His ridiculous lyrics and behavior have made him a standout since the late ’70s, with one of the more recent highlights being an internet video of him getting his ass whooped by a fan. While that may not impress his Jeet Kune Do master, it has done little to affect his legions of loyal fans that have followed him through his stints with the Misfits, Samhain and his solo career.
And his legacy is not yet forgotten. Younger generations are still exposed to his songs on “Guitar Hero” games and characters based on him, like Nathan Explosion of Cartoon Network’s “Metalocalypse.” — Alex Tallant
9. QUINCY JONES (MARCH 14, 1933)
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. is best known for producing Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” but the man is an intensely successful musical composer whose work spans five decades. Born in 1933, Jones has earned 79 Grammy Award nominations and won 27 Grammys, including the Grammy Legend Award in 1991.
Jones has arranged albums for iconic performs such as Ray Charles, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Sammy Davis Jr. and Aretha Franklin.
Jones is also a performer himself. After 30 years of attempting to perform with Miles Davis, Jones and Davis finally convened for Davis’ last album “Miles & Quincy Live at Montreux.”
Known for association and arranging the great musical innovators of the twentieth century, Jones further composed soundtracks for several films such as “The Color Purple,” “The Wiz,” “In Cold Blood” and “In the Heat of the Night.” — Matt Clark
10. SONNY ROLLINS (SEPT. 7, 1930)
If you have not heard “St. Thomas,” then you are lying to yourself.
It has one of the most recognizable melodies of any jazz tune, and its creator has one of the most recognizable tenor saxophones of all time.
Rollins began his career at an early age and has not stopped playing since.
I luckily got to attend his concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., back in 2008, and it was quite a moving experience. You get that feeling you are in the presence of an icon — you get nervous, scared even.
Then, Sonny took to the stage and belted out one of his famous standards, “Oleo.”
Rollins might be the second-best jazz tenor saxophonist of all time behind John Coltrane, and the impression he has had on the genre since the decline of bebop is comparable to Bob Dylan’s influence on folk.
Please check out his magnum opus, “Saxophone Colossus,” if you don’t know who this legend is. — Ben Woody
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A version of this article appeared in the May 5 issue of the Collegiate Times.
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Why not David Gilmour?
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Tom Waits is on here and not Eric Clapton....really?
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What a myopic, sexist, Eurocentric list.
They're all male. They're all English-speaking. They're all performers (as opposed to composers, conductors and other types of musicians). And the genres they perform -- rock, jazz, blues -- are all closely-related American inventions.
Was there no room on this list for Aretha Franklin? Nana Mouskouri? John Adams (the composer, not the president)? Daniel Barenboim? Ravi Shankar? Dolly Parton?
With no disrespect to the ten artists who were chosen, how many of these other titans were even considered? The list reads more like "greatest living musicians on my iPod" than the list it claimed to be -- the far more ambitious "musicians of our time" -- and the staff who chose the 'winners' have revealed what a small fraction of music of our time they enjoy.
May the radio station of our campus someday reflect the diversity of our campus.
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Hmm, okay. Quincy Jones was recognized for his compositional and arranging work and not just his skills as a performer. For that criticism, I apologize and stand corrected.
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diversity of campus. lol. otherwise, touche!
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