Pachelbel
Cowpunk: Four Barrel Ghost.
I’d put James Brown over Gaye or Cooke, tied with Aretha.
Beethoven, because he broke out of the Classical period, and ushered in the Romantic. But Classical is WAY too broad a category, compared to the others. It really needs to be broken down.
But if we’re going in that direction anyway,
Opera: Verdi
Operetta: Lehar
Not Gilbert & Sullivan?
I think even Dylan would say the folk musician would have to be Woody Guthrie.
I’m with the crowd on Johnny Cash for country, with Hank Williams, Sr., as alternate, and Willie Nelson gets honorable mention.
I didn’t.
The only way to solve this is to put Dylan in a category called Dylan. For a few years he was the most important folk singer on the planet, but you’re correct that the top-of-the-charts Peter, Paul & Mary were far more famous among the general public. (So was Harry Belafonte, unless he was Calypso.) When he went electric he wasn’t really rock and wasn’t even folk rock. He was his own genre. Since then he’s experimented with every genre short of classical but nobody thinks of him as the great in any of those. An anomaly.
If we’re breaking rock down to folk rock, then it’s probably Simon & Garfunkel over the Byrds.
Another excellent choice.
Texas swing: Bob Wills.
Polka: Jimmy Sturr (in the US anyway).
Zydeco: Buckwheat Zydeco?
I’m prepared to argue that we have to define “famous” as performing vs. writing. The memories of Hank Williams as a performer are fading away, but he (and Willie) are probably more famouse for their compositions.
Similarly, the Rolling Stones lasted a generation longer than the Beatles as performers. Aretha’s outlasted James Brown, but her best-known song was written by Otis Redding, so where does that get you?
Big Band personally I like Glenn Miller, but I can see Duke Ellington, as well. And frankly, a lot more people have seen and heard Lawrence Welk.
Stupid Parodies Stan Freberg, Allan Sherman or Weird Al?
I’d put Hank Sr. over Cash. Garth Brooks did sell a couple of records though.
In the “impossible to categorize but a phenomenon all to himself” category, I’d put Jimmy Buffett. He started off country, moved into beach/sailing music, and threw in comedy and ballads. Does the Parrothead phenomenon currently have any equal? Even Deadheads don’t compare.
I think Flatt and Scruggs are more famous in Bluegrass but just because of the Beverly Hillbillies.
I think the Beastie Boys are the most famous Hip Hop band. I barely know who Jay-Z is and none of his work. I suspect that is true of lots of people over 30. The Beastie Boys have been around for a long time.
As someone who doesn’t listen to the genre (which may be an advantage here, in the sense that “famous” means that everybody’s heard of them) I would have said Eminem.
Disco - The BeeGees
Latin - Tito Puente
World Music - Ladysmith Black Mambazo
For disco – how about The Village People?
For disco, Chic have got to be contenders for the definitive disco band, but for the most famous, yeah, that’s probably The Bee Gees.
No. Try Pete Seeger.
Oh, Bob Dylan has much more name recognition than Seeger. I’d bet about 75% of my co-workers know who Dylan is; I don’t think Seeger would break 20%.