The Immortals

The Immortals

The fifty greatest artists of alll time

The Immortals are the greatest rock & roll artists of all time. They are also more than that. The fifty men, women and bands celebrated in the following pages ( and in an exclusive photo gallery ) are the singers, songwriters, record makers and performers who are continually in the music – as pioneers, teachers and stars; touching our souls and pulling us to our feet, on a daily basis – even when they are no longer with us. And this is not just a list. MORE . . .


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1) The Beatles by Elvis Costello

2) Bob Dylan by Robbie Robertson

3) Elvis Presley by Bono

4) The Rolling Stones by Steven Van Zandt

5) Chuck Berry by Joe Perry

6) Jimi Hendrix by John Mayer (WHAT EDITOR THOGUHT THIS WAS BEST PERSON TO WRITE ABOUT HENDRIX?!!?!?)

7) James Brown by Rick Rubin

8) Little Richard by Little Richard

9) Aretha Franklin by Jerry Wexler

10) Ray Charles by Van Morrison

11) Bob Marley by Wyclef Jean

12) The Beach Boys by Lindsey Buckingham

13) Buddy Holly by John Mellencamp

14) Led Zeppelin by David Grohl

15) Stevie Wonder by Elton John

16) Sam Cooke by Art Garfunkel

17) Muddy Watters by Billy Gibbons

18) Marvin Gaye by Smokey Robinson

19) The Velvet Underground by Julian Casablancas

20) Bo Diddley by Iggy Pop

21) Otis Redding by Steve Cropper

22) U2 by Chris Martin

23) Bruce Springsteen by Jackson Browne

24) Jerry Lee Lewis by Moby

25) Fats Domino by Dr. John

26) The Ramones by Lenny Kaye

27) Nirvana by Vernon Reid

28) Prince by Ahmir Thompson

29) The Who by Eddie Vedder

30) The Clash by The Edge

31) Johnny Cash by Kris Kristofferson

32) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles by Bob Seger

33) The Everly Brothers by Paul Simon

34) Neil Young by Flea

35) Michael Jackson by Antonio "LA" Reid

36) Madonna by Britney Spears

37)Roy Orbison by K.D. Lang

38) John Lennon by Lenny Kravitz

39) David Bowie by Lou Reed

40) Simon and Garfunkel by James Taylor

41) The Doors by Marilyn Manson

42) Van Morrison by Peter Wolf

43) Sly and the Family Stone by Don Was

44) Public Enemy by Adam Yauch

45) The Byrds by Tom Petty

46) Janis Joplin by Rosanne Cash

47) Patti Smith by Shirley Manson

48) Run-DMC by Chuck D

49) Elton John by Billy Joel

50) The Band by Lucinda Williams
I saw a story on this on the Today Show yesterday (leading me to wonder if they have corporate parents in common…). Same old same old, if you ask me. Though I love that Little Richard wrote his own tribute.

PS, smack, did you individually put in all those links to the first ten articles? That's so cool – THANKS for the efforts!
Bono is an ass
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Bono is an ass
Just generally, across the board, or did you look at his piece on Elvis?
Originally posted by Bags:
Originally posted by ggwâ?¢:
Bono is an ass
Just generally, across the board, or did you look at his piece on Elvis?
His piece on Elvis just reminded me of what a pretentious wanker he seems to be.
Originally posted by Bags:
Though I love that Little Richard wrote his own tribute.
HAHA - I didn't notice that. Classic.
My fave excerpts from Little Richard:

A lot of people call me the architect of rock & roll. I don't call myself that, but I believe it's true.

I appreciate being picked one of the top fifty performers, but who is number one and who is number two doesn't matter to me anymore. Because it won't be who I think it should be – it's not going to ever be any of the entertainers from the past. The Rolling Stones started with me, but they're going to always be in front of me. The Beatles started with me – at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, before they ever made a record – but they're going to always be in front of me. James Brown, Jimi Hendrix – these people started with me. I fed them, I talked to them, and they're going to always be in front of me.