Phil Brodie Band "Muso" Information Page
100 Greatest Rock 'n' Roll
IMMORTALS
The Inspirers and The Transformers

The below list was compiled by RollingStone Magazine in 2004
The article on the below link contains information of the all the
top 100 written by their peers and heirs, a recommended article, reading what the stars say of there mentors...
ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE
+
YOUR CHOICES
of .Inspirers and Transformers

100 Greatest Immortals ~ 2004

51) Howlin' Wolf by Buddy Guy

52) The Allman Brothers Band by Billy Gibbons

53) Eric Clapton by Little Steven

54) Dr. Dre by Kanye West

55) Grateful Dead by Warren Haynes

56) Parliament/Funkadelic by Ice Cube

57) Aerosmith by Slash

58) Sex Pistols by Billie Joe Armstrong

59) Louis Jordan by Ahmet Ertegun

60) Joni Mitchell by Jewel

61) Tina Turner by Janet Jackson

62) Etta James by Bonnie Raitt

63) Phil Spector by Jerry Wexler

64) The Kinks by Peter Buck

65) Al Green by Justin Timberlake

66) Cream by Roger Waters

67) The Temptations by Rod Stewart

68) Jackie Wilson by Peter Wolf

69) Carl Perkins by Tom Petty

70) The Police by Brandon Flowers

71) Frank Zappa by Trey Anastasio

72) AC/DC by Rick Rubin

73) Radiohead by Dave Matthews

74) Hank Williams by Beck

75) The Eagles by Sheryl Crow

76) The Shirelles by Paul Shaffer

77) Beastie Boys by Darryl "DMC" McDaniels

78) The Stooges by Thurston Moore

79) The Four Tops by Smokey Robinson

80) Elvis Costello by Liz Phair

81) The Drifters by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

82) Eminem by Elton John

83) N.W.A. by Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson

84) James Taylor by Art Garfunkel

85) Black Sabbath by Dave Navarro

86) Tupac Shakur by 50 Cent

87) Gram Parsons by Keith Richards

88) Miles Davis by Mos Def

89) The Yardbirds by Steven Tyler

90) Carlos Santana by Henry Garza

91) Ricky Nelson by John Fogerty

92) Guns n' Roses by Joe Perry

93) Booker T. and the MG's by Isaac Hayes

94) Nine Inch Nails by David Bowie

95) Lynyrd Skynyrd by Al Kooper

96) Martha and the Vandellas by Fred Schneider

97) Diana Ross & the Supremes by Antonio "LA" Reid

98) Roxy Music by John Taylor

99) Curtis Mayfield by Boz Scaggs

100) Lee "Scratch" Perry by Adam Horovitz

The above list was compiled by RollingStone Magazine in 2004

MY OWN SPECIAL MENTION IS FOR
JAMES JAMERSON

One of the most influential and transforming musicians in modern music, the legendary Motown bassist James Jamerson single-handedly revolutionized bass playing . James was the nucleus of Motown's core musicians, known only to themselves back then in the 60's, as the "Funk Brothers". He played Bass Guitar on over 95% of all Motown music of the 60's and the early 70's. James Jamerson has influenced, whether they reolise it or not, every single electric bassist ever to pick up the instrument. Enigmatic in life, overlooked in death, he dramatically, and forever, altered the sound of contemporary music . . . MORE
PLEASE SIGN THE
JAMES JAMERSON
PETITION
CLICK HERE
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YOUR CHOICES
This is a fairly new page
please email me your choice (please state the web page)
Please remember they have to have the power to influence and transform.
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JOHN LEE HOOKER

Born in Coahoma County, Mississippi, to a sharecropper family, John Lee Hooker was one of the last links to the blues of the deep South. He moved to Detroit in the early 1940's and by 1948 had scored his first Number one jukebox hit and million-seller, "Boogie Chillun". Other hits soon followed, such as "I'm In The Mood," "Crawling Kingsnake," and "Boom Boom" among the biggest. During the 50s and '60s, Vee Jay Records released a remarkable string of more than 100 of John Lee's songs. John Lee Hooker's career, much like his music, took a different tact than most Delta bluesmen. Living in Detroit rather than Chicago, his music was rhythmic, hypnotic and downright primitive compared to the more sophisticated Chicago blues sound. He developed a 'talking blues' style and also John Lee pioneered the style of blues that became known as "boogie," and in doing so, hugely influenced rock music from the Rolling Stones in the UK, to the more recent White Stripes. His influence on 1960s British bands like the Rolling Stones, the Animals and the Yardbirds was profound and changed the British rock scene forever. Although at this time he no longer topped the R&B charts, he toured and recorded prolifically throughout the '60s, his trademark boogie sound was picked up by bands in the US like Canned Heat and Foghat, and young guitarists such as George Thorogood. His songs have been covered by Buddy Guy, Cream, AC/DC, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Tom Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Van Morrison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Doors, The White Stripes, MC5, George Thorogood, R. L. Burnside, The J. Geils Band, Big Head Todd and the Monsters, The Gories, Cat Power, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosionand and many others.
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WILLIE DIXON

