As most of us did, I spent a big part of my youth indulging in music. I picked up a lot of the popular albums of the day from “Licensed to Ill” to “Jagged Little Pill” to “Big Willie Style.”
The bulk of my collection, however, has always consisted of country music. Perhaps it’s my Texas heritage, but I just haven’t found a genre of music as fulfilling as the fiddle playing crowd.
The king of country can only be Garth Brooks.
Over the years, I’ve had many the philosophical argument pitting Garth Brooks against various other musical artists, trying to argue that Mr. Brooks is far more influential and impactful than most artists in the history of American music.
Most of the time, the suggestions of those more impactful than Garth Brooks are laughable.
I’m sorry, but there is no argument that Rick Astley is more important to American music than Garth Brooks.
There are a few that I can’t rightfully dispute, but inevitably those are the greats — Elvis and The Beatles are among them.
I would place Garth Brooks in the top 5 of most impactful and influential musical artists in American History.
Coincidentally, record sales would agree with me. Mr. Brooks is 3rd overall behind only the two aforementioned heavy weights.
After taking multiple years off from music, Garth Brooks has just released a new single which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot Country charts. For those keeping count, that’s never happened before.
I doubt anyone would argue that Brooks isn’t pivotal to the success of country music, but I’m sure it’s a bigger pill to swallow to accept him as one of the most important artists of any genre.
And yes, there was the Chris Gaines fiasco but if anyone would actually listen to the album they’d find it to be pretty good overall, though not Brooks’ signature style.
So what do you think?
Leaving the fanboy at the door and being completely honest, who would you place in the top 5 of most influential and impactful musical artists in American history?
(You are pretty much automatically discredited if your list does not include Elvis and The Beatles.)
I am in protest until a more concise definition of ‘influential and impactful’ is given.
It’s hard to define and I intentionally left it open. There are a number of areas in which an artist can be influential an impactful. A partial list would include:
(1) The Industry
(2) Musical Styling
(3) Fans
(4) Genre
Garth Brooks would not stand alone if we were to only take his influence on music into consideration. His musical stylings did not change the face of music theory.
When including the Industry, however, it’s a complete different ball game. Garth Brooks as sold 116 million albums and he catapulted country music to the forefront and made way for current artists like the Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill, and Toby Keith.
It would seem that we’re on our way to a whole ‘nother blog post about the definition of “influential and impactful.”
First off, I don’t think Garth Brooks has been around long enough to be able to measure his impact as a whole. Record sales to me do not indicate impact (see Britney Spears et al). Regardless, even without that info I can with complete certainty say he does not make the top 5. Here, in to particular order is why:
- The Beatles
- Elvis
- Jimi Hendrix
- Bob Dylan
Not top 5 but still above Garth Brooks:
- Chuck Berry
- Neil Young
- Lou Reed
- Michael Jackson
- James Brown
- Frank Zappa
Country artists above Garth Brooks:
- Johnny Cash
- Roy Orbison
- Willie Nelson
- Conway Twitty
Not a country fan-big music lover. Good to see Lou Reed and Roy Orbison on a list. Influential to the industry? What about Buddy Holly, the “inventor” of multitrack recording? How about the producers like Phil Spector who created sounds we still look for in recordings? Top five? Haven’t a clue for the real world-only mine. And I go back to Sam Cook. Garth Brooks? Great music affordable live-my pick for his best contribution. Fan loyalty? How about 60 yr old deadheads in ‘60 vw vans driving 10k a year to see the Grateful Dead?
Certainly, you can see how having no definition for “influential and impactful” shapes our answers.
To Brian: Certainly those are all important country artists, but above Garth Brooks how? Certainly not record sales. Not fan following. Not tour sales. Not in making country music an accepted music form in the mainstream, rather than a niche for the southerners. I’d say it’s easy to argue that Garth Brooks is above those country artists depending on your definition.
It seems that people are quick to name artists who may have helped to shape the genre artistically. A fair interpretation and one I’m freely willing to admit that Garth does not compete in.
As far as impact to their respective genres, the industry, and the image of music I’d say Garth Brooks is pretty high.
As far as impact to the art of music, Garth isn’t anywhere on the list.
Subtle difference.
I’d also argue against Bob Dylan being an influential and impactful artist. To music as an artform, sure, but he’s not really that great of a performer or singer.
I agree with everything Brian said, and would add Hank Williams Sr. to the list of more-influential country artists. I think you have to measure impact further down the timeline than we currently are from Garth. In 100 years, if you pose the question “who were the 5 most influential musicians of the 20th century?” I don’t think Mr. Brooks, popular though he may be, will ever make the list. But that stems from my definition of influential – economics and record sales don’t enter in at all.
Also, I think you’ll find Mr. Dylan has an immense following despite his imperfect voice. He makes my list easily.
I find it interesting that the preferred definition of impactful and influential is most definitely artistic. It’s not the angle I would come from when I trying to argue that Garth is a big deal.
Taking out industry, record sales, and economics I’ll freely admit that Garth falls out of the equation.
I would still maintain that Garth Brooks is every bit as influential as any country artist you can name, including the hallowed Hank Williams Sr. in terms of defining, maintaining, and exalting country music.
In terms of money (which no one wants to talk but me), Garth Brooks earned Country music more than any other country artist in history. Money talks, and it’s exactly why there are opportunities now for so much of country to cross into mainstream. Before Garth Brooks (and a few other 90s country artists), that just didn’t happen all that much.
