12 most influential music artists by decade

[goth metal raver]

Just a series of lists I did. Because I have an addiction to lists and because I liked the challenge of narrowing down the list of important artists for a decade.

Anyway it's simple enough. I have chosen 12 artists per decade through a rigorous process of deciding between a far larger list of artists, selecting on the basis of what I feel would be what the majority view as to the artists that were most important and influential. I have tried to be fair to all the main genres of popular music of the time and the criteria is not simply popularity, nor simply innovation but a kind of universally agreed 'importance', big enough to have made an impact at the time and also highly influential in terms of the continuing progress of popular music.

Anyway, here are the lists:

60s

1. The Beatles
2. The Rolling Stones
3. The Who
4. Jimi Hendrix
5. James Brown
6. Bob Dylan
7. Aretha Franklin
8. The Supremes
9. The Doors
10. Cream
11. Pink Floyd
12. The Kinks

70s

1. The Sex Pistols
2. Bob Marley
3. Black Sabbath
4. James Brown
5. Pink Floyd
6. Led Zeppelin
7. Queen
8. David Bowie
9. Kraftwerk
10. The Clash
11. Stevie Wonder
12. Blondie

80s

1. Madonna
2. Queen
3. Michael Jackson
4. Public Enemy
5. Joy Division
6. U2
7. The Smiths
8. Iron Maiden
9. Metallica
10. Run DMC
11. Human League
12. Prince

90s

1. Nirvana
2. 2pac
3. The Prodigy
4. Goldie
5. Aphex Twin
6. Korn
7. Mayhem
8. Pantera
9. Nine Inch Nails
10. Radiohead
11. Lauryn Hill
12. Oasis

00s

1. Amy Winehouse
2. Coldplay
3. Eminem
4. White Stripes
5. Kanye West
6. Dizzee Rascal
7. Beyonce
8. Rihanna
9. Destiny's Child
10. Girls Aloud
11. Opeth
12. Lady Gaga

So that's it. I just wanted to share, to see what people think. I welcome all feedback, comments and discussion. When I make music themed lists I am always curious about what people think and whether they agree with them.

One more thing, I am British and probably this is bound to skew my view of what music artists are important. An American will make a very different list from someone English, who in turn will make a very different list from a European etc. This is to be expected and reflects the very different music scenes and media in different cultures, which creates a different perspective on music.

Anyway, what do you think of my lists?

[Jerome]

OK going to sound like an old fart now, which is not surprising seeing as I am one, but looking at your list (which is pretty accurate I think), it strikes me that as the decades have passed the quality of the material is starting to suffer. So I am only going to comment on one section - the 70's. Your list is pretty good but I would replace Kraftwerk (who I think are THE MOST OVERRATED band ever) with Jean Michel Jarre. His influence and catalogue far outweigh anything Kraftwerk ever did, even in their prime. Sorry to see Mike Oldfield was omitted but I can understand why. Not everyone's cup of tea. 1973 was famous for two albums - Dark Side of the Moon and Tubular Bells. Don't know if James Brown was that relevant in the 70's - not sure. Where's ELP!!!!

[Jerome]

By the way, the Johnny Cash/Elvis Presley/Neil Young fan club are not going to be amused.........................

[Jerome]

And I am very, very pleased you did not include the Spice Girls anywhere. That would have sent me back to therapy.

[CRAZY-HORSE]

ELP...emerson,Lake & Palmer maybe????

[CRAZY-HORSE]

By the way, the Johnny Cash/Elvis Presley/Neil Young fan club are not going to be amused.........................

like Mike Oldfield, Neil young is always omitted from lists...Rolling Stone only last year, named Neil Young only 2nd to Bob Dylan as the most influential individual in popular music...!

[CRAZY-HORSE]

OK going to sound like an old fart now, which is not surprising seeing as I am one, but looking at your list (which is pretty accurate I think), it strikes me that as the decades have passed the quality of the material is starting to suffer. So I am only going to comment on one section - the 70's. Your list is pretty good but I would replace Kraftwerk (who I think are THE MOST OVERRATED band ever) with Jean Michel Jarre. His influence and catalogue far outweigh anything Kraftwerk ever did, even in their prime. Sorry to see Mike Oldfield was omitted but I can understand why. Not everyone's cup of tea. 1973 was famous for two albums - Dark Side of the Moon and Tubular Bells. Don't know if James Brown was that relevant in the 70's - not sure. Where's ELP!!!!

Radiohead are the most overrated band ever IMO, followed closely by Rolling Stones....due to the fact Stones kept on chugging out the same formula for songs decade after decade rarely being 'creative', hell, the Beatles had more creativity on sgt.peppers than the Stones have had in 50yrs

[CRAZY-HORSE]

i like the way these lists are usually different in every country....in the UK you would surely have Small Faces in the 1960s list and Paul Weller in the 1990s list as both were responsible for the whole 1990s "brit-pop" phenomena which bought about the rise of Blur,Oasis,Radiohead,Pulp,Supergrass etc etc

i would also have Graham Coxon in the 1990s list

[FrankieLee]

And I am very, very pleased you did not include the Spice Girls anywhere. That would have sent me back to therapy.

Holy shit man!! The Spice Girls were amazing!!
The Spice Girls paved the way for such acts as ''Girls Aloud'' and ''The Pussy Cat Dolls'' And where would we be today without their imput?

[Jerome]

Holy shit man!! The Spice Girls were amazing!!
The Spice Girls paved the way for such acts as ''Girls Aloud'' and ''The Pussy Cat Dolls'' And where would we be today without their imput?

Right, that does it. I am going back to therapy.