# The best musicians/musical acts from each city **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 1, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579 "2009-04-01T14:54:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579/1 "2009-04-01T14:54:11Z")
Which musicians and/or bands are generally considered the best from their city or town? This is going to be easy in some cases - but for cities like New York, Chicago, LA and even Philadelphia - a lot of musicians, in different genres, could be argued to be the best. I’ll start off with some EXTREMELY low-hanging fruit: Liverpool - The Beatles Tupelo, MS - Elvis Presley Hoboken, NJ - Frank Sinatra ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579/2 "2009-04-01T14:58:12Z")
Nashville has many to consider, but I’ll go with Chet Atkins as “the best.” ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579/3 "2009-04-01T14:59:09Z")
**St. Louis** - Miles Davis \*\*New Orleans \*\*- have to be Louis Armstrong, with Jellyroll Morton a close second. (Don’t try coming at this thread with Connick or the Marsalis boys - or even Dr. John or James Carroll Booker - all brilliant, but no Satchmo) **Seattle** - jeez. Nirvana? Maybe, but I say no way - I prefer Jimi Hendrix by a mile, followed by Quincy Jones, then folks like Heart, Soundgarden, etc. and there are Queensryche fans out there, too… **Lubbock, TX** - Buddy Holly \*\*Austin, Tx \*\*- I ain’t goin’ there. Too many, with no clear dominator like Satchmo in The Big Easy. **Augusta, GA** : James Brown **Minneapolis** : Prince (with the Replacements in the mix, but not close…) Just a start… ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579/4 "2009-04-01T15:03:45Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > . . . for cities like New York, Chicago, LA and even Philadelphia . . . in different genres . . . The Metropolitan Opera The Windy City Gay Men’s Chorus The Los Angeles Philharmonic The Philadelphia Orchestra ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579/5 "2009-04-01T15:10:02Z")
Among British cities… Birmingham: Moody Blues (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, the Move, and ELO are among other contenders) Manchester: The Hollies (Oasis Newcastle: Sting (The Animals, Dire Straits or Bryan Ferry could be contenders) Sheffield: Def Leppard? ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579/6 "2009-04-01T15:16:46Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Among British cities… > > Birmingham: Moody Blues (Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, the Move, and ELO are among other contenders) > > Manchester: The Hollies (Oasis > > Newcastle: Sting (The Animals, Dire Straits or Bryan Ferry could be contenders) > > Sheffield: Def Leppard? The Sabs are way more important and influential vs. the MB’s, with Priest coming next…actually didn’t Priest name the album Sheffield Steel due to being from there, not Birmingham?? (ETA: Nope, I’m wrong - Wiki says Birmingham - sorry!) Manchester: Joy Division / New Order, Stone Roses, then maybe Oasis, with The Hollies further down… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-best-musicians-musical-acts-from-each-city/491579/7 "2009-04-01T15:55:15Z")
I’ve been away from Montgomery too long to know if anybody holds a candle to Hank Williams. And I’d say that Kansas City never has produced another Charlie Parker. And if you can name somebody from Cheraw, South Carolina besides Dizzy Gillespie that ought to get you onto\* Jeopardy!\*