Greatest living musician

Been thinking about this.

Sonny Rollins

Broad category, I think it might be better to break it down...

for me, greatest song writer: Greg Brown
best acoustic (folk) guitarist: Leo Kottke

other categories...I don't know

Originally posted by badmoon
Been thinking about this.

Sonny Rollins

This is an interesting question. What criteria would you set up?

Originally posted by MrHand
Broad category, I think it might be better to break it down...

for me, greatest song writer: Greg Brown
best acoustic (folk) guitarist: Leo Kottke

other categories...I don't know

In folk, Greg Brown is really good but John McCutcheon does a nice job in the songwriting department. As for guitar, Leo is also great but listen to Rory Block or Martin Simpson or Al Petteway, he is one infrappingcredible guitarist. Also in a bit different field than Kottke, Norman Blake is a national treasure in old timey guitar. Another great white blues player is Stefan Grossman, he lived in the Bronx and got lessons, a lot of lessons from the great Reverand Gary Davis ( I got one lesson from him also). So did Rory Block, her dad was Allan Block who had a sandle shop in the Bronx and all the blues guys hung out there and Rory learned from the age of 5 from the masters who came in and also from Stefan Grossman. Her debut was at the age of 14 at Carnegie Hall! She and Stefan were supposed to do a blues fingerpicking duo, so they were doing it and Rory, age 14, starts in singing the song they were playing, the audience went wild! She is a virtuoso acoustic blues player. My teacher was a master also, Mike Stewart, AKA Backwards Sam Firk, RIP, he died just last year, massive heart attack at the age of 64. Another master player is Bob Brozman, you can see a lot of these people at Homespuntapes.com, here is a link, they all have lesson DVD's there:
http://www.homespuntapes.com/shop/Category.aspx?ID=325

I know Rory Block and love her. She is a fine guitarist but not of the same caliber as Kottke in my opinion..close, but not as good. Rev. Davis is great too, but Rory Block is better in my opinion. Grossman is good too. I'm not familiar with the others you mentioned, nor those other song writers...I'll check them out.

As long as you are rattling off guitar players though, you didn't mention John Fahey & Peter Lang.

Perhaps not of the caliber of Rory Block, but I'm a fan of Keb Mo & Eric Bibb.

Originally posted by kirksey957
This is an interesting question. What criteria would you set up?

Outstanding importance or significance.

Originally posted by badmoon
Outstanding importance or significance.

In this context, what is the difference between importance and significance? And outstanding in what way? How are we to gauge the importance of the other musicians that our candidate stands out from? Or the significance, for that matter.

On a very, very personal level - as opposed to wearing a musicology hat - I would say Robert Wyatt.

Originally posted by badmoon
Outstanding importance or significance.

Should we include talent and skill?

Richard Thompson -

he can play and get the feel right on so many different styles. Who else can play dark age, medaeval, church, opera, folk, music hall, jazz, blues, pop, rock and psychedelia so perfectly?

I just inexplicably acquired Wesley Willis' greatest hits. If he were still alive, he would be on this list. Rock over London, rock over Chicago!

Originally posted by kirksey957
Should we include talent and skill?

Outstanding importance or significance.

AND

talent and skill.

Would this disqualify Britney Spears?

Originally posted by badmoon
Outstanding importance or significance.

AND

talent and skill.

Would this disqualify Britney Spears?

You tell me. This is what I'm struggling with in this thread. I have a couple of names I would throw in the mix, but they either register with "very talented" or "very popular."

Let's try this. You tell be who is more important and significant: Angel Romero or Mick Jagger.

Leo Kotke good choice for folk.
Blues guitar - Derek Trucks!
Good topic -

Originally posted by badmoon
Been thinking about this.

Me too!
weird al yankovic