Tough choice. I voted 60s, but I'd prefer to say 50s, 60s and 70s.
American music never, ever, never would have made it without the African-American influence. Rock got its start as "race music" and the rest is history.
The Clovers -
Lovey Dovey
Mr. Hank Ballard and the Midnighters -
Thrill Up On The Hill Lawd, somebody he'p me. I love this song!
The Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown brought his genius and awesome talent to rock and roll and changed the entire genre. He will forever remain the Godfather of Soul -
.
Dion and the Belmonts - How can you pick one song from Dion and the Belmonts?
Donna is my choice for a song representing the way it was. Men were in love and men were out matched. They sang about it then and we related. I met Dion Dimucci about 10 years ago in Boca. I had a difficult time even making word sounds. Dion was a prince, easy, approachable, open. Dion was on the cover of the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour Album, so great was his influence.
In the late 50s and early 60s as soul came into its own as Americans fell in love with Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs and the Tams and later the Four Tops and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
IMHO, if you can't get laid while listening to
All I Want Is You by the Miracles it's because you are ugly as a mud fence and have no class. This song was written and sung as God himself wanted it to happen. That good! Every woman on earth wants you to sing this song TO HER and she wants you to mean it. And you should if you love her.
The Tams, tell me the song isn't true. Actually, I was there the night Doug Milton lost his drivers side door to the Tams bus. Long story. Expensive story for Doug.
It's Better To Have Loved A Little.
How can we even touch the 60s and 70s?
Beatles -
And Your Bird Can Sing
I Saw Her Standing There.
She Came In Through The Bathroom Window.
Across The Universe
The Rolling Stones -
Time Is On My Side
It's All Over Now
After reading
The Devil and Margarita Mick Jagger and Keith Richard wrote
Sympathy For the Devil . And didn't it fit the times!
Keith Richards created the incredible guitar intro to
Beast of Burden, Mick Jagger and Keith wrote the lyrics; Charlie Watts put the solid beat behind it and it is a song that will never be outdated.
God, where do you go from here with the Stones?
You Can't Always Get What You Want.
How the hell do we move forward from the 60s? So many were so influential. Bob Dylan, Joe Cocker, The Who, The Animals, The Byrds, The Band, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and on and on and on.
The Band ~
Across The Great Divide
The Weight
Rag Mama Rag - The Band (The Band 2 of 12) - YouTube
Wet Willie -
Keep On Smiling
Mr. Bob Seger ****ing awesome -
Against The Wind
Fire Down Below
Katmandu
Marshall Tucker Band -
Heard It In A Love Song
Cant You See That's my blood playing from down home.
One of the best bands ever to walk on stage,
The Allman Brothers ~
One Way Out
Done Somebody Wrong
Dickey Betts is no longer with the Allman Brothers. In fact I ain't listening to the sumbitches till they ask Dickey to come back. In the meantime here is one of my favorite songs from Dickey Betts' album - Highway Call.
Long Time Gone
If you've ever lived in Florida and been alone on a long weekend night listening to the rain coming down outside you know Dickey Betts (from Florida) has been there; God, I have. "
Rain, rain, rain. You're lonesome company, but it's just you and me tonight."
Gawd, but Dickey can play that red slide guitar!