# Which musical acts are most universally respected and liked among their peers in their genre? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 15, 2010, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564 "2010-03-15T18:16:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/21 "2010-03-16T09:43:35Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > Yeah, I can’t think of any bad things said about Tori Amos as a person, nor as a musician once you forget that her first album exists. > > Kate Bush…Tupac Shakur was a huge fan Re) Tori’s first album: Everyone has to start somewhere, eh? At least she has a good sense of humor about it! Re) 2Pac & Kate Bush: Wow, really? I can’t believe it… ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 9:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/22 "2010-03-16T09:45:18Z")
> [@caligulathegod](#): > > The Ramones. Not true. They’re (perhaps unfairly) considered “sell-outs” by many in the present-day punk rock scene. ---
**Author:** ![sandra\_nz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@sandra\_nz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sandra_nz)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/23 "2010-03-16T10:40:27Z")
I’m gonna go for **The Pixies**. I’ve never heard a bad word said about the output of that band. ---
**Author:** ![C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecd19e/32.png) [@C.Montgomery\_Burns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C.Montgomery_Burns)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/24 "2010-03-16T12:01:22Z")
Willie Nelson seems universally respected, both for his songwriting and for his singing. ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/25 "2010-03-16T12:08:34Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > Not true. They’re (perhaps unfairly) considered “sell-outs” by many in the present-day punk rock scene. Is it because one or several Ramone(s) are self-proclaimed Republicans or something ? ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/26 "2010-03-16T12:28:05Z")
Ramones? Sellouts? What did they sell? Certainly not albums. They made their bones on stage. Not sure if a band founded in the last 14 years really would be a peer of the Ramones, anyway. I have never heard a peer of the Ramones not respect them (they might acknowledge their lack of skill-as they do themselves, but not the band or their influence). ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/27 "2010-03-16T15:05:21Z")
One simple question: who cares? Artists in any genre are frequently LOUSY judges of their peers. The funniest comedians you know are often despised by their peers. On the other hand, guys who are universally admired by their fellow comics are often horrible people and WORSE performers. To give you one example, Colin Quinn is a wretchedly unfunny comedian. That he’s managed to stay in show biz so long is a reflection of the fact that he’s adored by his fellow comics. Which shows you what THEY know. It’s no different in music. SUPPOSE you learned that the Jonas Brothers are universally adored by their peers, while your favorite band is regarded as a bunch of jerks. What possible difference could that make to you? ---
**Author:** ![GreatStuffMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f04885/32.png) [@GreatStuffMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreatStuffMan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/28 "2010-03-16T15:18:51Z")
Reggae: Bob Marley. Hip hop: Kool G Rap, KRS-One, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest. That’s my contribution to the list. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/29 "2010-03-16T15:24:11Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > I’ll posit Eric Clapton. I’ve never heard or read anything negative about him as a musician or person. (Although he admittedly has had difficult periods in his life regarding drugs and women…but then who hasn’t? :D) ## There was [this incident](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton#Controversy_over_remarks_on_immigration)- not a good career move. [Eric Clapton - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton#Controversy_over_remarks_on_immigration) ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/30 "2010-03-16T17:02:04Z")
> [@kidneyfailure](#): > > Not true. They’re (perhaps unfairly) considered “sell-outs” by many in the present-day punk rock scene. I have never once read or heard this before; I’d love to see your source(s) for this. But the truth is, The Ramones didn’t even really like each other very much. Joey and Johnny had completely different political views, and after Johnny “stole” Joey’s girlfriend, well… In fact, I just checked wiki and the article on The Ramones has this whole section: [ > [@wikipedia](#): > > Tensions between Joey and Johnny colored much of the Ramones’ career. The pair were politically antagonistic, Joey being a liberal and Johnny a conservative. Their personalities also clashed: Johnny was a military brat who lived by a code of self-discipline, while Joey struggled with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Johnny, who was fascinated by the Nazis and Adolf Hitler, would sometimes torment Joey with anti-Semitic remarks. In the early 1980s, Johnny “stole” Joey’s girlfriend Linda, whom he later married. As a consequence, despite performing together for years afterward, Joey and Johnny stopped speaking