
- Patsy Cline
- Moby
- Pavement
- Horace Andy
- Hawkwind
- XTC
- Black Sabbath
- AC/DC
- Gram Parsons & The Flying Burrito Brothers
- R.E.M.
- The Ramones
- Fats Waller
- Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
- Solomon Burke
- Harry Partch
- Burning Spear
- Kraftwerk
- Benny Goodman
- This Heat
- The Beastie Boys
- Ray Charles
- Bjork
- Sam Cooke
- The Go-Betweens
- Ernest Ranglin
- Ravi Shankar
- Robert Wyatt
- Serge Gainsbourg
- Pere Ubu
- Joy Division
- Roy Orbison
- Nick Drake
- Roy Harper
- Tricky
- Buena Vista Social Club (Afro-Cuban A.S., Ibrahim Ferrer, et al)
- Robert Fripp & King Crimson
- Dinah Washington
- Roxy Music
- Siouxsie & the Banshees
- Joni Mitchell
- Harry Nilsson
- Rod Stewart
- Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd
- George Jones
- Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention
- Steve Reich
- Baaba Maal
- Hank Williams
- Tangerine Dream
- Grandmaster Flash
- Os Mutantes
- The Master Musicians Of Jajouka
- Will Oldham (Palace Brothers/Music/Songs)
- The Skatalites
- The Buzzcocks
- Bill Monroe
- Lee Dorsey
- Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
- Esquivel
- The Raincoats
- Wire
- Singers & Players
- New Age Steppers
- X
- Madness
- Etta James
- Lucinda Williams
- Cornershop/Clinton
- Mercury Rev
- Philip Glass
- Transglobal Underground
- The Jesus Lizard
- Dr. John
- De La Soul
- The Yardbirds
- Massive Attack
- Fats Domino
- Nat King Cole
- Bix Beiderbecke
- Minutemen
- Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
- Nirvana
- Steve Albini (Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac)
- Kid Creole & the Coconuts
- Butthole Surfers
- The Jam
- The Magnetic Fields
- Tortoise
- The Replacements
- The Swans
- The Blue Aeroplanes
- Robert Johnson
- Wilson Pickett
- Big Star
- Neu!
- Merle Haggard
- Gang Of Four
- John Fahey
- Public Image Ltd.
- MC5
- Bo Diddley
- The Feelies
- Van Dyke Parks
- John Cale
- Trouble Funk
- A Tribe Called Quest
- Elmore James
- Pram
- Cesaria Evora
- Fred Frith
- Randy Newman
- Art Tatum
- The Legendary Pink Dots
- Motorhead
- Roy Acuff
- George Russell
- Social Distortion
- Elvis Presley
- Irma Thomas
- Camper Van Beethoven
- Kool Keith (& Ultramagnetic MCs, Dr. Octagon, Dr. Doom)
- Blondie
- Radiohead
- The Doors
- Uncle Tupelo
- The Young Gods
- Sheila Chandra
- Seam
- The Pretty Things
- The Police
- John Zorn
- The Small Faces
- Frank Sinatra
- Afghan Whigs
- Built To Spill
- Carl Perkins
- Tim Hardin
- Low
- Lefty Frizzell
- Blur
- Felt
- Jim O’Rourke/Gastr Del Sol
- James White (The Blacks, The Contortions)
- The Selecter
- The Specials
- Richard Hell
- The Slits
- DJ Krush
- The Isley Brothers
- The Soft Boys
- The Soft Machine
- Peter Gabriel
- Jefferson Airplane
- Scott Walker
- Lou Reed
- Run DMC
- Bunny Wailer
- Einsturzende Neubauten
- Jackie Wilson
- Chuck Berry
- Isaac Hayes
- Willie Nelson
- Killing Joke
- The Byrds
- Hank Snow
- Joe Jackson
- Throbbing Gristle
- The Orb
- Super Furry Animals
- Buffalo Tom
- Cul De Sac
- Ash Ra Tempel
- Faust
- The Grifters
- Unwound
- Chick Corea & Return To Forever
- Mark Lanegan & Screaming Trees
- Stiff Little Fingers
- God
- Spiritualized
- Popol Vuh
- The Cramps
- Ernest Tubb
- Devo
- The Wedding Present
- Kate Bush
- Little Richard
- Ruth Brown
- Mott The Hoople
- Orbital
- Leonard Cohen
- Sonny Sharrock
- Laika
- The Pixies
- EPMD
- Buddy Holly
- The Pogues
- Augustus Pablo
- The Sea And Cake
- Dinosaur Jr.
