Top 75 Musical Artists

The top 4 are in order... everything else is relatively subject to change.

77. Nils Frahm

76. Lynyrd Skynyrd

75. Bill Frisell

74. The Flying Burrito Brothers

73. Fragile Porcelain Mice

72. Hermanos Gutiérrez

71. Slipknot

Slipknot delivers a frontal barrage of sound, spite, and societal qualms.

70. System of a Down

System of a Down's take on metal is unmistakable with their socially charged eccentric thrashing.

69. Rudolph Llanes

The dark horse of Corpus Christi, Texas.

68. The Strokes

The Strokes are the quintessential accessible alternative garage rock act of the 2000's.

67. Jeff Buckley

66. Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth spearheaded a lot of avant garde noise rock, unafraid to conquer what hadn't been done before.

65. Norah Jones

64. Antonio Carlos Jobim

Jobim is credited as a godfather of the bossa nova jazz and scene.

63. Pantera

Pantera never treaded lightly on anything in their way.

62. Albert King

61. Stevie Wonder

60. Pat Martino

A chromatic jazz guitar giant who who overcame a lot.

59. Brad Mehldau

Contemporary influences intertwined with jazz help to display Mehldau's ability to juxtapose shades of brightness and darkness.

58. Fiona Apple

Fiona has always had the direction of someone who went with herself and never gave in to what bigger record labels wanted her to become.

57. Miles Davis

From the birth of bebop, to the rise of modern jazz in the '70s, Miles Davis has always retained his cool.

56. The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips forever have been unafraid to embrace the weird.

55. Rollins Band

Rollins Band meets at the sonic crossroads of punk, metal, funk, and avant-garde experimentalism.

54. Ms. Lauryn Hill

The world has been clamoring for more of the unrivaled Lauryn Hill (for the past twenty five years.

53. Son Volt

Son Volt has continued the honest country and movement since the mid-90s.

52. Mariano Biagio Mauro

Italian.

51. Eric Johnson

A perfectionist of tone and feel, it's not an overstatement to say that Eric Johnson has one of the more recognizable guitar tones ever.

50. Kamasi Washington

Kamasi Washington has spearheaded modern larger-than-life compositions that feel ethereal and otherworldly.

49. The Rolling Stones

Not everything has to be clean and pristine, as the Stones usually opted for sounds that were unpolished and bluesy.

48. Chance the Rapper

Affable and catchy soul based Kanye protégé.

47. Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah

Christian Scott's tone has that of an underdog - he plays with pain and purpose.

46. Alabama Shakes

Dirty southern racket blended with a modern edge helped Alabama Shakes to gain notoriety.

45. Mac Demarco

"Just a dude" that made it big with his versatile palette of musical creativity.

44. Stone Temple Pilots

The grunge sound that wasn't defined by Seattle, Washington; Stone Temple Pilots were perhaps just as dirty yet more melodic than some of their peers.

43. Pat Metheny

Pat Metheny is a genuine and thoughtful composer whose work extends far outwards of jazz and fusion.

42. Mac Miller

The shape and progression of Mac Miller's career follows an arc of a school boy rapper to a mature songwriter.

41. Foo Fighters

The definition of straight ahead classic rock in the 2000s.

40. Gary Clark Jr,

Gary Clark has been carrying modern blues, soul, and r&b on his shoulders for over a decade.

39. Alice in Chains

Alice In Chains brought to the table "in your face" grunge racket, with eerie and top notch vocal harmonies.

38. George Benson

A smooth entertainer, whether it be on guitar or vocals - George Benson has always had the whole package.

37. John Mayer

John Mayer has been able to inspire the next generation of the guitar with his bluesy swagger and crooning pop melodies.

36. Meshuggah

Meshuggah possesses an unique sound so obscene - an otherworldly alien like presence.

35. Derek Trucks

Derek carries part of the legacy of southern soul (ala Duane Allman) on his back, and has done so with electrifying inspirational performances.

