What artists can you think of that were so big and so influential that they changed the entire direction of music?  Here are the ones I can think of.

1. Hank Williams
2. Elvis Presley
3. The Beatles
4. Michael Jackson
5. Nirvana
6. Eminem
7. Lady Gaga

Bill Haley and his Comets

I know most will disagree on this because they're not necessarily big legends and they are a boy band, but the Backstreet Boys.  They started the reemergence of Bubblegum pop.  For those who don't know, they actually released their first single in 1995.  And the original, Non-US version of their self-titled debut album the following year.  But they became known to the majority of music listeners in 1997 with the release of "Quit Playing Games With My Heart".  NSYNC was next as they actually released their first single in late 1996 and re-released it countryside in early 1998.  But 1998 is indeed when Bubblegum started getting big.  BSB are still together through a couple hiatus', Kevin leaving for a few years, family, drug and other health problems.  I can't think of another boy/girl band that has stayed together.  Yes there have been reunions, some are still back together.  But despite the Orlando boys changing their style more than once and all being grown up with kids, they're the most successful boy band of all time. And when I say boy band I mean strictly pop music.  But to me they are legends in their own right.

Green Day and The Offspring in 1994.

They both brought good real Pop Punk to the mainstream while both of them breaking record sales and started a Pop Punk boom that lasted a good 9 years.

And, once again... Green Day in... 2004... (8-P)

This time, however, they murdered what they started in 1994 and ignited the real 2000's ever more than June 2004 did. They made that skinny jeans, eyeliner and uninformed political posturing crap even more popular than it needed to ever be. A good band who ruined both themselves and furthering the death of the what-if (early) 2000's.

Here are a few that come straight to mind:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Set the standard for all classical music following the Baroque era.

John Philip Sousa - He popularized the march, which dominated the 1890s through 1910s and is still the centerpiece of high school football homecoming games.

George Gershwin - Essentially ushered in the 1920s era of music with "Swanee," in addition to breaking the boundaries of classical epics with "Rhapsody in Blue."  Even after his death, jazz would be at the heart of popular music through the 1950s.

Bing Crosby - The first multimedia superstar, this man popularized the use of the microphone and influenced all male pop singers for two straight decades.

Hank Williams - Not only did he revolutionize country, his 1947 hit "Move It On Over" set the basic framework for rock & roll, which Bill Hailey & His Comets would later expand upon.

Miles Davis - This guy not only helped jazz survive in new ways following the advent of rock & roll, but also heavily influenced several bands of the rock & roll genre itself.

The Beatles - The Fab 4 completely expanded the structural and sonic boundaries accepted in popular music, bringing an end to elementary vintage music and opening up an entirely new frontier for music in general.

Iggy & the Stooges - Essentially the founders of what would eventually become punk.  An important group for all underground music that was to come.

Kraftwerk - These guys were the biggest pioneers of electronic music, even though few people mention them when discussing their favorite bands from the 70s.

Nirvana - The first grunge band to really revolutionize rock music by bringing alternative to the mainstream.

Dr. Dre - This includes not only the landmark Chronic and Chronic 2001 albums, but also Dre's work with N.W.A.  Ice-T is a close second, however.

Britney Spears, and not always in a good way.  ::)

Alice Cooper. Marilyn Manson followed suit.
Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan loved him.
Bob Dylan, himself, changed the music industry.
Madonna, Britney Spears loved and still loves her!

Sly and the Family Stone
The Carter Family (1920's/1930's)

I can't believe I forgot...

The Ramones!!!!

They changed music forever. Probably the greatest band to ever exist.

Here are a few that come straight to mind:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Set the standard for all classical music following the Baroque era.

John Philip Sousa - He popularized the march, which dominated the 1890s through 1910s and is still the centerpiece of high school football homecoming games.

George Gershwin - Essentially ushered in the 1920s era of music with "Swanee," in addition to breaking the boundaries of classical epics with "Rhapsody in Blue."  Even after his death, jazz would be at the heart of popular music through the 1950s.