Willie Dixon was born in Vicksburg, in Mississippi Delta., and was one of the Delta blues-men to move to Chicago in the 1930s, where he became one the most influential persons in shaping the post World War II sound of the Chicago blues and is is recognized as one of the founders of the Chicago blues sound. Throughout his career, he had a great impact and huge influence on rock and pop music. As a bassist, remembing he was an upright bassist which considerably different from the electric bass guitar, he was one of the most important figures in the blues, and his impact on the bass cannot be underestimated. He created many of the blues clichés... we now consider standard fare, like helping to define simple walking bass lines in jump-blues. One of the techniques he used on up-tempo songs was a right hand slapping approach with gave the upright bass a percussive feel and a much louder tone. He also was an important link between the blues and rock and roll, he was the man whose bass backed all of the early Chess artists from Howlin Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson to Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley . Willie's songwriting and producing skills further enhance his presence as one of the most pivotal characters in the blues. He penned some of the most memorable blues numbers in history, including "Little Red Rooster", "Hoochie Coochie Man", "Evil", "Spoonful", "Back Door Man", "I Just Want to Make Love to You", "I Ain't Superstitious", "My Babe", "Wang Dang Doodle", "Bring It On Home" and many others. Rock legends Led Zeppelin borrowed from his song “You Need Love” to create their hit “Whole Lotta Love”. (a 1985 lawsuit gave Dixon credit as co-composer). Dozens of the biggest rock and pop artists have covered Willie Dixon's tunes, including the Doors, Eric Clapton, the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, Cream, the Monkees, Aerosmith, Megadeth, Queen, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Foghat, The Yardbirds, Oingo Boingo, Etta James, The Allman Brothers Band, Aerosmith, Styx, the Jesus and Mary Chain and P. J. Harvey to mention just a few.
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JANIS JOPLIN

Rolling Stone calls her “one of the biggest female rock stars of her time”, Time Magazine refers to her as “the most powerful singer to emerge from the white rock movement”, Vogue names her “the most staggering leading woman in rock" and critic Karen Schoemer, claimed she was “the woman who made it possible for white girls to sound something other than pretty”. The sixties’ most liberated chick, groundbreaker, Janis Joplin, is the greatest blues- rock singers, with her intense and emotional voice which has become one of the most famous in popular music. Janis sang with every fibre, muscle and bone in her body, feeling every word she sang, giving haunting, heartrending, fearless performances. Her powerful rendition of Big Mamma Thornton's "Ball and Chain" performed with her first band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, most experts say that it is among the greatest in rock history. It was recorded live in the summer of love, at the Monterey International Pop Festival. Her famous "Piece of My Heart", is an excellent example of her explosive and emotional voice. Heavily influenced by blues artists, such as Bessie Smith and Big Mamma Thornton, Janis introduced this musical genre to millions of young fans and also to many aspiring performers. Janis holds her place as a revolutionary of women’s role in popular music by establishing herself as an equal to, or even superior to her male peers, both in her musical performance, and in her liberated sexuality. She turned a male dominated rock 'n' roll world of the 60s upside-down and paved the way for future female performers to "rock on their own terms". She influenced performers such as Pink, Joan Jett, Liz Phair, Chrissie Hynde, Heart's Anne and Nancy Wilson, Florence Welch, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper; almost every female rock star since has been indebted to Janis, without Janis' groundbreaking performances, they might never have have happened at all. Janis deeply influenced her audience, to her fans she became an icon, the individuality in way she dressed, the wild way she lived, her colourful hippy car, her love for Southern Comfort, her complete lack of fear on and off stage .. to many Janis represented freedom and social rebellion, she changed the way girls would think and act for generations to come. Over the years many have tried to emulate this totally unique soul... but none in half a century have succeeded to become anywhere near becoming a second Janis Joplin.
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THE BYRDS

