# Who is the greatest American rock MUSICIAN of all time? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 9, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423 "2015-09-09T12:50:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/41 "2015-09-09T19:51:12Z")
Elvis. There’s no other answer. Mad props to Michael Jackson, Prince, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Lindsay Buckingham, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Brian Wilson, and others, but Elvis is, you know, ELVIS. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/42 "2015-09-09T20:02:08Z")
**Charlie Wayne** , perhaps I’m missing something, but I see nothing wrong with the post you were commenting on. Even if there was something wrong with it, you need to report the post instead so the mods can evaluate it. The term you are looking for is Junior Modding and please don’t do it. > [@Charlie\_Wayne](#): > > I’m guessing you must be new to this forum because only moderators have the authority to make and break those kinds of rules for threads. > > Ooops. I think I just broke one of the rules here. It’s called “Junior Moderating” or something like that. I can never remember the name for that rule. > > Umm … you see … it is a kind of rule that members here are discouraged from telling other members what they can or cannot do. Only moderators may do that. > > Dang! Oh … what’s it called now? This will bother me for a few days unless someone posts the name of that rule here in this thread. > > But, maybe you should read the rules for this forum again? Oh no! Dang! Dang! Dang! I dood it again. Sorry. Pay no attention to me. I just woke up and I just can’t think straight when I just wake up. > > Sorry. Please disregard what I said. I’m sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/43 "2015-09-09T20:06:31Z")
Yes. I understand. ---
**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, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/44 "2015-09-09T20:07:01Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Elvis. There’s no other answer. Of his music that I’ve heard, most of it is blues and the rockabilly stuff sounds less like rock than everything that Dale or Wray ever did. I would also opine that 2/3rds of his fame can be attributed to his looks and dancing, neither of which has anything to do with being a musician. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/45 "2015-09-09T20:24:54Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > For crying out loud. Chuck Berry is > > 88 years old! > > Of course he isn’t the performer he was 60 years ago. You want to penalize him because he’s one rock musician who \*didn’t \*die when he was 27??? > > I think it’s time for a dark horse, so I nominate [James William Guercio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_William_Guercio). _(SIZE tag removed)_ I’m not taking issue with his performance today; I’m not even sure if he’s still performing at all. But since at least as far back as the 60’s Chuck’s MO was always to travel solo and play with whatever musicians each local promoter would hire to back him up. He would show up just before showtime, so there was no chance for rehearsal, launch into songs, and simply expect the band to just fall in line with him…and he had a penchant for ‘firing’ musicians mid-show if they failed to live up to his expectations. The result, as I understand it, was often as not a concert that very much failed to live up to expectations. Chuck Berry was a great songwriter and guitarist, and every single person to pick up a guitar and play rock’n’roll music in the past 70 years owes him a debt. But as a performer, he doesn’t come close to measuring up to some of the other names mentioned in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/46 "2015-09-09T20:37:39Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > _(SIZE tag removed)_ > > I’m not taking issue with his performance today; I’m not even sure if he’s still performing at all. But since at least as far back as the 60’s Chuck’s MO was always to travel solo and play with whatever musicians each local promoter would hire to back him up. He would show up just before showtime, so there was no chance for rehearsal, launch into songs, and simply expect the band to just fall in line with him…and he had a penchant for ‘firing’ musicians mid-show if they failed to live up to his expectations. The result, as I understand it, was often as not a concert that very much failed to live up to expectations. > > Chuck Berry was a great songwriter and guitarist, and every single person to pick up a guitar and play rock’n’roll music in the past 70 years owes him a debt. But as a performer, he doesn’t come close to measuring up to some of the other names mentioned in this thread. Chuck Berry has played a monthly concert at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis since 1996, but stopped last October, supposedly because he doesn’t like driving in winter. I don’t know if he’s resumed playing. [http://m.riverfronttimes.com/musicblog/2015/01/08/chuck-berry-hasnt-played-his-monthly-blueberry-hill-gig-since-october](http://m.riverfronttimes.com/musicblog/2015/01/08/chuck-berry-hasnt-played-his-monthly-blueberry-hill-gig-since-october) ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/47 "2015-09-09T21:10:56Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Elvis. There’s no other answer. > > Mad props to Michael Jackson, Prince, Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Lindsay Buckingham, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, and Brian Wilson, and others, but Elvis is, you know, ELVIS. I put Elvis in the same category as Frank Sinatra - more an icon of an era than a great singer/songwriter/musician/etc. He exposed (white) people to rock 'n roll and sparked a revolution, but as a musician, his guitar playing was subpar, he didn’t write most of his songs, and his singing, while good, isn’t really the stuff of legends. