If you could only listen to one musical artist who would you choose?

[milestogo]

For me, James Taylor.

[alwaysinasnit]

1. Santana

[Polly Hennessey]

2. Cat Stevens

[Walleye]

3. Louis Armstrong

[ClimateHawk]

4. Steely Dan (that includes the Donald Fagen solo albums)

[MyOwnPeace]

5. SO many good ones - so many genres......

Only one?

Luciano Pavarotti

[Hoyt]

6. No question for me, Gene Clark.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/byrd-lives-cult-hero-gene-clarks-21-best-songs-15355/ill-feel-a-whole-lot-better-11480/

[blueinredohio]

7. Bob Seger

[TlalocW]

8. Paul Simon

I would truly have diamonds on the soles of my shoes.

TlalocW

[Doc Sportello]

9. Dylan

Repertoire!

[dweller]

16. Same here

Jackson Browne 2nd choice

✌🏻

[SCantiGOP]

25. Same here again

[Doc Sportello]

38. Also an extremely gifted songwriter with a huge repertoire

I have a friend who saw Browne recently in concert. Said he did a mix of old and new songs and was great. It always amazed me that he wrote "These Days" - a song of reflection and looking back - when he was 16 friggin' years old!

[dweller]

39. He's on tour

With James Taylor right now

✌🏻

[LakeArenal]

10. Van Morrison. From the sane days.

[spooky3]

13. :-) He was great. I would also listen to The Cars.

Their good stuff -- some of it is not so good IMHO.

[LakeArenal]

19. OMG I would have said Cars but I thought musical artist was singular.

Cars and Kinks.

[vanlassie]

21. Yep. See my screen name? Van Morrison, the asshole.

Did you see his month long birthday celebration last summer by Irish musicians playing his music? All month? It was amazing. See Hot Press.

[exboyfil]

11. Steve Winwood

if I can include his session work with Hendrix and others, his work with Clapton, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic and Blind Faith. He represents a cross section all the way to his softer 1980s stuff that I like to listen to when I relax with my wife.

[empedocles]

12. Roy Orbison

[DBoon]

20. David Bowie

[Chipper Chat]

22. Karen Carpenter

Or if groups are included:
The Manhattan Transfer

[rogerballard]

24. For sure Manhattan Transfer

Saw them live a few years back in Traverse City, Michigan at the City Opera House. Front row seat. So exciting. Love them.

[Chipper Chat]

36. Up front is the best

I saw them twice in Dallas the 1st time I was in the 3rd row the 2nd time I was way back about the 20th row it was not the same

[rogerballard]

23. Carly Simon

[Ocelot II]

26. The Metropolitan Opera.

[bahboo]

27. way too tough....today, John Prine...

ask me tomorrow, maybe Willie Nelson or Gustav Mahler....

[Harker]

28. Giuseppe di Stefano.

That way I'd get plenty of Maria Callas in the bargain.

[3catwoman3]

29. James Taylor for me, too. Such a distinctive voice.

He had a concert here in the greater Chicgo area this summer, and I so wanted to go, but deemed it too risky.

Next on my list, in pretty much equal positions, would be John Denver, Carly Simon, Carole King, Simon & Garfunkel, Peter Paul & Mary, and Crosby Stills & Nash (& Young).

I am most definitely a product of the late 60s and early 70s.

We saw John Denver at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It was a prefect evening in every way.

Have you ever heard anything by James’ son Ben? I think they sound very much alike. Mom Carly Simon disagrees, but she’s wrong -

[CTyankee]

30. Tracy Chapman

&list=RDyvGfVdx-gNo&start_radio=1

[CTyankee]

31. Can I have k.d.Lang, too, please?

[bottomofthehill]

32. I am not a Prince guy but the book goes on forever

[Ferrets are Cool]

33. Only one? Frank Zappa

His library is immense and his music is fabulous.

[Elessar Zappa]

49. Same here.

[Trueblue1968]

34. CARLY SIMON

&list=PLmJvHNd9SFm-4guxM10afCgIufLVHFq1d

[Skittles]

35. Neil Young

because he can evoke so many emotions

[jcgoldie]

37. DEAD

[CurtEastPoint]

40. Judy Collins

[Rizen]

41. REM

Easily.

[lastlib]

42. I might choose Al Stewart.

So many of his songs I can listen to time and time again, and a different nuance every time.
"Year of the Cat"; "Time Passages"; "The Dark And The Rolling Sea" (OMG, that one is gooood!); "Modern Times"--the list goes on!

[Totally Tunsie]

43. Joan Baez

She's been my favorite for decades.

John Prine is a worthy runner-up.

[argyl]

44. Steve Earle.

[Tikki]

45. Jake Robertson (AU)...

In any or all of his incarnations.


Tikki

[left-of-center2012]

46. BB King

[electric_blue68]

47. Arg...I gotta choose 1?!? I guess, The Who...

🎤 🎹 🎶🎵 🔊

But barely a hair's breath away:
U2
Springsteen w/wo The 💖 E St Band
The Patti Smith Group
(*maybe The Beatles, too)

While all of them mostly have anthemic, powerful music and singing each also has some beautiful ballad type songs.


*I know some of you might gasp at that. I did see The Beatles 2xs at the Shea Stadium.
But all these other bands I've seen at least ?15xs each.
My experience with them is so powerfully bound up with both recoreded material, and fabulous 💖 live shows!

I'm as passionate about music as I was at 12.
Just in the past 25 yrs way less money for shows, and recordings.
I still listen to Fordham U's WFUV FM for keeping up with newer (mostly, but it's not all rock, I like other styles, too) music.

[malthaussen]

48. Beatles.

Then again, they're a group. That's four artists. So maybe that's cheating.

Which raises an interesting question about this perennial question. Suppose I give "The Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy?" That would be dozens of artists, playing music from dozens of composers. That would definitely be cheating.

-- Mal

[we can do it]

50. Either Freddie Mercury or Elton John.