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Originally Posted by Rob Instigator
my black rock heroes
jimi hendrix
sly stone
george clinton
little richard (the original king of rock)
vernon reid
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my top 10 black performers (rock or otherwise):
Jimi Hendrix is undoubtably number one since he is
far & away the greatest guitarist of all time. Sure, he learned how to play the
whole guitar (& the amp) from Buddy Guy, but Buddy Guy simply isn't great enough to make the top 10. He wrote great songs & sang them distinctively as only he could. Neil Young once remarked that "there's nobody even in same building as that guy."
John Coltrane is my number two because he defied convention & made an extraordinary leap into deeply personal art that was dismissed at first but that history has proven to be largely universal. As much as I love his progenitor, Charlie "Bird" Parker, he doesn't make the top ten.
Robert Johnson is number three because he's the King of the Delta Blues & shaped country, folk, & blues. He is also perhaps the most deeply soulful performer of all time. Son House & Big Bill Broonzy were the only two guys previously recorded really performing blues at a high artistic level before Mr. Johnson. Son House popularized the notion that Johnson "sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads" after Robert had disappeared for a couple of years & came back to play circles around everyone. He's the original shooting star, unless you count Mozart, that is.
Chuck Berry should be second in command perhaps since he had an incalculable influence on rock n' roll & the Brits; he makes the list at number four.
Bud Powell was described as "the eighth wonder of the world" by Miles Davis because of the things he can do on piano that no one else before or since can really completely match. Miles, who changed the course of jazz history three times, unfortunately doesn't even make my top ten.
Art Tatum also shares a similar distinction. His music is beyond amazing & cannot be imitated.
Herbie Hancock is my favorite jazz piano player. His work with Miles Davis' band & his first few solo records are magic. He went on to be a fusion performer & to try to make some money at the expense of his art, (first with The Headhunters & most recent with Christina Aguliera) however, which is the reason he is listed after Bud & Art. A prodigy through & through, he was playing Mozart with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age eleven. He went on to briefly study under the great Lennie Tristano, the true creator of cool & free jazz. I know, "What about Thelonius Monk & McCoy Tyner?" There's only 10 slots, folks. He also invented, or at least popularized, the dj record scratch with his crossover album Future Shock. (after Alvin Toffler's popular book).
Al Green is my number eight because I love all his music & he has one of the finest voices in all of recorded music. "Love & Happiness" is my favorite Al Green song. Marvin Gaye & Stevie Wonder have some exceptional material as well.
Muddy Waters was a field hand discovered in Mississippi when Library of Congress documentarians went searching for Robert Johnson who was already dead by poisoning. He started electric blues in Chicago & was also highly influential on the Brits along with Ray Charles, Little Richard & Howlin' Wolf in particular.
& the final spot on the top 10 list goes to
Charles Mingus who proved himself to be one of jazz' most experimental innovators & always led a great band thoughout his career.