Twelve Top Performers of the Twentieth Century
Music is a difficult field to get into. It is not always how good your performance is that makes you a recognizable performer it is also how popular what you are singing becomes and how your audience views you; the performer. There are many different methods of gaining recognition. There is how well your albums sell, how well tickets to your performance sell; any awards you may win and what lists you get on. There are always lists. Some are to show the popularity of a song, an album or a singer. These lists are often voted on by the public, on open forums through the net or by the musician’s peers. Though in no particular order below is one such list of twelve top performers of the twentieth century. .
Louis Armstrong was one of the most influential performer’s of jazz. It is said that he brought jazz to the forefront of music at a time when no one was listening. His personality, and performing abilities, brought jazz to those who otherwise would have ignored it. He was often called the ambassador of jazz.
The Beatles are said to have been the most influential group in the history of rock and roll. They changed the way rock was written with the incredible talents of Lennon and McCartney at the forefront of that movement. In less than ten years they managed to take rock and roll from its early simplicity to a genre never to be seen again.
Where would the Beatles, or any other sixties rock band, be if it were not for Chuck Berry? It was he that inspired these early groups with his method of guitar playing and his incredible energy when he sang.
James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, how could be left out of a list of musical greats? He is said to have invented funk all by himself.
Ray Charles took blues, country, gospel and jazz and made them something all his own.
Who does not know the name Miles Davis? The man was an innovator in jazz. He played it all from bebop to free form and a genre called jazz rock. When Miles played everyone listened.
Jimi Hendrix is believed to be one of the most incredible guitar players of all time. No one comes to mind that compares to him. His early demise cut short a career that was destined to say something to the music industry.
Billie Holiday was a woman who knew how to sing. She is touted as the best female jazz vocalist even to this day.
Michael Jackson is a man who has done his reputation more damage than any tabloid could do. He has robbed his fans of a talent by allowing his personal issues to cloud his career. But he knew how to make music. His Thriller album is the highest selling album of all time. His dance routines and music style have been copied repeatedly. As a young boy, he sang with his brothers in the Jackson Five. While Michael spoke to the people in the 1980s his brothers were a going force of the 1970s.
One cannot forget Irving Berlin when amassing a list of music greats. He is remembered as the most famous songwriter of his time.
Johnny Cash is one of country music’s truly great performers. One of the few who you could say had become a household name.
Bob Marley was a man who sang of social injustice, of faith and hope. He tried to inspire others with his words to make the world a better place. He did not believe in violence and he wanted his words to help others. Marley was reggae’s most popular hero.
