History's most influential entertainer?

[Riveroaks]

Mozart and Ludwig had the advantage of Hollywood biopics.

I agree the Beatles were much better by far than Elvis. But he put Rock & Roll on the cultural map and changed it all - so he gets the nod.

Griffith invented the feature film and much of what followed owed everything to him. I remember watching INTOLERANCE for the first time and being blown away by the incredibly fast intercuts using several different stories all climaxing in the finish - even today nobody could dare do that.

I think you need to give credit to the African American pop bands of the 1940's and 1950's for rock and roll.

The Beatles especially McCartney used their stuff and then changed it with their own tenor voices.

I still think McCartney is #1 but will concede that he was borne on the shoulders of earlier pop artists.

 

[haymarket]

I think you need to give credit to the African American pop bands of the 1940's and 1950's for rock and roll.

The Beatles especially McCartney used their stuff and then changed it with their own tenor voices.

I still think McCartney is #1 but will concede that he was borne on the shoulders of earlier pop artists.

You bring up an excellent point. Collectively, lots of African American artists should get credit for much of rock & roll - no doubt about it. But if one individual has to be rated as influential for putting it on the American cultural map - its Presley. Without him there may never have been the opportunity for many who followed and that includes McCartney.

 

[Riveroaks]

You bring up an excellent point. Collectively, lots of African American artists should get credit for much of rock & roll - no doubt about it. But if one individual has to be rated as influential for putting it on the American cultural map - its Presley. Without him there may never have been the opportunity for many who followed and that includes McCartney.

The English bands evolved in England without regard to any Presley at all, as far as I know.

But these bands did rely a lot on African American pop music.

It may seem like Presley was important simply because he occupies a point in time between the African American music and the British invasion.

But I don't believe it.

I really liked Gary Lewis and the Playboys, but that does not make him/them very significant.

 

[haymarket]

The English bands evolved in England without regard to any Presley at all, as far as I know.

But these bands did rely a lot on African American pop music.

It may seem like Presley was important simply because he occupies a point in time between the African American music and the British invasion.

But I don't believe it.

I really liked Gary Lewis and the Playboys, but that does not make him/them very significant.

Maybe you are right. I have read that the Beatles considered Presley a formative influence and important in their lives and careers. But the reality is that rock & roll could have been a mere blip in time were it not for Presley and his impact. And for that reason I put him on the list.

I think this supports my choice and my reasoning

Elvis Presley influences The Beatles

As teenagers, The Beatles, especially John Lennon, were strongly influenced by Elvis Presley. They started wearing their hair slicked back like Elvis. They admired his rebelliousness and his appeal to women, not to mention his musical talent.

"Nothing affected me until I heard Elvis. Without Elvis, there would be no Beatles," John Lennon said.

As I said about African American influences - YES - they were important and they were many. But I do not know of one who can be said to be the central influence in the same manner as Presley was.

 

[Riveroaks]

Maybe you are right. I have read that the Beatles considered Presley a formative influence and important in their lives and careers. But the reality is that rock & roll could have been a mere blip in time were it not for Presley and his impact. And for that reason I put him on the list.

I think this supports my choice and my reasoning

Elvis Presley influences The Beatles



As I said about African American influences - YES - they were important and they were many. But I do not know of one who can be said to be the central influence in the same manner as Presley was.

Likewise Presley now pales in comparison with McCartney and Lennon.

 

[CanadaJohn]

This can include musical bands as well. Bach, Shakespeare, Elvis....who would you say is the most influential entertainer in history? :monkeyarm

I was growing up as TV was coming of age and getting a foothold on society. In that vein, I'd say that Lucille Ball and Ed Sullivan were the two most influential entertainers. Lucille Ball made situation comedy a mainstay of TV and it holds its place to this day. Likewise, Ed Sullivan made Sunday nights must see TV night with the family and anyone who was going to be anyone got their break appearing on his show - for a young kid like me, it was incredible for its variety.

 

[CanadaJohn]

i will go a different direction

i havent read the entire thread....so i hope no one mentioned him

Ed Sullivan has to on the list of the most influential entertainers of all time

Act after act went on THAT show first.....

Personally i didnt find him that charismatic, or entertaining

But he was influential and shaped music, comedy, and theatre for decades

I should have completed reading the thread before I posted.

 

[haymarket]

Likewise Presley now pales in comparison with McCartney and Lennon.

Oh I agree. Musically, Lennon and McCartney surpassed Presley. No doubt about it. I would take it even further and say folks like Springsteen even surpassed Lennon and McCartney.

My only point in putting Presley on the list was as a very influential entertainer who make rock & roll a significant part of the American culture.