- Dog Faced Hermans
- Mouse On Mars
- Bobby Bland
- Charles Brown
- Bruce Springsteen
- Townes Van Zandt
- Barry White
- The Cure
- Ennio Morricone
- LL Cool J
- Wilco
- Jungle Brothers
- Nitin Sawhney
- Rick James
- Eddy Grant
- Grace Jones
- The Ruts
- Eric B & Rakim
- Boogie Down Productions
- Portishead
- The Eels
- The Pop Group
- Mission Of Burma
- Ketama
- The Dirty Three
- Au Pairs
- The Saints
- Babes In Toyland
- The Stranglers
- The Jesus And Mary Chain
- Trans Am
- Swervedriver
- The Heptones
- Alan Vega & Suicide
- Walt Mink
- Richard Thompson
- Cafe Tacuba
- Red Red Meat
- Sonny Boy Williamson
- Black Uhuru
- The Roots
- Creation Rebel
- Dub Syndicate
- Eleventh Dream Day
- Soul Asylum
- Cabaret Voltaire
- Cluster
- Meat Puppets
- Rocket From the Crypt
- Warren Storm
- Half Japanese
- Henry Cow
- Jessamine
- Aphex Twin
- Coleman Hawkins
- Lester Young
- Naked Raygun
- Mavis Staples & the Staples Singers
- Graham Parker
- Paul Schutze
- The Animals
- Mu-Ziq
- Art Bears
- The Carter Family
- Huun-Huur-Tu
- Natacha Atlas
- Asian Dub Foundation
- Squarepusher
- Oval
- The Only Ones
- Long Fin Killie
- Little Walter
- Slayer
- Radio Tarifa
- Neutral Milk Hotel
- Jeremy Enigk & Sunny Day Real Estate
- Billy Riley
- Black Heart Procession
- Latin Playboys
- Vinicius Cantuaria
- Son House
- Cat Power
- The Teardrop Explodes
- Yungchen Lhamo
- Mule
- Art Blakey
- Rancid
- Cibo Matto
- Mazzy Star
- Black Flag
- The Damned
- The Pretenders
- Love
- Emmylou Harris
- Harmonia
- Talvin Singh
- Louis Jordon
- Ui
- Steely Dan
- Waylon Jennings
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore
- Squeeze
- Sleater-Kinney
- Teenage Fanclub
- Cab Calloway
- Sparklehorse
- Oliver Nelson
- Los Lobos
- Flying Saucer Attack
- Chico O’Farrill
- Dead Kennedys
- Bad Brains
- Gary Numan & Tubeway Army
- Cream
- The Dictators
- Shaggy
- Primal Scream
- Howie B
- Alice Cooper
- Conjunto Cespedes
- Sierra Maestra
- Saxon
- Rip Rig + Panic
- Comsat Angels
- Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci
- Ultravox
- Monster Magnet
- Cocteau Twins
- Godflesh
- Cheap Trick
- Metallica
- The Jayhawks
- Helium
- Polvo
- Iron Maiden
- The Chameleons
- The Undertones
- Labradford
- Walkabouts
- Souled American
- Th’ Faith Healers
- The Wipers
- Guided By Voices
- Yellow Magic Orchestra
- Pulp
- Yello
- Aerosmith
- Van Halen
- The Gun Club
- Judas Priest
- Loop
- Woody Herman
- Luna
- Giant Sand
- Outkast
- Goodie Mob
- Run Westy Run
- T.S.O.L.
- Kiss
- Booker T & the MGs
Due to untimely death, bad luck, or maybe an artist was only inspired for one album’s worth of material and never lived up to their promise, there are a significant number of artists who released single albums or collections that are essential classics that deserve honorable mention. Only a couple 90s artists are mentioned, because they still have the next century to prove themselves.
- X-Ray Spex
- The Sex Pistols
- The Modern Lovers
- King Oliver
- DJ Shadow
- Young Marble Giants
- Junior Murvin
- Minor Threat
- Alexander “Skip” Spence
- The Creation
- The Shocking Blue
- Little Willie John
- Percy Sledge
- James Carr
- King Curtis
- Warren Smith
- Johnny Burnett Trio
- Sonny Burgess
- The Vaselines
- Clarence Carter
- Gene Vincent
- Don Covay
- Otis Clay
- Jean Knight
- Johnny Taylor
- Syl Johnson
- Ritchie Valens
- Ann Peebles
- Jeff Buckley
- Sidney Bechet
- NWA
- Arthur Conley
- Eddie Floyd
- O.V. Wright
- Larry Williams
- Joe Tex
- Scratch Acid
- Hank Ballard
- Throwing Muses
- Violent Femmes
- Suicidal Tendencies
- The Flatlanders
- Laura Lee
- Eddie Cochran
- Dead Boys
February 29, 2024
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