N&G Greatest Music Artists of All Time

My list is below. Definitely flawed, and the more I went through it, the tougher I got. There were some noted exclusions of artists from genres I can't really speak much to (metal, instrumental jazz, classical) as well as artists who I thought would be very well represented here (Radiohead and Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd objectively deserve a slot but I'd be shocked if others don't vote them really darn high).

I think it ended up with 18-20 women and a similar count of artists of color. There are also absolutely some major favoritism picks on my part and a lot of these could be nitpicked.

After this, I do think it's hard for anyone to come up with a list that is like...off. I think my initial list was something like 130-140 artists and that was with some hard guidelines that excluded many of my favorites. I also did do write ups for most of the artists that helped shift some around on the rankings or removed some and added some. I can share those as a defense but it worked out to like...18 pages of self indulgent ranting in a Word Document so I'll spare the whole manifesto unless people want my argument on an artist. This was tough - thanks for the push Lee Newman


The Beatles1
Stevie Wonder2
Aretha Franklin3
Elvis Presley4
Rolling Stones5
Joni Mitchell6
Beyonce7
Michael Jackson8
Prince9
Bruce Springsteen10
Paul Simon11
Elton John12
Bob Dylan13
Beach Boys14
Queen15
Fleetwood Mac16
Dolly Parton17
Marvin Gaye18
Jimi Hendrix19
Taylor Swift20
Norah Jones21
Kanye West22
Grateful Dead23
Whitney Houston24
Madonna25
Rihanna26
David Bowie27
Louis Armstrong28
Ella Fitzgerald29
Eminem30
John Williams31
Tracy Chapman32
Otis Redding33
Jenny Lewis34
Outkast35
Sarah Jarosz36
Funkadelic37
Kathleen Hanna38
Bonnie Raitt39
Willie Nelson40
The Muppets41
Green Day42
Missy Elliott43
Jason Isbell44
Adele45
Bob Marley46
Ruth Brown47
Usher48
Nina Simone49
Weird Al Yankovic50
 
Alright, I might as well get my list out. I’m not particularly happy with it, in large part because I can’t figure out how to rank jazz artists versus rock/pop artists.

I mentioned this one page ago but I made a strictly “personal favorites” list, with no consideration given to any given artist’s cultural influence or overall popularity. That’s why geniuses like Stevie Wonder and Joni Mitchell missed the cut: pure personal preference at this point in my life.

My last comment is that I spent about 95% of my time tinkering with my top 10, and gave relatively little consideration to how the rest was ordered. Without further ado…
  1. The Beatles
  2. Belle & Sebastian
  3. The Cure
  4. David Bowie
  5. Neil Young
  6. Nirvana
  7. Wilco
  8. Rush
  9. Led Zeppelin
  10. PJ Harvey
  11. Talking Heads
  12. The Smiths
  13. Thelonious Monk
  14. Pet Shop Boys
  15. Steely Dan
  16. Ladytron
  17. Beach House
  18. Björk
  19. Grimes
  20. Iron Maiden
  21. Spoon
  22. Radiohead
  23. Roxy Music
  24. Pearl Jam
  25. Garbage
  26. Oasis
  27. Father John Misty
  28. Alvvays
  29. Smashing Pumpkins
  30. REM
  31. Sonic Youth
  32. XTC
  33. Judas Priest
  34. Miles Davis
  35. Charles Mingus
  36. Keith Jarrett
  37. Lee Morgan
  38. John Coltrane
  39. Black Sabbath
  40. Pink Floyd
  41. Queen
  42. Rolling Stones
  43. AC/DC
  44. Allen Toussaint
  45. Type O Negative
  46. All Them Witches
  47. Pulp
  48. Pavement
  49. Madonna
  50. Guns N’ Roses
 