Bing Crosby - The first multimedia superstar, this man popularized the use of the microphone and influenced all male pop singers for two straight decades.

Hank Williams - Not only did he revolutionize country, his 1947 hit "Move It On Over" set the basic framework for rock & roll, which Bill Hailey & His Comets would later expand upon.

Miles Davis - This guy not only helped jazz survive in new ways following the advent of rock & roll, but also heavily influenced several bands of the rock & roll genre itself.

The Beatles - The Fab 4 completely expanded the structural and sonic boundaries accepted in popular music, bringing an end to elementary vintage music and opening up an entirely new frontier for music in general.

Iggy & the Stooges - Essentially the founders of what would eventually become punk.  An important group for all underground music that was to come.

Kraftwerk - These guys were the biggest pioneers of electronic music, even though few people mention them when discussing their favorite bands from the 70s.

Nirvana - The first grunge band to really revolutionize rock music by bringing alternative to the mainstream.

Dr. Dre - This includes not only the landmark Chronic and Chronic 2001 albums, but also Dre's work with N.W.A.  Ice-T is a close second, however.


Since you are going way back, I would add Billy Murray to this list.  Most people today aren't familiar with him, but he was one of the most popular vocal singers during the 1900s and 1910s, in the pre-jazz era.  His voice was specifically suited for the recording technology on early Victor and Edison phonographs.  Most of his songs were fun or patriotic.  Here are a few songs that many people today should recognize but may not know Billy Murray was the original singer.

eFZDB6DqAnA

BFruHQJeaRg

GCqDxq-d2h4

45qkbNO7TME

AVWQi8xn_lM

In the 1920s, as recording technology improved and became electronic, he fell out of popularity.

Here are a few that come straight to mind:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Set the standard for all classical music following the Baroque era.

John Philip Sousa - He popularized the march, which dominated the 1890s through 1910s and is still the centerpiece of high school football homecoming games.

George Gershwin - Essentially ushered in the 1920s era of music with "Swanee," in addition to breaking the boundaries of classical epics with "Rhapsody in Blue."  Even after his death, jazz would be at the heart of popular music through the 1950s.

Bing Crosby - The first multimedia superstar, this man popularized the use of the microphone and influenced all male pop singers for two straight decades.

Hank Williams - Not only did he revolutionize country, his 1947 hit "Move It On Over" set the basic framework for rock & roll, which Bill Hailey & His Comets would later expand upon.

Miles Davis - This guy not only helped jazz survive in new ways following the advent of rock & roll, but also heavily influenced several bands of the rock & roll genre itself.

The Beatles - The Fab 4 completely expanded the structural and sonic boundaries accepted in popular music, bringing an end to elementary vintage music and opening up an entirely new frontier for music in general.

Iggy & the Stooges - Essentially the founders of what would eventually become punk.  An important group for all underground music that was to come.

Kraftwerk - These guys were the biggest pioneers of electronic music, even though few people mention them when discussing their favorite bands from the 70s.

Nirvana - The first grunge band to really revolutionize rock music by bringing alternative to the mainstream.

Dr. Dre - This includes not only the landmark Chronic and Chronic 2001 albums, but also Dre's work with N.W.A.  Ice-T is a close second, however.
Mozart composed music to pay the rent, Beethoven composed music to remember.

Mozart composed music to pay the rent, Beethoven composed music to remember.


Durst is a better composer than either of them.

Durst is a better composer than either of them.
Is Durst's music played to sell out concerts around the world?

Is Durst's music played to sell out concerts around the world?


Yeah, Durst is still loved by his fans to this day and his music sells out huge areas and stadiums.

Bob Dylan

&

The Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols


Pistols, Clash and Ramones. Rad bands that are all equally important to Punk in every way (well, aside from the Ramones who are more important but point still stands).

When The Beatles first came on the scene, they were described as punk.

Odd thing to call the Beatles.

Odd thing to call the Beatles.
Back then, all form of a new sound/style of pop music was called punk.

Back then, all form of a new sound/style of pop music was called punk.