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/48 "2015-09-09T21:27:35Z")
I’m tempted to semi-seriously nominate Weird Al Yankovic. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/49 "2015-09-09T21:38:14Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > Chuck Berry has played a monthly concert at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis since 1996, but stopped last October, supposedly because he doesn’t like driving in winter. I don’t know if he’s resumed playing. > > [http://m.riverfronttimes.com/musicblog/2015/01/08/chuck-berry-hasnt-played-his-monthly-blueberry-hill-gig-since-october](http://m.riverfronttimes.com/musicblog/2015/01/08/chuck-berry-hasnt-played-his-monthly-blueberry-hill-gig-since-october) He’s played at least twice this summer, maybe more. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/50 "2015-09-09T22:13:25Z")
> [@Wilson](#): > > Two names that should be in the discussion that haven’t been mentioned yet are Billy Joel and Paul Simon. They may not be rock enough for some, but if we’re including Stevie Wonder among others I’d say they belong. > > However, it’s gotta be Dylan at the top. I would vote for Paul Simon as Greatest American Songwriter. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/51 "2015-09-09T22:17:39Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > And of course, this video seals it. See, Dani Harrison approves as well. 😃 That video is like M. J. Fox at the end of _Back to the Future._ At first, I kinda liked it. Then I kinda didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/52 "2015-09-09T22:34:28Z")
I’m going to do this by a process of elimination, Feel free to hate me in response. 😛 Dylan is out because he was a horrible though oddly compelling vocalist. Plus, I’d call him more of a folkie who delved into rock. Elvis is ou… Ah, fuck this logical process. Chuck Berry, all the way. Not even close. You’re welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/53 "2015-09-09T22:40:06Z")
Bob Dylan and Laura Nyro are fuckin’ GODS to me, but I somehow don’t see them as “rockers.” I mean, they did rock, but they’re somehow more than that. I’m gonna go with Alex Chilton. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/54 "2015-09-09T22:44:42Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Dylan is out because he was a horrible though oddly compelling vocalist. Bite your tongue! Many of my favorite rockers happen to by horrible vocalists! I give you Neil Young, Lou Reed, and Jerry Garcia. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/55 "2015-09-09T23:00:56Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Never heard “High School Confidential”, I take it.Is this **drad** -speak for “had too many hit songs”? :dubious: Jerry Lee made it a point that he wasn’t a writer like Hank Williams because they had miserable lives. Didn’t he write two songs? Tom Petty: I’m not trying to be a hipster doofus about it. Used to be a big fan and saw them twice at the cape cod colliseum, but it really wore off. Those songs after LP #3 are so limp and stale to me. Song after song of ez guitar 101. Everything that they tout Springsteen and Petty and Seger to be is what the Replacements lived up to in the 80s. IMMHOO. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/56 "2015-09-09T23:26:34Z")
Without looking through any of the thread: Jimi Hendrix is the first one to pop to mind, of course. Brian Wilson, too. Prince, naturally. Those are my off-the-cuff responses. I’ll look through the thread to see if there’s any obvious ones that I regret missing. ---
**Author:** ![Jamicat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c67d28/32.png) [@Jamicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jamicat)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2015, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/57 "2015-09-09T23:40:31Z")
Leon Russell ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/58 "2015-09-10T00:15:16Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Bob Dylan and Laura Nyro are fuckin’ GODS to me, but I somehow don’t see them as “rockers.” I mean, they did rock, but they’re somehow more than that. > > I’m gonna go with Alex Chilton. Swear to Og, I have no idea who this person is, though I’ve seen the name in a few threads here. And therefor he’s out. It is existentially impossible (is it possible for me to be this?) for me to be so out of touch with culture that I know nothing about the greatest rock musician ever. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mars\_Horizon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mars_horizon/32/2804_2.png) [@Mars\_Horizon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mars_Horizon)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/59 "2015-09-10T00:17:18Z")
Neil Peart. _What, like you’d expect a different answer out of a guy with my obsession?_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423/60 "2015-09-10T01:29:32Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Swear to Og, I have no idea who this person is, though I’ve seen the name in a few threads here. I envy you the new worlds that are shortly going to open for you. Before you go Internetting for Chiltony goodness, check out the greatest rock tribute song ever written, c/o Paul Westerberg and The Replacements. It’s called “Alex Chilton.” Go figure. [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kXYsJafVAok) He’s the invisible man who sings in a visible voice. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-greatest-american-rock-musician-of-all-time/730423.md?page=4)