The Byrds were in their heydays shamefully one of the under appreciated rock bands of the 60's, but time has judged them to be nearly as influential as the Beatles, Beach Boys and the Stones. Initially, a folk group, they pioneered the musical genre of folk rock, melding the influence of The Beatles and other British Invasion bands with contemporary and traditional folk music. Their second single, a rendition of Bob Dylan's folky "Mr. Tambourine Man", but the Byrds gave the song a full, electric rock band treatment, and the song's jingle-jangling, melodic guitar playing performed by Roger McGuinn on his 12-string Rickenbacker was immediately influential and has remained so to the present day. The single initiated the "folk rock" boom of 1965 and 1966, with many acts imitating the band's hybrid of a rock beat, jangly guitar playing and poetic or socially conscious lyrics setting the trail for bands like Poco, New Riders of the Purple Sage, and eventually the Eagles and also the Byrds early recordings led the way for Dylan himself to go electric with their covers of his songs. Within three months "Mr. Tambourine Man" had become the first "folk rock" hit, reaching No.1 on both the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and the UK Singles Chart. The term "folk rock" was itself coined by the American music press to describe the band's sound in June 1965, at the same time as "Mr. Tambourine Man" peaked at number 1 in the U.S. This was followed by other reworked folk songs, such as "All I Really Want to Do" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!". Then in December 1965, they did it again, The Byrds recorded thier self-penned "Eight Miles High" which is often considered the first full-blown psychedelic rock recording. The song was also pivotal in transmuting folk rock into the new musical forms of psychedelia and raga rock. The song is marked again by more of McGuinn's groundbreaking lead guitar playing, which saw him attempting to emulate the free form jazz saxophone playing of John Coltrane, and in particular, Coltrane's playing on the song "India" from his Impressions album. "Eight Miles High" also exhibits the influence of the Indian classical music of Ravi Shankar in the droning quality of the song's vocal melody and in McGuinn's guitar playing. The song's subtle use of Indian influences resulted in it being labeled as "raga rock" by the music press, but in fact, it was the single's B-side "Why" that drew more directly on Indian ragas.
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JIMMY WRIGHT

American tenor saxophonist, who author/scholar Peter Grendysa has called the equal of Red Prysock, Sam "The Man" Taylor, and Big Jay McNeely, among 1950s saxophone virtuosos, yet Jimmy has sadly always remained in the shadows. Jimmy Wright was one of the most influential musical figures in the history and development of early rock & roll, as well as a huge chunk of New York City-based R&B of the mid '50s. As the resident bandleader and a music director for George Goldner's Rama Records and Gee Records labels throughout the 50s, Jimmy had more to say about what most of the music on those labels, among the most successful and influential of their day, especially in New York City, sounded like than many of the artists themselves. The Jimmy Wright Band, also known as the Jimmy Wright Orchestra, variously included jazz veterans Skeeter Best, Jimmy Shirley, and Jerome Darr on guitar, Abie Baker and Al Hall on bass, Freddie Johnson or Jimmy Phipps on piano, and Gene Brooks on drums. Jimmy helped create a new sound that turned radio, the recording industry, and music on its head. And with his honking saxophone sharing space for the lead, he was as visible a musical presence as anyone on any of Elvis Presley's records from Scotty Moore, Bill Black, and D.J. Fontana on down, his instrument defining the texture and power of rock & roll on records like "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and a dozen other Rama and Gee sides. He created some of the wildest sax solos, including the screaming, soaring sax solo on the Valentines "Woo Woo Train", his was the band for most 50's NYC doowop groups.
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JIMMIE BLANTON

Jimmie was an influential American jazz double bassist, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He joined Duke Ellington's band in 1939, and though he stayed with Ellington for only two years, he made an immeasurable contribution in changing the way the double bass was used in jazz. Previously the double bass was rarely used to play anything but quarter notes in ensemble or solos but by soloing on the bass more in a 'horn like' fashion, Jimmie began sliding into eighth- and sixteenth-note runs, introducing melodic and harmonic ideas that were totally new to jazz bass playing. His virtuosity put him in a different class from his predecessors, making him the first true master of the jazz bass and demonstrating the instrument's unsuspected potential as a solo instrument. Such was his importance to Ellington's band at the time, together with the tenor saxophonist Ben Webster, that it became known as the Blanton–Webster band. Jimmie also recorded a series of bass and piano duets with Ellington. In 1941, he was diagnosed with tuberculosis, cutting short his tenure with Ellington. His last recording session was cut on September 26th 1941 in Hollywood. Sadly Jimmie died the following year after retiring to a sanatorium in California, at the age of only 23.
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ALICE COOPER

