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Rufus T. Firefly
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is one way of saying it, though I prefer "mensch"
Sep 2000
time: 07:21
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quote:
Originally posted by JohnT
As for artist, the only American artist due a top-5 listing is Elvis Presley. No if, ands, or buts about it. |
Well, IF you discount that he was a mere singer, AND you overlook the fact that he merely popularized a musical form but was not one of its creators (unlike, say, Carl Perkins), then you might be right -- BUT you're not.
As for artist, the only American artist due a top-5 listing is Louis Armstrong. No if, ands, or buts about it.
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Rufus T. Firefly
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is one way of saying it, though I prefer "mensch"
Sep 2000
time: 07:21
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quote:
Originally posted by JohnT
Elvis merely popularized a style that took over the globes musical discourse for the next 50 years. Carl Perkins didn't. Before Elvis, American music had always been second-rate. After Elvis, it became the worlds standard. |
So you've actually never heard of jazz, huh?
Before Elvis, jazz took over the world. It was a distinctly American musical form, unlike anything anyone had heard before. It inspired not only other musicians but painters, poets, and other artists. It continues to be the musical form most identified with the US by people outside the US. And rock-and-roll would have been unthinkable without it.
And jazz had a founding genius: Louis Armstrong. Armstrong was jazz's Mozart, except he managed to live to a ripe old age. Elvis, by contrast, was merely popular. He is to music what Marylin Monroe was to movies -- a symbol, not an artist.
Louis, not Elvis. 
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mrmitchell
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Where the fck are Andy Warhol, Ernest Hemingway?
Why did Mark Twain only make the top 100? I mean, he's both: Popular and artist (writer). That makes him just as eligible as Elvis.
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shawnmmcc
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How about John Phillip Sousa, one of the acknowledged masters of the march, worldwide? Or maybe Alexander Copeland? One of the first world class US classical composers. While neither should be in the top 5, in a century they will still be remembered. While Michael Jackson will be a footnote. I am talking about top 100 Americans versus the top 100 Americans in popular culture, which is really what the poll was about.
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Rufus T. Firefly
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is one way of saying it, though I prefer "mensch"
Sep 2000
time: 07:21
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quote:
Originally posted by shawnmmcc
How about John Phillip Sousa, one of the acknowledged masters of the march, worldwide? Or maybe Alexander Copeland? One of the first world class US classical composers. While neither should be in the top 5, in a century they will still be remembered. While Michael Jackson will be a footnote. I am talking about top 100 Americans versus the top 100 Americans in popular culture, which is really what the poll was about. |
About Sousa and military music, the less said, the better.
Aaron (not Alexander) Copeland is truly a giant of American music but, in the end, did little more than introduce American elements into a European form.
No, no one in American music matches the towering genius and awesome influence of Louis Armstrong.
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shawnmmcc
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Rufus - I'll grant you Aaron Copeland - I transposed names, I'm terrible about that - but John Philip Sousa is considered a great American from his time period, and his music has lasted. Also, reference Louis Armstrong - was it really him or is he just the popularized icon for jazz. I like jazz in a casual way (including Armstrong) but often those who become known for it are not the real greats. Sort of like the credit Einstein gets for the A-bomb, when Fermi deserves much more credit.
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27-06-2005 08:51
, but I'm still sticking by Elvis. 
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