 

[Riveroaks]

Oh I agree. Musically, Lennon and McCartney surpassed Presley. No doubt about it. I would take it even further and say folks like Springsteen even surpassed Lennon and McCartney.

My only point in putting Presley on the list was as a very influential entertainer who make rock & roll a significant part of the American culture.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen

I skipped over the Springsteen musical era somehow. I recall "Born In The USA" and also that it was a boring song I did not like.

My mind is frozen in time with what are now lots of golden oldies.

Rap does nothing for me so I have missed all the Rappers and their rapping too. That's probably why my musical awareness has gone to sleep.

Rap seems to have started sometime around Y2K and I definitely tuned all that out.

Springsteen was a lot earlier than that I believe -- 20 years earlier.

20 years earlier was the 1980's and Boss Skaggs had some good songs out back then -- Harbor Lights, and Jojo coming to mind.

Until Maroon Five came along I really have not liked any of the recent groups.

Maroon Five is the most recent group I can think of that I know and like -- they date back to 2004 however -- 11 years ago.

I liked Amy Winehouse recently but mostly because she sounded like the James Bond singer for Goldfinger.

As for who has been great since McCartney/Lennon, and Robert Plant, and Whitney Houston -- which are now all golden oldies -- I honestly cannot say.

Perhaps there is a rapper who deserves credit? But then I would not know.

 

[haymarket]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen

I skipped over the Springsteen musical era somehow. I recall "Born In The USA" and also that it was a boring song I did not like.

My mind is frozen in time with what are now lots of golden oldies.

Rap does nothing for me so I have missed all the Rappers and their rapping too. That's probably why my musical awareness has gone to sleep.

Rap seems to have started sometime around Y2K and I definitely tuned all that out.

Springsteen was a lot earlier than that I believe -- 20 years earlier.

20 years earlier was the 1980's and Boss Skaggs had some good songs out back then -- Harbor Lights, and Jojo coming to mind.

Until Maroon Five came along I really have not liked any of the recent groups.

Maroon Five is the most recent group I can think of that I know and like -- they date back to 2004 however -- 11 years ago.

I liked Amy Winehouse recently but mostly because she sounded like the James Bond singer for Goldfinger.

As for who has been great since McCartney/Lennon, and Robert Plant, and Whitney Houston -- which are now all golden oldies -- I honestly cannot say.

Perhaps there is a rapper who deserves credit? But then I would not know.

We agree on rap.

Springsteen not only has produced 40 freakin years of great music but totally changed the concert experience. Gone are the days of a Beatles 45 minute set in a stadium. Bruce change that with his three to four hour leave it all on the stage balls to the walls epic concerts. He made that change in entertainment. He gets credit for it along with the Dead.

 

[haymarket]

I was growing up as TV was coming of age and getting a foothold on society. In that vein, I'd say that Lucille Ball and Ed Sullivan were the two most influential entertainers. Lucille Ball made situation comedy a mainstay of TV and it holds its place to this day. Likewise, Ed Sullivan made Sunday nights must see TV night with the family and anyone who was going to be anyone got their break appearing on his show - for a young kid like me, it was incredible for its variety.

Ed Sullivan is a very interesting choice. Hard to argue with your reasoning.

 

[LaughAtTheWorld]

You seem to have much more knowledge about this area than I do and I would not presume to argue with you. I based my picks of Mozart somewhat from the film where he very much is portrayed as an entertainer. And Beethoven would fit in also. I have little doubt that every week somewhere in the world their music still entertains live audiences somewhere and - of course - through recorded music every hour of the day.

I know little about Bach but you certainly make a solid case for his inclusion. My list of ten attempted to have persons from various fields of entertainment who were influential.

I appreciate the education.

Most composers in history were also performers too so I guess you can classify them as entertainers, but their main influence was composition which I doubt will be classified into entertainment. It's like screenwriting, part of entertainment but hardly considered being an "entertainer"

Bach's Chaconne is the epitome of his genius:

(Heifetz is sheer brilliance as always but this interpretation is Romantic. However, this is still my favorite interpretation of the piece, on par with Stern's)

256 (2^8) bars of 64 (2^6) variations on the same theme. When I first heard it, goosebumps started forming around 3:31 and tears started flowing around 7:07 (when the key changes from D minor to D major).

As Johannes Brahms (himself another great composer and one of the three "B's" along with Bach and Beethoven) said,
"On one stave, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and most powerful feelings. If I imagined that I could have created, even conceived the piece, I am quite certain that the excess of excitement and earth-shattering experience would have driven me out of my mind."