Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Top 100 Artists Last group

Here it is. The top 20 in my artists. There are a few that made this group because of my love of their music, but for the most part I tried to be as objective as possible.

20: Garth Brooks: The face of Country music in the 90’s. He helped bring country music into the mainstream. He has several great songs. I even bought his box set, which is quite good.

19: Maria Carey: A great singer. She has been a constant in the music industry for many years. Her voice is unreal; too bad she is so weird. Looking forward to more of her music. She has over 15 number 1 singles already, and will most likely put out even more.

18: Journey: A great group. I still enjoy many of the songs they put out.

17: Sting: He was great in a group and as a solo artist. His voice is so distinct that it is hard to see anyone imitating him ever.

16: James Taylor: He has some great music. I still listen to his greatest hits while driving around.

15: Steven Curtis Chapman: My personal all-time favorite. He has produced hits since the early 1990’s and still is putting out great albums. His most well know (I will be here) is still played in many weddings.

14: Michael W. Smith: A stalwart in Christian music. For many years he was the face of the entire industry. He still puts out great worship music even today.

13: Nirvana: Dominated the music scene for several years. The music still reminds me of the mid-90’s.

12: Beach Boys: This was a great group. Have many hits that still make you want to sing today.

11: Led Zeppelin: Not my favorite. But they have sold more records than anyone other than the Beatles in the U.S.

10: Pearl Jam: This group was a great group for several years. I have always thought they were way under-appreciated for the impact on the music industry.

9: DC Talk: I feel this is the best group that existed in Christian Music. They were back in the days when old school rap was the way to go, and evolved into a great alternative sound.

8: Queen: I think the greatest group. They have many hits to back it up. And are still played today.

7: Metallica: A great group. They could easily be higher on the list. The Black album is a classic, but they have produced great songs throughout the years. Jamey actually came down the aisle to a Metallica song.

6: Pink Floyd: Again, not my cup of tea, but the music sold more copies than almost any other group.

5: Madonna: She changed music forever. Not always in a good way. But her influence is unmistakable.

4: Michael Jackson/Jackson 5: I know he is a terrible person today, but he was the king of pop. His impact still resonates in the music industry. And the Jackson 5 probably could have made the list on it’s own.

3: The Beatles: Way before my time, but I cannot argue with all they have accomplished, and the effect they have left in the music industry.

2: U2: A great group that has spanned the decades. They had great music back in the 80’s and have great music today. The Joshua Tree has to be one of the best all-time albums.

1: Elvis: He has to be at the top. How many people have a city named after them? His songs are still played and will always be played. He was more than just a great singer, but now is a historical figure.

Well, that is the list. Let me know who I left off that should have been included, or who shouldn’t have even been on the list. Who should be higher than who, and so on…

25 comments:

J. Beauchamp said...

Good list, brother. I think I'd switch the Beatles and Elvis though. In fact, maybe I'd put Miles Davis where U2 is. Is that sacrilege? Maybe, but Miles was cool before cool was.

Kenny Simpson said...

Glad to hear you weigh in Jeremy.

Jamey said...

I like James Taylor too...glad he made the top list.

Jason said...

Where's Bob Dylan? Did I miss him? He's been as influential as anybody in the music industry in the past 50 years.

Jamey said...

Kenny, who was it that I saw on tv the other day and said I'd like one of his cds? Can't remember his name, but I don't think he's on the list...whoever it was has lots of hits that are recognizable.

Kenny Simpson said...

I did leave off Dylan...Sorry number 100 but you are off.

Jamey I'm gonna need a name.

Jason said...

Wow. I thought Dylan would be 1 or 2. At least top 5. Wow.

Roxy Wishum said...

That is a great list with lots of variety.

Kenny Simpson said...

I went through and tried to make sure I represented all genre's. Of course I have several Christian artists ranked much higher than others would, but I was being a homer.

Kenny Simpson said...

Jason: I honestly can't think of that many of Dylan's songs. Name some for me. I looked at several web pages with their "official lists" and did not see Dylan on any of them.

Unknown said...

Glad to see Pearl Jam on there, was gonna have to stop visiting your blog for a while if you completely left them off the list. Good top 20!!

Anonymous said...

Nice list. I can't argue too much. And I'm impressed that you actually thought up 100 artists to compile into a list. Wow.

Kenny Simpson said...

Lerra: I actually had several more that didn't get on the list. I looked at several blogs/official lists off google and there are a ton of artists out there.

Kenny Simpson said...

Jon: Pearl Jam is one of my favorite lists. The top 20 was very strong. Although I am surprised I am not hearing greif on Garth Brooks and Maria Carey being this high.

Kenny Simpson said...

I meant favorite on the list.

Unknown said...

Agree with Garth having an influence in the 90's but overall would have rated Williams Sr. Cash or Jones for influence overall. Carey - moron, that one was had to strictly be out of preference.

Kenny Simpson said...

Actually my preference would go to Whitney, but Carrey has way more hits out and is still around.

Unknown said...

What about Beck?

"...piece of wax falling on a termite, that's choking on a splinter..."

Jason said...

Kenny,
Dylan wrote The Times They Are A Changin', Like a Rolling Stone, Blowin' in the Wind...all of them were anthems of the 60's. He's influenced every singer-songwriter for the past couple generations. When he went electric in the 60's, it was huge. Some don't care for his voice, but there's no questioning his influence.

Pearl Jam is awesome. Love Daughter, Black and especially their album Yield.

And I can't argue with U2 being where they are. Biggest band in the world for the past 3 decades.

Jason said...

I'm disappointed Milli Vanilli didn't make the list. Come on, man. Blame it on the rain was huge.

Oh wait, they didn't really sing it.

Unknown said...

NKOB? Come on!!

Anonymous said...

I don't know you, Jon, but I have to correct you...it's NKOTB. :-)

Jake Bennett said...

Ok, two things...

One, I'm disappointed that there is no AC/DC... how can you deny the group that had 9 million hits per album? I dunno...

Two, shameless plug, I know, but I FINALLY finished my top movies and did a top 10 Christmas film list. I know how you used to read my blog, so I thought you'd want to know. I've been so busy with radio, I haven't had time to work on it. Anyway, check it out.

Kenny Simpson said...

Jake: I'll check it out, AC/DC was on the list just not top 20.

Greg said...

two words, kenny.

iron maiden.

:)