to each other. Johnny did not call Joey before the latter’s death in 2001, but said in the documentary End of the Century that he was depressed for “the whole week” after the singer died. > > Aside from this central conflict, Dee Dee’s bipolar disorder and repeated relapses into drug addiction also caused significant strains. Tommy left the band partly in reaction to being “physically threatened by Johnny, treated with contempt by Dee Dee, and all but ignored by Joey”. As new members joined, payment methods and image representation became matters of serious dispute. In 1997, Marky and Joey got into a fight about their respective drinking habits on the Howard Stern radio show. ]([Ramones - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_ramones)) Basically, Johnny was a dick. Joey had OCD which made him difficult to deal with. Dee Dee was both bipolar AND a junkie, making him difficult to deal with. Marky was/is an alcoholic. And all three prinicpals (Johnny, Joey & Dee Dee) consistently kept their drummers out of the profit making loop as much as possible. Richie is still somewhat bitter over the years he spent with band as basically a hired hand. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/31 "2010-03-16T17:29:20Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > George Harrison might have had a thing or two to say. Even so, they wound up good friends, and Clapton was one of the prime movers behind the tribute “Concert For George”. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/32 "2010-03-16T17:56:09Z")
Stevie Ray Vaughan. Yes? ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/33 "2010-03-16T18:09:34Z")
> [@vdgg81](#): > > I think maybe Duke Ellington would be a better choice. I’d say Louis Armstrong, but I know that he too came under heavy criticism for a time, in his case for a perceived lack of sensibility to racial issues. Not only that, but for a significant period starting in the mid-thirties Armstrong was more of a pop star than a jazz musician, for which he took a lot of criticism from purists. I also agree about Ellington. Coleman Hawkins was another early jazz musician who had the respect of his peers. He was one of the few from his generation who embraced be-bop. Some of the boppers were harsh critics of musicians who continued to play in the older styles, but they liked Hawkins. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2010, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/34 "2010-03-16T18:14:05Z")
> [@GreatStuffMan](#): > > Reggae: Bob Marley. > Hip hop: Kool G Rap, KRS-One, Wu-Tang Clan, Nas, Jay-Z, A Tribe Called Quest. > > That’s my contribution to the list. Wu-Tang Clan? That would surprise me, since a) they’ve had a lot of infighting/ bad blood, and b) Ol’ Dirty Bastard was as loopy as a loon - not necessarily in a “building street cred” way, more of a “DSM-IV symptoms” way. KRS-One is a definite good choice. ---
**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:** [March 16, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/35 "2010-03-16T18:15:56Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Stevie Ray Vaughan. > > Yes? Most likely - although his tragic end probably “helps” him here - less time to make enemies. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/36 "2010-03-16T18:17:44Z")
There’s a huge difference between “respected” and “liked”… Beyond that, I don’t have a ton of time to get into this. Folks like \*\*Prince \*\*and \*\*Jeff Beck \*\*are HUGELY respected, but lots of folks don’t like them because they have very difficult personalities. Same with **Jack White** of the White Stripes, Raconteurs and the Dead Weather. I personally don’t care much about who might be liked but isn’t really respected. VERY few artists are both liked and respected, but **Bonnie Raitt** , Woody Nelson, \*\*Smokey Robinson \*\*and \*\*Stevie Wonder \*\*come to mind… I am stunned to see the \*\*Ramones \*\*positioned as “sell outs” - simply incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/37 "2010-03-16T18:24:44Z")
B.B. King Buddy Guy ---
**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:** [March 16, 2010, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/38 "2010-03-16T18:27:18Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > **Bonnie Raitt** GREAT choice! ---
**Author:** ![cjepson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a9adbd/32.png) [@cjepson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cjepson)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/39 "2010-03-16T18:40:30Z")
I would venture the following. (Note: Some of these folks had tremendous personal flaws; I’m leaving that out.) Soul – Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles Jazz – Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker Rock – Jimi Hendrix Country – Hank Williams ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2010, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564/40 "2010-03-16T18:58:09Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > George Harrison might have had a thing or two to say. George was a weirdo. Eric stole his wife (Patti Boyd) and George figured it was karma and all three were happier that way. Eric felt really guilty and wrote the album Layla about his love and guilt. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-musical-acts-are-most-universally-respected-and-liked-among-their-peers-in-their-genre/532564.md?page=3)