American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than five decades. With a stage show that sometimes included a guillotine, gallows, electric chair, fake blood, boa constrictor and baby dolls, he drew equally from horror movies, vaudeville and garage rock to pioneer a grandly theatrical and violent brand of rock that was designed to shock, he took Glam Rock and made it Shock Rock opening the doors for others to follow. His stage antics would influence a host of later bands, including, among others, Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Kiss, Blue Öyster Cult, GWAR, W.A.S.P., Lizzy Borden and, later, Marilyn Manson, Slipknot, Rob Zombie and the black and death metal bands of Scandinavian. Born Vincent Damon Furnier, Alice Cooper originally was the name of his band with himself on vocals and harmonica, Glen Buxton on lead guitar, Michael Bruce on rhythm guitar, Dennis Dunaway on bass guitar, and Neal Smith on drums. Taking on the name in 1968, the Alice Cooper band broke into the international music mainstream with the 1971 hit "I'm Eighteen". It was followed in 1972 by the even bigger single "School's Out", which reached No.1 in the UK during that summer. The band reached its commercial peak with the transatlantic No.1 album Billion Dollar Babies in 1973. Vince's solo career as Alice Cooper, legally adopting the band's name as his own, began with the 1975 concept album Welcome to My Nightmare, and reached his commercial peak with the 1989 hit "Poison". His most recent studio release, his 18th solo album was in 2008, Along Came a Spider. He has recorded Welcome 2 My Nightmare his 19th studio album but the release was delayed until some time in 2012 due to touring commitments. Expanding from his original Detroit-based garage rock roots, over the years Alice Cooper has experimented with many different musical styles, including art rock, conceptual rock, rock and roll, jazz, new wave, and heavy metal.
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BILLY RITCHIE

Scottish organist, keyboard player and composer, he grew up in Forth, Lanarkshire and a former member of The Satelites, before joining the The Premiers in 1964, who then decided to move in a new musical direction, changing their name from The Premiers to 1-2-3 and later became Clouds. Billy is generally acknowledged as being the first keyboard player in rock music to stand and take a leading role, thereby providing a model for others such as Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman. Despite some initial success for the band, the record label Chrysalis to who they were signed with, increasingly focused its attention on Jethro Tull, and the momentum that began with 1-2-3 was lost. Though the later incarnation, Clouds, was still interesting, invention was now part of the mainstream, and the group disbanded in October 1971, unable to find a niche in a by then overcrowded progressive rock scene. Because of the lack of public perception, Billy has at times been accused of being influenced by those, who, in reality, were influenced by him. It was some years later, thanks to accolades from David Bowie and others, that Billy was properly credited for the pioneering role he played in the development of electric keyboards in popular music and credited as being the first of his kind, standing and taking a lead role, paving the way for Emerson, Wakeman and others. Similarly belated credit was also given to the pioneering role of 1-2-3 and Billy's innovative arrangements, being responsible for rewriting standard songs and arranging music in a style that later became fashionable as progressive rock. The band’s distinctive guitar-less organ-driven sound is now viewed as a definitive precursor to the progressive rock movement and Billy described as ‘a genius’.
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GEORGE CLINTON

Funk man through and through
American singer, songwriter, bandleader, pioneer, music producer and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands Parliament and Funkadelic during the 1970s and early 1980s, and launched a solo career in 1981. He has been cited as one of the foremost innovators of funk music, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997 with other members of Parliament-Funkadelic. George was born in Kannapolis, North Carolina, grew up in Plainfield, New Jersey, during his teen years he formed a doo wop group inspired by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers called The Parliaments and for a period in the 1960s he was a staff songwriter for Motown. The Parliaments eventually found success under the names Parliament and Funkadelic in the seventies. He never wanted a run of the mill band and these two bands combined the elements of musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Sly and the Family Stone, Cream and James Brown while exploring different sounds, technology, and lyricism. Funkman George and Parliament-Funkadelic dominated diverse music during the 1970s with over 40 R&B hit singles, including three No.1's and three platinum albums. George broke up both bands by 1981 and began recording solo albums, occasionally performing live with his former bandmates as the P.Funk All-Stars. In 1982, he signed to Capitol Records releasing Computer Games under his own name that same year. The single "Loopzilla" hit the Top 20 on the R&B charts, followed by "Atomic Dog", which reached No.1 on the R&B chart. His 1996's T.A.P.O.A.F.O.M. ("the awesome power of a fully operational mothership"), reunited the funk pioneer with several of his Parliament - Funkadelic comrades from the '70s. Clinton's Greatest Funkin' Hits -96 teamed old P-Funk hits with new-school rappers such as Digital Underground, Ice Cube, and Q-Tip. He is also a notable music producer working on the albums he performs on, as well as producing albums for Bootsy Collins and Red Hot Chili Peppers, among others.
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BOOKER T and the MG's