Some results from around the web to liven the conversation:
1. an Amazon Listmania! list
2. Not surprisingly, Brooks didn’t place in a poll of most influential musicians of all time conducted in Britain, although you could rightly argue that isn’t addressing the premise of American music.
If your measurement of an artist’s impact is their commercial success I would concede that he has done that, though I wouldn’t know where to place him in respect to other acts. On the other hand I doubt any “artist” would desire to assess their impact and legacy in those terms… well maybe Chamillionaire.
This conversation is progressing faster than I can refresh :) As for bringing country into the mainstream, I would also argue that mainstream country today isn’t really country music at all but more Pop Rock/Adult Contemporary.
Certainly, Country music has changed considerably over the years. Current country is more closely related to 1950s rock’n'roll than anything in the ‘rock’ category is today.
I think Garth could probably be attributed with helping change the direction of country music from the Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton era into what we know it as today.
As Dave pointed out, though, does that really make him more important to country music than Hank Williams? I think that’s hard to say. Garth is young yet, and there is the tendency to think that the current incarnation of a thing is the best.
Certainly, my absolute best argument for placing Garth Brooks high on this list is if we’re measuring based on commercial success. He has sold more albums than any other living (or completely living) artist or band, and he’s made a ton of money touring (not sure where he ranks on this).
All other arguments are a bit more gray. I think there are fair arguments to place Garth in the most influential of country artists, but he’s still young compared to Hank Williams Sr. and it’s hard to say for sure.
Artistically, Garth can’t really compete with some of the greats that have been named here. I don’t even think Garth himself would argue with that.
I agree that Garth Brooks is more influential than Rick Astley.
Five most influential and impactful:
1. Beatles
2. Elvis
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Pink Floyd
5. Madonna
Why not Dylan? I love his songs, can’t stand his voice. No sales, not much of a following (there are 100 artists who draw more on tour).
For right now I’m out of the office, working on a slow connection on an old laptop, and people are all around me so I can’t do any of my typical research; that having been said.
My two cents: Your question was influential and impactful in American music. If you want to say impactful equals money, that’s fine with me. Those people on the bleeding edge of modern music fandom tend to hate on those who make money. Once a band “makes it” they are immediatly seen as “selling out”. I enjoy some big sellers, like the afformentioned Beatles, and Hendrix, as well as The Dead and Bob Marley. But as far as influential, then I don’t really see how you can compare Garth Brooks with Johnny Cash, and I hope other music fans that know you personally have taken you to task in a public drinking establishment. Garth Brooks has produced a number of listenable songs and quite a lot of intrest in a genre I used to know as Southern Rock, that has slowly migrated itself over to Country. Besides that, he has made a whole new crop of musicians think that wearing a cowboy hat and a really loud shirt make you a country music star.
I don’t mean to beat on him that hard. I think in 100 years, he will rank very very very high on a list of Country Music’s greatist of all time. But when you talk most influential, most impactful in my book, you have to look at the inovaters, the people that other musicians say influenced them. Time after time, for decades, and I’m willing to bet, for decades to come John Cash will stand far above Garth Brooks in lists of Country Artists, American Artists, and Musicians in general.
I like Cash, hell, I listen to him almost every day, but I don’t even put him in my top five, so Garth really doesn’t make it.
Hell, I don’t know if I can even create a top five. If you only list five you leave out so many. Elvis and The Beatles have to stay in? Agreed. Chuck Berry created Rock and Roll. Ask Kieth Richards. Once you mention Chuck, how can I not mention Jerry Lewis, and Little Richard? So let’s just say top five godfathers: Ike Turner, Jerry Lewis, Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Elvis.
I just realised I’m talking too much. This kind of rant belongs on ones own page. So I’ll end it like this. Garth Brooks is d-mn important to the Modern Musical Genre we call Country. And he has impacted music in a very big way. But as far as importance to American Music, I’ll have to do a post sometime next week about how he doesn’t even count in the top fifty.
Just one more note from a non-country fan. The RIAA all but stated the biggest fall in sales was not due to piracy but to lack of good new artists. The only genre to gain in sales? Country. If Garth has in fact influenced new good artists then I give him a vote for a plce on a list but not the top 5. In 1999 a local rock station in portland oregon had a vote for the top 1000 musicians of the millenium. I remember Hendrix was about 4. Bach, Motzart and Beethoven couldn’t make the top 100. Didn’t notice Manheim (inventor of the crescendo) on the list. A little shallow to think a(n inovative) guitarist had more influence than the people who gave us a way to write music down and developed “keys”.
If we are talking about influence among artists that are generally associated with country music, then this is deja vu for you and me. And as you know, my vote is for the man that Garth himself calls “my hero”.
GEORGE STRAIT Excerpt from his wikipedia entry:
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Strait has been nominated for more CMA awards than any other artist. He holds the record for most Number 1 songs on Billboard Country Music charts, and has had more albums certified gold or platinum in the United States than any other country artist and only Elvis Presley and The Beatles have more overall (according to the RIAA).
I have a couple thought provoking questions:
Is Garth an inductee into the country music hall of fame and yet still making number one hit records to this day?
Has Garth charted over 50 number 1 country hits across a span of 25 years?
And I know what you are gonna say “Garth is more of an entertainer than George.” Well, despite your assertion that George is not much of an “entertainer”, he still holds the record for paid attendance at the Houston Astrodome and has won Entertainer of the year 3 times including back to back in 1989 and 1990.
I could go on and on, but there is a reason why George is known as the “King of Country Music”.
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