Your City's Greatest Contributions to Music..
 

In no particular order..

Los Angeles

Fishbone: These dudes epitomized that hardcore punk-funk fusion with a hint of ska.. They also typified that existential "LA" approach to everything..
Eagles: Perhaps these guys tried a bit to hard, but their impact on mainstream American music is undeniable.
Rage Against the Machine: Was there ever a more pissed off band on the radio?
Descendents: Punk could be fun, much like Los Angeles, this band is really a precursor to the new-wave --> grunge/alternative eras where music sounded loud and obnoxious like punk but was not as serious..
Black Flag: The opposite side of the Descendents coin, one of the seminal punk bands.
tool: Metal can be smart? Philosophical? Talented? People from LA can also be all these things? It was a surprise to everybody..
The Beach Boys: These guys weren't just having fun, I think we all accept Pet Sounds as one of the most experimental and influential records of all time..
L7: While most "riot grrl" bands couldn't crack their way into the mainstream, L7 handled business.
Red Hot Chilli Peppers: It was said on another thread this was a "singles" band rather than a band with great records. Agreed completely, but their singles were part of what defined the late 80s and early 1990s..
Ice-T: A lot of other rappers kind of stole his thunder and spotlight, but Ice-T essentially invented "gangsta rap" and this should not be minimized..
Sublime: Totally misunderstood, but inspired the entire "ska-ish" era of the mid-to-late 1990s which was insanely popular..
System of A Down: The self-titled record IS LA sound.. fierce, exotic, some what hip-hop, pissed off..
The Byrds: No explanation necessary..
Motley Crue: Yeah these guys suck, but they also were a lot of fun when the 1980s America was all about partying , and partying to the point of excess is LA's favorite cultural past time ;)
Rilo Kiley: A lot of people really enjoyed this band, and they were part of the pioneers of what has become the current LA scene.. female vocals..keys.. charming guitar work.. Essentially EVERY LA band today sounds like this (albeit blended with shoegaze)
Suicidal Tendencies: Most punk bands cite these dudes as an influence, must be noted.
WAR: Totally underrated, totally Los Angeles (multicultural, politically conscious, fun)
Weezer: Is it safe to say that these guys invented emo?
The Doors: No explanation necessary..
Van Halen: This was one of the biggest bands of the 80s, and was the first "metal/rock" band to have a female audience, essentially integrated music from the previous gender gap of the 1970s, before Van Halen women simply didn't attend rock/metal shows, after? They make up at least 1/3 of most crowds if not the balanced 50-50..


(some of these bands I dig, some of these are absolute shit, but ALL them contributed in some significant way to the fabric of American musical culture)

dead battery
Genteel Death
Nas
REM
the allman bros
blazes the pot smokin deer
XUI XUI
James Brown
Charles Ray
Widspred panic
Otis Redding
louder
that guy from church
college hippies from Athens

Yeah, these two dudes alone are not only Hotlanta's most significant contribution to music, but may be among the most influential artists EVER.. While everybody cites the Beatles and British invasion, it was Otis Redding songs that a lot of those bands were singing, and it was James Brown whose persona they were trying to imitate..

Honorable mention to Gladys Knight..

How did you forget Outkast?

fucking Outkast dawg!!!!

Ray charles and Otis were born not too long miles apart. mr. brown was not even born in GA but has that flavor. miles from my peanut southern born ass.

but Otis? we take pride in him the most. he's pure ga than all. my grandma loves him and everyone else.

so say those guys fame influence doesn't permits everything is a fucking lie. it's still here in some form, nigga still call nigga.... niggas and or small town coon still answers to the white man. i see all the time. like today... i heard a white man call his black helper speedo. he said he was named speedo because he's so slow. racist as hell but ignored by everyone else.

Plastician
Benga
Mad proffesor
Dreadzone
St Etienne
The Damned
Faithless

Jim O'Rourke lived here for a while
Desmond Decker lived here too

foreverasskiss
those demos i recorded on my 4 track
homeless peoples screams

Yeah we got the Brit School too. Sorry about that

Houston Motherfucking Texas

Houston has a ton of "almost big" bands and musicians. I will try to mention some of the biggest I am familiar with


DJ Premier is from Houston, and Gangstarr was highly influential with their/his beats
Geto Boys - They scared the wanna-be gansta's with tales of true horror in the ghetto. Their shit is scary to this day. makes NWA look like the poser fucks they were Scarface is the most under-appreciated MC of all time.
DJ Screw - Took the syrup scene national, inspired countless imitators.

DRI - Originally from Houston (back when they were hardcore, not metal) and their first record set the tone for so many other fast-ass hardcore/thrash bands.
Pain Teens - One of the early experimental/industrial bands to really scare folks around Houston.
ZZ Top - classic swamp boogie. Untouchable.
Red Crayola - Psychedelic freakouts from way back, influenced many, not too known though
Jandek - Maybe THE outsider artist of the last 30 years?
Charalambides - Freakfolkscuzzrock .
Kings X - melodic power metal.
Kenny Rogers - did he get to fuck Dolly Parton?
Clint Black - Huge country star.
Lyle Lovett - He bones Julia Roberts, til he realized she was crazy.
Beyonce/Destiny's Child -...
Lightnin' Hopkins - Blues, baby. Blues.
Albert Collins - guitarist of the blues, extraordinaire

The B-52's (self-titled and Wild Planet)
Deerhunter
Black Lips
Mastodon
The Black Crowes [cringe]
Indigo Girls
Pylon
Guadalcanal Diary
Swimming Pool Q's
The Rock*A*Teens
Man or Astroman?

that one guy who played the blues.

My Hometown Feeder

But I live in London now so yeah loads of cool bands

The small town I grew up in: Flux of Pink Indians, who are really fucking good.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gqL0wcGlFM

But I was born and live in London so although London is kind of a big deal in terms of the history I'd say it's biggest contribution these days is Cafe Oto, I'm scratching my head about any really decent musicians/bands to come out of here in the last 10 years (i.e. since grime/dubstep).
Not that there hasn't been anything good, just not anything great. Aside from VVSR.

Sham 69

Definitely not.. emo started in DC in the late 80s.

Also wouldn't you say Schoolly D started gangsta rap with 'PSK What Does It Mean'? Ice-T said he was inspired to write '6 in the Mornin' after hearing it..

I thought emo was bred from Rites of Spring/Fugazi? Emotional hardcore?

Exactly. Even the second wave of that stuff started before Weezer was around.

lol @ Rob & Derek... you guys have feelings.

I tried burying them real deep so that they would not be trounced upon but those fuckers have a way of breaking out of jail.

ribgur and dorek emo KINGSS

You're taking it too literally, it was a facetious remark ;)