With Prince and Bowie gone, who are the true remaining giants?

Moving this here from another thread, because it's interesting to me and not really appropriate for where it was. Which currently living musicians have had the kind of impact as Prince, Bowie, etc.? How many true, history-making musical greats still walk among us? My off-the-top-of-my-head list: 

Chuck Berry
Little Richard
Brian Wilson
Aretha Franklin
Stevie Wonder
Bob Dylan
Neil Young
Bruce Springsteen
Joni Mitchell
Pete Townshend
Mick and Keith
Paul McCartney

U2

Members of R.E.M.

Ray Davies

John Mayall

Page and Plant

and Ringo!

Paul Simon

I feel like REM's rep has slipped over the last 20 years to the point where they're no longer anywhere near this list. It's not just about having a lot of hits. And Ringo's a great drummer, but not the kind of earth-shaking overall genius I'm talking about.

Billy Joel

imonlysleeping said:

I feel like REM's rep has slipped over the last 20 years to the point where they're no longer anywhere near this list. It's not just about having a lot of hits. And Ringo's a great drummer, but not the kind of earth-shaking overall genius I'm talking about.

I cannot agree with leaving out anyone from The Beatles.  The Beatles would not have been the same group with Pete Best behind the drums.  Ringo was as much a genius in his own way as John, Paul or George.  Listen to any track, and you could argue that Ringo knew exactly what parts to play to make the song the best it could be.  Sometimes he played very little.  But every choice he made -- hi-hat,  ride,  crash, tambourine -- seemed to serve the song perfectly.

imonlysleeping said:

I feel like REM's rep has slipped over the last 20 years to the point where they're no longer anywhere near this list. It's not just about having a lot of hits. And Ringo's a great drummer, but not the kind of earth-shaking overall genius I'm talking about.

I agree that R.E.M. is no longer as relevant as they were a generation ago.  They don't even exist as a band.  But all the members are still alive.  And they were among the biggest and most influential bands of the late 80s/early 90s.  They brought "indie"/college rock to the mainstream.

I am a huge fan of Ringo and am always leaping to his defense when dummies diminish his significance, but he is just not in the same musical league as Dylan and Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson. "Photograph" just doesn't stack up next to "Visions of Johanna" or "God Only Knows." Great drummer. Key part of the Beatles.  Not a history-making musical genius. 

imonlysleeping said:

I am a huge fan of Ringo and am always leaping to his defense when dummies diminish his significance, but he is just not in the same musical league as Dylan and Chuck Berry and Brian Wilson. "Photograph" just doesn't stack up next to "Visions of Johanna" or "God Only Knows." Great drummer. Key part of the Beatles.  Not a history-making musical genius. 

I just can't separate him from The Beatles.  We can't know what John and Paul would have been without Ringo.

I'd add Alice Cooper, Elton John and Iggy Pop to those listed above. 

Fats Domino

Johnny Rotten

So bored.

I'm listening right now to Iggy Pop's radio show, so I'm happy to vote for him. I'd love for John Cale to be included, but I don't think anyone would consider him a "giant".

I miss Prince already.

But you know who IS a giant and still alive?

Stevie Wonder.

Maybe not all in precisely the same orbit but it would be sad to see them go . . . 

David Byrne
Nick Lowe
Paul Westerberg
Brian Eno
Bryan Ferry
Bob Mould
Chrissie Hynde
Elton John
Sly Stone

Judy Collins

A colossus: 

Sonny Rollins

Also:

Carole King

ETA: Kudos to j_r for bringing Sly Stone to the table.

DaveSchmidt said:

A colossus: 

Sonny Rollins

Also:

Carole King

ETA: Kudos to j_r for bringing Sly Stone to the table.

Oh, yeah, jazz is a whole other topic. McCoy Tyner, Herbie Hancock, Cecil Taylor. Ornette Coleman would've been on the list not long ago. 

Ornette Coleman would have been on the list a year ago, but not now. 

DaveSchmidt said:

Ornette Coleman would have been on the list a year ago, but not now. 

Right. That's what I said.

imonlysleeping said:

DaveSchmidt said:

Ornette Coleman would have been on the list a year ago, but not now. 

Right. That's what I said.

Ah. My reading incomprehension. Sorry about that.

I guess another way of thinking about it is: Whose death would result in the same kind of outpouring of media attention (full-time CNN coverage, cover of NY Post, etc.) and outpouring of social-media grief? Elton John would qualify. Alice Cooper, whatever his merits as an artist, probably not. 

(And I realize that several of my original suggestions would almost certainly not pass this test.)

imonlysleeping said:

I guess another way of thinking about it is: Whose death would result in the same kind of outpouring of media attention (full-time CNN coverage, cover of NY Post, etc.) and outpouring of social-media grief? Elton John would qualify. Alice Cooper, whatever his merits as an artist, probably not. 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too. So definitely Stevie Wonder. Maybe Peter Gabriel. Gladys Knight or Aretha Franklin?

Probably Aretha and Stevie. Almost certainly not Gladys Knight or Gabriel. I would say Dylan, McCartney, Mick and Keith, and Springsteen would also be definites.  

great names mentioned...   Stevie and Elton for sure,  Mick.   Most people already think Sly is dead.   

Diana Ross for sure but that list is weird.   Maurice White died not long ago,  honestly he should be up at the top of every bodies list.

Well, the outpouring is in part due to cultural significance as well, I think. So I'd add Cher and Madonna to the list also, and maybe Dolly Parton

I feel like there are plenty on this list who are either great singers, great dancers, great performers, great showmen, great writers, great musicians but the list dwindles if we ask next for people who did or most of these all at the same time.  And it dwindles further if we ask them to also have changed the face of music and shaped the American culture. I think that list has very few on it and fewer still who are alive. Prince was one of few on that list.

Nile Rogers.