# Who is the greatest American rock band of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 4, 2015, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897 "2015-09-04T12:12:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897/101 "2015-09-08T23:31:19Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > No other band touches or contains as many different facets of American music–in _addition_ to having their own idiosyncratic, yet quintessentially American thing. > > Dead lyricist Robert Hunter said, "The best compliment I ever had on a lyric was from an old guy who’d worked at the Cumberland mine. He said, ‘I wonder what the guy who wrote this song would’ve thought if he’d ever known something like the Grateful Dead was gonna do it.’ " Out of interest, if you stopped 100 auld geezers in the street and asked them to name two Grateful Dead tracks, how many do you think could do it? I can tell you the answer in Europe is zero, which does give them a sort of quintessential American thing unique to the bands in the poll. Even in the US, though, everyone knows their name, but do they know their music? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897/102 "2015-09-09T15:33:27Z")
I’d have to vote for Queens of the Stoneage or the Dead Weathers. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897/103 "2015-09-09T18:20:46Z")
> [@Busy\_Scissors](#): > > Out of interest, if you stopped 100 auld geezers in the street and asked them to name two Grateful Dead tracks, how many do you think could do it? > I can tell you the answer in Europe is zero, which does give them a sort of quintessential American thing unique to the bands in the poll. Even in the US, though, everyone knows their name, but do they know their music? Touch of Grey is it for me. But I will tell you, last time the Grateful Dead came to south Florida, I saw tons of young people going. Phish is another band like that, seems to attract stoners of all ages.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2015, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897/104 "2015-09-14T23:15:47Z")
I expect most geezers could recall the title of “Truckin.” I expect virtually all geezers, and many younger, would _recognize_ that, “Touch of Grey,” “Sugar Magnolia,” and “Casey Jones,” maybe one or two others, should they hear them. These were classic-rock radio staples for some years. ---
**Author:** ![Jaguars](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaguars/32/5879_2.png) [@Jaguars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaguars)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897/105 "2015-09-15T00:04:55Z")
The answer is AC/DC. The fact that they are from Aussie is neither here nor there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897/106 "2015-09-15T00:53:43Z")
I vote for AC/DC ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897/107 "2015-09-15T00:58:16Z")
Either Skynyrd or The Smashing Pumpkins [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-band-of-all-time/729897.md?page=5)