Booker T. & the M.G.'s the instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones-organ, piano, Steve Cropper-guitar, Lewie Steinberg-bass, and Al Jackson, Jr-drums. Having two white members (Cropper and Dunn), Booker T. & the M.G.'s was one of the first racially integrated rock groups, at a time when soul music, and the Memphis music scene in particular, were generally considered the preserve of black culture. In the 1960s, as members of the house band of Stax Records, they played on hundreds of recordings by artists such as Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Bill Withers, Sam & Dave, Carla and Rufus Thomas and Johnnie Taylor. They also released instrumental records under their own name, such as the 1962 hit single "Green Onions". As originators of the unique Stax sound, the group was one of the most prolific, respected, and imitated of their era. By the mid-60s, bands on both sides of the Atlantic were trying to sound like Booker T. & the M.G.'s. In 1965, Steinberg was replaced by Donald "Duck" Dunn, who has played with the group ever since. Al Jackson, Jr. was murdered in 1975. Since then, the trio of Dunn, Cropper and Jones have reunited on numerous occasions using various drummers, including Willie Hall, Anton Fig, Steve Jordan and Steve Potts. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.
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ULRICH JON ROTH

Neo-classical guitar pioneer Ulrich Jon Roth born in Düsseldorf, Germany formed his first serious band, Dawn Road, while in his mid teens. At 19, in 1973 he was asked to finished a tour off with the up and coming Scorpians, later that year, this led to a new line-up for Scorpians of 4 former Sporpians and 2 members of Dawn Road, with Uli as lead guitarist. Although he recorded 5 albums with them, establishing them as a top band, Uli's soul, his writings, composing and guitaring, were heavily influenced by Hendrix and tendings toward blending this with the classical, a very different direction to Scorpian. In 1978 he formed his own band "Electric Sun" to pursue and showcase his hendrix-classical pioneering. Elecrtic Sun released 3 albums which opened the door and influenced all the neo-classical guitarists which followed, including Yngwie Malmsteen who later popularised neo-classical more with the media. Uli invented his own unique instrument the 6-octave Sky guitar to further his 'ever' evolving creations and techniques. Uli went solo in the late 80's and has since written 4 symphonies, 2 concertos, numerous songs, released 3 albums, done many world tours, guested with too many artists to mention, inducted into the Walk of Fame by Europe's only Rock & Pop Museum, which is situated in Gronau, Germany, and is currently working on a new full-length studio album "Under A Dark Sky", which is to be released next year, also for 2008 he has another World Tour planned.
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HARVEY "The Snake" MANDEL

Electric guitar pioneer and virtuoso, Harvey Mandel aka The Snake, born in Detroit, raised in Chicargo had always dreamed his chosen instrument would one day make the noises that would rock the world. After many years of experimental work by the pioneers such as Harvey, the electric guitar is the major instrument in rock, blues and many other genre. In 1966 Harvey became the original guitarist with Charlie Musselwhite, releasing the debut album Stand Back!, this got them an invite to the Festival in Fillmore. Harvey moved to California and replaced Vestine in Canned Heat , performing at the August 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Festival with their performance appearing in both the album and film release. The nickname, "The Snake," was given to him years before by keyboardist Barry Goldberg in Chicago, because of his cracked leather jacket and snake-like guitar licks, it fit perfectly in the Canned Heat line-up! After leaving Canned Heat, Harvey, along with Larry "The Mole" Taylor and Don "Sugarcane" Harris joined John Mayall's first all American band to record the album sans drummer titled "USA Union" in 1970, followed by Back to the Roots. Harvey went solo in the early 70's and went on to be one of the most sort after session men, playing with many of the great rock names inluding the Rolling Stones, appearing on their 1976 album Black and Blue, his extensive soloing is featured on "Hot Stuff". He has also performed with many blues legends including Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Albert King, and Otis Rush to mention a few. On a sadder note he gets a little forgotten and passed by, by the media.This amazing musician has spent a lifetime furthering his techniques, pioneering psychedelic and rock guitar techniques, broken undiscovered barriers of amplification, tone, technique, and effects, worked with many of the greats in Blues, Rock & Roll, Psychedelia and Hip-Hop, and has been cited as a major influence by many of today's music superstars. Harvey is currently recording and touring with the "Chicago Blues Reunion", along with Nick Gravenites, Barry Goldberg, Tracy Nelson, Sam Lay, and Corky Siegel. May he continue his great work.
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