237651B4-4277-46F2-A40A-CA67E6633FD5.jpeg

01. The Beach Boys
02. Pavement
03. The Beastie Boys
04. Neil Young
05. The Rolling Stones
06. A Tribe Called Quest
07. Guided By Voices
08.The Grateful Dead
09. Nirvana
10. Wu Tang Clan
11. Radiohead
12. The Beatles
13. R.E.M.
14. Pixies
15. Jay-Z
16. Willie Nelson
17. Wilco
18. MF Doom
19. Sonic Youth
20. Tom Petty
21. De La Soul
22. Songs: Ohia/Magnolia Electric Co.
23. Lou Reed
24. The Misfits
25. The Roots
26. Prince
27. David Bowie
28. Bonnie “Prince” Billy
29. Dinosaur Jr.
30. Bruce Springsteen
31. Steely Dan
32. My Morning Jacket
33. The National
34. Yo La Tengo
35. Waxahatchee
36. Fele Kuti
37. John Coltrane
38. Art Blakey
39. Donald Byrd
40. Ghostface Killah
41. John Prine
42. Kurt Vile
43. The Replacements
44. The Band
45. Fiona Apple
46. Otis Redding
47. AIR
48. The Hold Steady
49. Low
50. Pantera
 
Did this quickly. Too few female artists (by far) but otherwise happy (I think). There are quite a few current artists that will make the list in a few years but felt too early for most of them.

1. Led Zeppelin
2. Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou
3. The Beatles
4. Gillian Welch
5. Orchestre Baobab
6. Miles Davis
7. REM
8. Esbjorn Svensson Trio
9. The Charlatans
10. Otis Redding
11. Pearl Jam
12. Bob Dylan
13. Aretha Franklin
14. Radiohead
15. Van Morrison
16. Fruko
17. Nirvana
18. African Brothers Band
19. Hootie & The Blowfish
20. Charles Mingus
21. Saw Doctors
22. The Stone Roses
23. Star Band de Dakar
24. The Rolling Stones
25. The Roots
26. Ali Farka Toure
27. Prince
28. Bruce Springsteen
29. Ben Folds (Five)
30. Fela Kuti
31. Bob Marley
32. Bill Withers
33. Creedence Clearwater Revival
34. Oasis
35. Neil Young
36. Franco
37. Joni Mitchell
38. The Rooks
39. Adem
40. K Frimpong
41. Francis Cabrel
42. Alemayehu Eshete
43. Nick Drake
44. Steely Dan
45. Rail Band de Mali
46. Richard Hawley
47. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
48. Dan Penn
49. Marvin Gaye
50. Pink Floyd
 
This is definitely more favourites than "greatest" and, as ever with these sorts of things, is subject to change at any time without notice.


  1. Prince
  2. Sun Ra
  3. Nina Simone
  4. Tom Waits
  5. The Roots
  6. Drive-By Truckers
  7. Janelle Monae
  8. Thelonious Monk
  9. Blue Öyster Cult
  10. Shabaka Hutchings
  11. TOOL
  12. OutKast
  13. System of a Down
  14. Blackalicious
  15. Gil Scott-Heron
  16. Bruce Springsteen
  17. Charles Mingus
  18. The Tragically Hip
  19. Maceo Parker
  20. Willie Nelson
  21. Buffy Sainte-Marie
  22. Jason Isbell
  23. Funkadelic
  24. Curtis Mayfield
  25. Nirvana
  26. Beastie Boys
  27. Portishead
  28. The Weakerthans
  29. Soul Coughing
  30. Aesop Rock
  31. Cymande
  32. Beyonce
  33. Bill Withers
  34. Gillian Welch
  35. Stevie Wonder
  36. Alice in Chains
  37. The Clash
  38. King Crimson
  39. Angelique Kidjo
  40. Alice Coltrane
  41. Dead Can Dance
  42. Saul Williams
  43. Macy Gray
  44. Primus
  45. Meshell Ndegeocello
  46. Nine Inch Nails
  47. Björk
  48. Fiona Apple
  49. Osibisa
  50. Dolly Parton
 
This is definitely more favourites than "greatest" and, as ever with these sorts of things, is subject to change at any time without notice.


