The history of American music is dotted with individuals who will always be remembered because of their talent, appearance or success. Some are called rock stars, some famous and some legend. But how many are actually considered legends? What dictates legendary status?
A few months ago I was talking with a coworker on the subject. We were trying to pin down the criteria someone would have to meet to be considered legendary.
To start, we tossed out the names of a bunch of well-known artists—Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Kurt Cobain, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder. These people are all famous and talented, but are they legends? There’s a thin but distinct line between a famous musician and a legendary musician.
The thing about having this discussion is you’ve got to put all your preferences aside and you have to think rationally.
For example, I’m one of the biggest Lil Wayne fans around, but I’d be the first to say he’s not a legend. He’s done some remarkable work and has been in the industry for over 15 years, but if I’m facing facts and being honest about them, he’s nothing the world hasn’t seen before.
In a 2008 article on Yahoo! a critic named the top 25 musicians who have been in the industry for at least 25 years and he considered legendary. People in the comments threw fits about who he had on the list and who he didn’t.
The odds of there being a universal list of legends in music is impossible because the notion is too subjective. But in small groups, it can be discussed and even agreed upon.
My coworker, who’s got 15 to 20 years on me, was naming artists I’d never heard of. Don’t flip out when I say this, but, for example, I had no idea who Kurtis Blow was. My coworker argued that he was legendary, and I argued back that a true “legend” would be someone people across the board of generations would know, even if just by name.
And so began our list of criteria to be considered before declaring a musician a legend:
-There are all types of genres, even more today than in our parents’ generation. Is the person known throughout multiple followings?
-What has more pull in making a person a music legend? Lyrics, style, appearance, personality, talent?
-Among the well-known names that are prime candidates for legendary status are several who have had serious drug problems or died either because of these drug problems or in accidents. Do these traits or events have something to do with them being considered?
-Does the number of fans, years active, albums or number one hits play a part? What about how much money the artist makes, his or her age or tour schedules?
-Has the artist emerged during a time of public dissatisfaction to be the voice of the people?
-Was the artist an entrepreneur for a specific genre or the first of his or her kind to set precedence?
-Did other artists follow in his or her footsteps?
-Does the musician represent something to his or her followers (legalization of marijuana, sex appeal, overcoming disability, equality, etc.)?
The last thing my coworker and I talked about was whether there are legendary musicians in this generation. Are the artists out now too young to be considered? There are so many genres now, it would make sense that the people leading the changes would be considered legends, but do people even know who they are or the significance behind the movements?
The idea of legendary musicians gets even muddier in this day and age because so much of the industry is driven by money and promotion. I’m sure some people would say Justin Bieber is a legend, and while he was one of the first singers successful after being discovered on YouTube and has set all kinds of phenomenal records, I would deny him a spot on my list. There have been many artists comparable to Bieber—Aaron Carter, Jesse McCartney, Lil Romeo—that I couldn’t justify it.
After thinking about possible legendary artists of this generation, very few entered my mind. The first would be Eminem. He was the first white rapper successful in portraying his experiences through heavy beats and well-enunciated lyrics.
Legends have to be people who have changed a genre forever, who transformed the shape of music and created a new outlet for expression. Legends have to have the power to influence.
This is an extremely tough question, I believe that most of the questions you asked in the article are yes. For instance some people would say that Amy Winehouse is more legendary than Adele is, Amy Winehouse brought back a style that hit a chord. Where she did well in her own respects, as far as sales and mass appeal she fell short of what Adele has done. Adele earlier in her career was labeled as being in the same vein as Amy Winehouse. Saying that I really like Adele and her music but she isn’t as legendary as Amy Winehouse, in my opinion One of the most legendary musicians I could think of was the old blues player Robert Johnson. Not only did he die young and was innovative to blues but he had an aura about him, he has legends behind his name i.e. that he sold his soul to the devil. Now a days it is difficult to create a mystic and aura around an artist because of the constant badgering and nitpicking of everyday life that the media does.