34. Wes Montgomery

While elevating the floor for all jazz guitarists, Wes Montgomery made it all look smooth and easy with a smile on his face.

33. J. Cole

One of the last classic staples of the hip-hop community who has stayed true to himself until (nearly) the end.

32. Anderson .Paak

Anderson .Paak has been able to seamlessly blend elements of funk, soul, and hip-hop into the 2010s.

31. Van Halen

Setting the stage for the '80s, the band's cocky presence talked the talk and walked the walk.

30. Amy Winehouse

Amy possessed such a thick and sultry god-given voice which led modern r&b into the 21st century.

29. Elliott Smith

Elliott held a hauntingly beautiful touch and presence, yet was a troubled breath of fresh air that left us all too soon.

28. The Smashing Pumpkins

The Smashing Pumpkins helped to define the beginning of the '90s with some of the best songwriting of the decade.

27. Red Hot Chili Peppers

Eccentric to their core, the Chili Peppers have sustained success for years while staying true to themselves.

26. Wilco

Drawing influences from country roots and experimental trends, Wilco set forth their own sound at the turn of the millennium.

25. Joe Pass

Perhaps one of the most complete guitarists to ever grace the instrument, regardless of genre.

24. Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd took control of the '70s and set the stage for modern psychedelia in music.

23. Nirvana

Nirvana was unswayed by the critics with their sound and left an influence on the world in the early '90s.

22. Metallica

Pioneers of the '80s thrash metal scene, Metallica's sound has influenced multiple generations of metal.

21. Kings of Leon

Pre ~2010 Kings of Leon brought a lot to the table in terms of edgey appeal.

20. John Coltrane

A true feat of human marvel, Coltrane surpassed life as we know it and breathed new sounds into the saxophone.

19. Jimi Hendrix

A high flying trailblazer whose electric live career got cut too short.

18. Bob Dylan

Dylan was a figurative spark for the avant garde and counter movements of the '60s and beyond.

17. Stevie Ray Vaughan

A modern blues giant who transcended the norm while paying homage to the all time greats who came before him.

16. Kanye West

A virtuoso of his game, his artistic vision shines through the early moments of his career.

15. Bill Evans

Evans was one of the rare ones that could translate raw emotions into his piano - the darkness in his life was reflected in his music.

14. TOOL

An unmistakable voice of sonic power coupled with soul searching experimentalism.

13. Arctic Monkeys

The lads from Sheffield produced a new take on jangly brit-pop with a side of grit.

12. Kendrick Lamar

His control of the microphone lands him as one of the greatest to ever do it at the age of 33.

11. Father John Misty

Brash and cocky, while mocking the perils of capitalism's finest - perhaps a contemporary Mark Twain of sorts?

10. Ryan Adams

Ryan Adams was able to sing about relatable grass roots issues while blending elements of punk and rowdiness. 

9. Soundgarden

This Seattle grunge giant was once described as combination of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin - what more is there to say?

8. Megadeth

Megadeth was a meticulous flurry of fury in the early '90s - truly untouchable at their height.

7. Uncle Tupelo

Formed in Belleville, IL, Uncle Tupelo helped to create a new honest country movement of sorts while still being rough around the edges.

6. Rage Against the Machine

The crossroads of funk, metal, and rap helped to form this unique collective of fiery anti-establishment angst.

5. The Allman Brothers Band

The original Allman Brothers lineup conjured memorable moments of southern soul in the late '60s and early '70s .

4. Radiohead

The journey of Radiohead's progression from their 20th century sound into the 21st is one of experimental maturity and development.

3. Opeth

2. Led Zeppelin

Fast and aggressive while also having the ability to be sluggish and bluesy, Led Zeppelin took over the '70s with their titanic studio releases and stage presence.

1. The Beatles

The voice of a generation (and more), the Beatles simply changed the world while the world was rapidly progressing around them.