  1. Prince
  2. Sun Ra
  3. Nina Simone
  4. Tom Waits
  5. The Roots
  6. Drive-By Truckers
  7. Janelle Monae
  8. Thelonious Monk
  9. Blue Öyster Cult
  10. Shabaka Hutchings
  11. TOOL
  12. OutKast
  13. System of a Down
  14. Blackalicious
  15. Gil Scott-Heron
  16. Bruce Springsteen
  17. Charles Mingus
  18. The Tragically Hip
  19. Maceo Parker
  20. Willie Nelson
  21. Buffy Sainte-Marie
  22. Jason Isbell
  23. Funkadelic
  24. Curtis Mayfield
  25. Nirvana
  26. Beastie Boys
  27. Portishead
  28. The Weakerthans
  29. Soul Coughing
  30. Aesop Rock
  31. Cymande
  32. Beyonce
  33. Bill Withers
  34. Gillian Welch
  35. Stevie Wonder
  36. Alice in Chains
  37. The Clash
  38. King Crimson
  39. Angelique Kidjo
  40. Alice Coltrane
  41. Dead Can Dance
  42. Saul Williams
  43. Macy Gray
  44. Primus
  45. Meshell Ndegeocello
  46. Nine Inch Nails
  47. Björk
  48. Fiona Apple
  49. Osibisa
  50. Dolly Parton
I am shocked that Prince beat out Sun Ra for the top spot.
 
I am shocked that Prince beat out Sun Ra for the top spot.

Prince is my OG favourite/obsession, before I really opened up the Sun Ra rabbit hole for myself - I think for overall impact and longevity in my life he definitely deserves the top spot, even if Sun Ra's clearly been sitting there the past couple/few years. My love for Prince also doesn't show up here as much as it might since my Prince catalogue is predominantly on CD and those 100-150 discs live in my car.
 
Prince is my OG favourite/obsession, before I really opened up the Sun Ra rabbit hole for myself - I think for overall impact and longevity in my life he definitely deserves the top spot, even if Sun Ra's clearly been sitting there the past couple/few years. My love for Prince also doesn't show up here as much as it might since my Prince catalogue is predominantly on CD and those 100-150 discs live in my car.
I feel that. I would probably say something similar about The Beach Boys. It was one of the first bands I really got into when I started to seriously get into music, so much so that I don’t listen to them nearly as often as I used to.
 
I've got 85... ranking is approximate. Really hard to pick, but I just made a call. It would surely look different on any other day,

  1. Talking Heads
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. David Bowie
  4. LCD Soundsystem
  5. Prince
  6. The Beatles
  7. Daft Punk
  8. Elvis Costello
  9. Bob Marley
  10. The Clash
  11. John Lennon
  12. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  13. The Cars
  14. Duran Duran
  15. The Tragically Hip
  16. Chris Isaak
  17. Big Star
  18. Morphine
  19. Gorillaz
  20. Roxy Music
  21. New Order
  22. Radiohead
  23. Leonard Cohen
  24. Neil Young
  25. Led Zeppelin
  26. Flaming Lips
  27. Serge Gainsbourg
  28. Pulp
  29. Miles Davis
  30. Tom Waits
  31. White Stripes
  32. Beastie Boys
  33. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  34. Marvin Gaye
  35. Pixies
  36. Parquet Courts
  37. James Brown
  38. John Coltrane
  39. Depeche Mode
  40. Fleetwood Mac
  41. Jimi Hendrix
  42. R.E.M.
  43. T. Rex
  44. Joy Division
  45. Massive Attack
  46. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
  47. Funkadelic
  48. Black Keys
  49. Portishead
  50. Fine Young Cannibals
  51. Pearl Jam
  52. Fela Kuti
  53. Nirvana
  54. Tame Impala
  55. Sade
  56. The Police
  57. The Smiths
  58. Lou Reed
  59. The Replacements
  60. Sloan
  61. Matthew Sweet
  62. Blur
  63. Jimmy Smith
  64. Destroyer
  65. D’Angelo
  66. Chromatics
  67. Willie Nelson
  68. Blondie
  69. Pink Floyd
  70. Art Blakey
  71. The Cure
  72. Al Green
  73. Ramones
  74. Bruce Springsteen
  75. Wilco
  76. Curtis Mayfield
  77. Robyn
  78. Stevie Wonder
  79. Franz Ferdinand
  80. Janis Joplin
  81. Spoon
  82. Thundercat
  83. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
  84. KISS
  85. Phil Collins
 
I've got 85... ranking is approximate. Really hard to pick, but I just made a call. It would surely look different on any other day,

  1. Talking Heads
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. David Bowie
  4. LCD Soundsystem
  5. Prince
  6. The Beatles
  7. Daft Punk
  8. Elvis Costello
  9. Bob Marley
  10. The Clash
  11. John Lennon
  12. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  13. The Cars
  14. Duran Duran
  15. The Tragically Hip
  16. Chris Isaak
  17. Big Star
  18. Morphine
  19. Gorillaz
  20. Roxy Music
  21. New Order
  22. Radiohead
  23. Leonard Cohen
  24. Neil Young
  25. Led Zeppelin
  26. Flaming Lips
  27. Serge Gainsbourg
  28. Pulp
  29. Miles Davis
  30. Tom Waits
  31. White Stripes
  32. Beastie Boys
  33. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  34. Marvin Gaye
  35. Pixies
  36. Parquet Courts
  37. James Brown
  38. John Coltrane
  39. Depeche Mode
  40. Fleetwood Mac
  41. Jimi Hendrix
  42. R.E.M.
  43. T. Rex
  44. Joy Division
  45. Massive Attack
  46. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
  47. Funkadelic
  48. Black Keys
  49. Portishead
  50. Fine Young Cannibals
  51. Pearl Jam
  52. Fela Kuti
  53. Nirvana
  54. Tame Impala
  55. Sade
  56. The Police
  57. The Smiths
  58. Lou Reed
  59. The Replacements
  60. Sloan
  61. Matthew Sweet
  62. Blur
  63. Jimmy Smith
  64. Destroyer
  65. D’Angelo
  66. Chromatics
  67. Willie Nelson
  68. Blondie
  69. Pink Floyd
  70. Art Blakey
  71. The Cure
  72. Al Green
  73. Ramones
  74. Bruce Springsteen
  75. Wilco
  76. Curtis Mayfield
  77. Robyn
  78. Stevie Wonder
  79. Franz Ferdinand
  80. Janis Joplin
  81. Spoon
  82. Thundercat
  83. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
  84. KISS
  85. Phil Collins
Only the top 50 get points though.

Nice list regardless.
 
I've got 85... ranking is approximate. Really hard to pick, but I just made a call. It would surely look different on any other day,

  1. Talking Heads
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. David Bowie
  4. LCD Soundsystem
  5. Prince
  6. The Beatles
  7. Daft Punk
  8. Elvis Costello
  9. Bob Marley
  10. The Clash
  11. John Lennon
  12. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  13. The Cars
  14. Duran Duran
  15. The Tragically Hip
  16. Chris Isaak
  17. Big Star
  18. Morphine
  19. Gorillaz
  20. Roxy Music
  21. New Order
  22. Radiohead
  23. Leonard Cohen
  24. Neil Young
  25. Led Zeppelin
  26. Flaming Lips
  27. Serge Gainsbourg
  28. Pulp
  29. Miles Davis
  30. Tom Waits
  31. White Stripes
  32. Beastie Boys
  33. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  34. Marvin Gaye
  35. Pixies
  36. Parquet Courts
  37. James Brown
  38. John Coltrane
  39. Depeche Mode
  40. Fleetwood Mac
  41. Jimi Hendrix
  42. R.E.M.
  43. T. Rex
  44. Joy Division
  45. Massive Attack
  46. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
  47. Funkadelic
  48. Black Keys
  49. Portishead
  50. Fine Young Cannibals
  51. Pearl Jam
  52. Fela Kuti
  53. Nirvana
  54. Tame Impala
  55. Sade
  56. The Police
  57. The Smiths
  58. Lou Reed
  59. The Replacements
  60. Sloan
  61. Matthew Sweet
  62. Blur
  63. Jimmy Smith
  64. Destroyer
  65. D’Angelo
  66. Chromatics
  67. Willie Nelson
  68. Blondie
  69. Pink Floyd
  70. Art Blakey
  71. The Cure
  72. Al Green
  73. Ramones
  74. Bruce Springsteen
  75. Wilco
  76. Curtis Mayfield
  77. Robyn
  78. Stevie Wonder
  79. Franz Ferdinand
  80. Janis Joplin
  81. Spoon
  82. Thundercat
  83. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
  84. KISS
  85. Phil Collins

Morphine! I completely gapped on them!!
 
1​
Tom Waits
2​
The Beatles
3​
Led Zeppelin
4​
Black Sabbath
5​
Bob Dylan
6​
Frank Zappa
7​
Joni Mitchell
8​
Radiohead
9​
Modest Mouse
10​
Bob Marley
11​
Beastie Boys
12​
The Rolling Stones
13​
Wilco
14​
Stevie Wonder
15​
James Brown
16​
Steely Dan
17​
The Doors
18​
Aretha Franklin
19​
Paul Simon/Simon & Garfunkel
20​
The Band
21​
The Beach Boys
22​
Bill Evans
23​
David Bowie
24​
Elvis Costello
25​
Jimi Hendrix
26​
Talking Heads
27​
King Crimson
28​
The Minutemen
29​
Janis Joplin
30​
The Kinks
31​
Lou Reed/Velvet Underground
32​
John Prine
33​
Pink Floyd
34​
Prince
35​
Bill Withers
36​
Ween
37​
Miles Davis
38​
Stevie Ray Vaughan
39​
Phish
40​
Traffic
41​
Carole King
42​
Elton John
43​
Fleetwood Mac
44​
Tom Petty
45​
Iggy Pop/The Stooges
46​
Fugazi
47​
Bob Seger
48​
The Cars
49​
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
50​
Willie Nelson



And the ones that just missed....

Lyle Lovett
Nathaniel Rateliff
Masters of Reality
Greyboy Allstars
Iris Dement
Steve Earle
Michael Kiwanuka
Thelonious Monk
Sturgill Simpson
Iron Maiden
Al Green
Chris Smither
Dolly Parton
Fiona Apple
John Coltrane
Johnny Cash
Marvin Gaye
Otis Redding
The Grateful Dead
Deep Purple
BBNG


Plus I'm sure I forgot one or two.
 
A couple of notes about this process and lists like this:

A- It's really challenging to establish any sensible criteria for ranking artists in this way. How do you compare an artist who made, say, three phenomenal albums then abruptly ceased to exist (Jimi Hendrix, Big Star, etc.) to an act of remarkable longevity with some impressive highs but a lot of relative dross? Looking at my list, some juxtapositions just seem absurd to me. But momentary instinct makes the decision. These absurdities will seem even more crazy tomorrow or next week.

B- On the issue of representation of female artists, it is futile to pretend that the history of recorded music has not been largely unsupportive of female artists. The results are a sad few consensus legends and a smattering of personal favorites. Who knows what bodies of work artists like Lauryn Hill, Sinead O'Connor, Betty Davis, etc. etc. ad infinitum might have had under conditions that never hindered the success of male artists. So, like many of us, I have a list that just simply doesn't have too many women on it. But it feels like an honest list to me, and I don't think it reflects a sexist outlook. I am encouraged, though, that I find myself getting new albums in a roughly 50/50 ratio between primarily female and primarily male artists. And most of the new releases I get by males are from established, older musicians. Most of the female artists are much younger. I do think the landscape is changing. Heck, after another century of recorded music, lists like these are likely to be pretty gender equal.

1- The Beatles
2- Bob Dylan
3- Elvis Costello
4- XTC
5- Prince
6- The Band
7- The Who
8- David Bowie
9- Richard Thompson
10- Stevie Wonder
11- Chuck Berry
12- PJ Harvey
13- Miles Davis
14- Talking Heads
15- Otis Redding
16- The Replacements
17- The Clash
18- The Jimi Hendrix Experience
19- Public Enemy
20- Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
21- The New Pornographers
22- Wilco
23- Arctic Monkeys
24- Lucinda Williams
25- Squeeze
26- The Rolling Stones
27- Fiona Apple
28- Neil Young
29- Paul McCartney
30- Spoon
31- Thelonious Monk
32- Sly & The Family Stone
33- Drive-By Truckers
34- Nick Cave
35- Guided by Voices
36- Hank Williams
37- Joni Mitchell
38- R.E.M.
39- Leonard Cohen
40- Billie Holiday
41- Sonic Youth
42- The Pixies
43- Beach Boys
44- Duke Ellington
45- Blur
46- The Hold Steady
47- Paul Simon
48- American Music Club
49- Steely Dan
50- Destroyer
 
1. The Cure
2. R.E.M.
3. The Stone Roses
4. Beastie Boys
5. Pixies
6. A Tribe Called Quest
7. Jellyfish
8. Depeche Mode
9. Dave Matthews Band
10. The Decemberists
11. The Smiths
12. Ian MacKaye
13. Nirvana
14. Grateful Dead
15. The Mamas & The Papas
16. Natalie Merchant
17. The Sundays
18. Slayer
19. Sinéad O’Conner
20. Sonic Youth
21. New Order
22. Joy Division
23. Bjork
24. Rage Against The Machine
25. The Breeders
26. Go-Gos
27. Bob Marley
28. Glenn Danzig
29. Mike Watt
30. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
31. Jenny Lewis
32. Fishbone
33. Siouxsie & The Banshees
34. Public Enemy
35. The Bangles
36. Black Flag
37. Joni Mitchell
38. Otis Redding
39. Marvin Gaye
40. Neko Case
41. Sleater-Kinney
42. Pj Harvey
43. Cocteau Twins
44. De La Soul
45. My Bloody Valentine
46. Velvet Underground
47. Talking Heads
48. The Beatles
49. Oasis
50. Bruce Willis
 
Last edited:
1. The Cure
2. R.E.M.
3. The Stone Roses
4. Beastie Boys
5. Pixies
6. A Tribe Called Quest
7. Oasis
8. Depeche Mode
9. Dave Matthews Band
10. The Decemberists
11. The Smiths
12. Ian MacKaye
13. Nirvana
14. Grateful Dead
15. The Mamas & The Papas
16. Natalie Merchant
17. The Sundays
18. Slayer
19. Sinéad O’Conner
20. Sonic Youth
21. New Order
22. Joy Division
23. Bjork
24. Rage Against The Machine
25. The Breeders
26. Go-Gos
27. Bob Marley
28. Glenn Danzig
29. Mike Watt
30. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard
31. Jenny Lewis
32. Fishbone
33. Siouxsie & The Banshees
34. Public Enemy
35. The Bangles
36. Black Flag
37. Joni Mitchell
38. Otis Redding
39. Marvin Gaye
40. Neko Case
41. Sleater-Kinney
42. Pj Harvey
43. Cocteau Twins
44. De La Soul
45. My Bloody Valentine
46. Velvet Underground
47. Talking Heads
48. The Beatles
49. Bruce Willis
Bruno at #49 and no #50.
 
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