Yeah, some really weird stuff was called Punk. I heard this one soft surf song and all the publications called it Punk in the early 60's. Ramones, they're the first true Punks, though.

Yeah, some really weird stuff was called Punk. I heard this one soft surf song and all the publications called it Punk in the early 60's. Ramones, they're the first true Punks, though.
Even Rock n' Roll back in the fifties was called the same.

Even Rock n' Roll back in the fifties was called the same.


Yeah, those Rock 'n' Rollers were the Punks of their day. Always stirring up trouble.

When The Beatles first came on the scene, they were described as punk.


Who said that?

Who said that?
The music critics and people at that time.

David Bowie ("Changes")

Weird Al - The original parody king

Weird Al - The original parody king


And still the only one who is any good.

Weird Al - The original parody king
The British band The Barron Knights were parodying songs starting in the middle 1960s, but not to the great scale as Weird Al.

Going from the 1950's to present day:

Elvis Presley - He made Rock and Roll popular and hip in 1956, after an absolutely bland 1955.
The Beatles - Changed the Elvis Rock and Roll formula in 1964 to something more charming and less aggressive.
The Rolling Stones - Brought Psychedelic Rock into the mainstream in 1966 with "Paint It Black", making music became even more lyrically complex than it was already becoming since the beginning of the mid 1960's.
Aretha Franklin - I Never Loved a Man the Way I Loved You brought in a funkier, less rock and roll-tinged flavor of R&B into the mainstream.
Kool & The Gang - 1973's "Jungle Boogie" brought actual funk into the mainstream and set up a template for the disco music of the mid and late 1970's.
Bee Gees - They made disco music more rock inspired and less symphonic compared to the mid 1970's. It is this form of disco that people remember the '70s for as opposed to the big band disco groups of 1974-1976.
Nirvana - Brought grunge into the mainstream and killed hair metal.
Mary J. Blige - The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul. She brought the genre into the mainstream and made hip-hop fresh and new again.
Eminem - Made hip-hop less urban and street.
Adele - Brought R&B back into the mainstream. While 21 wasn't exactly original, it did pave the way for more innovative forms of R&B that would emerge in the core 2010's. She also brought back ballads after several years of absence.

The Beatles were the first major band to sing their own songs. Before singers would cover songs for composers.

BTW, The Bee Gees started out covering Beatles songs.

Weird Al - The original parody king


He made music and turned it into comedy.

Adele - Brought R&B back into the mainstream. While 21 wasn't exactly original, it did pave the way for more innovative forms of R&B that would emerge in the core 2010's. She also brought back ballads after several years of absence.


I am not sure I agree on Adele.  Not a lot of other popular artists are trying to mimic her style.  She is still one of the more unique artists this decade.  Her music is good and she is talented, but I don't see her as that influential to the overall direction of music.  In essence, today's music would sound more or less the same even if '21' was never released.

You may not like Lady Gaga, but you can't deny the influence that she had.  She ushered in the electropop era and completely changed the sound of pop music.  2010s music and culture would have not evolved the same if not for Gaga.  Thing about it..all this talk of '10s culture starting in late '08 is largely because that's when Lady Gaga exploded onto the scene.  She was that influential.  She was also significantly influential in the culture wars and changing the very conformist culture of the '00s into the more individualistic, anything goes culture of the '10s. 

The usual suspects such as Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, Bowie and Madonna. But also:

The Hollies. Their 3 part harmonies and excellent musicianship earned them the nickname 'The Group's Group'.
Dave Brubeck. His penchant for odd time signatures such as 5 beats to the bar in 'Take 5' and similar revolutionised jazz music.
The Supremes. The most successful girl group of all time.
Michael Jackson. A consummate professional whose music transcended age, colour, gender and nationality.
Abba. For the same reasons as Michael above.
The Beach Boys. Magnificent harmonies and brilliant musicianship.

I am not sure I agree on Adele.  Not a lot of other popular artists are trying to mimic her style.  She is still one of the more unique artists this decade.  Her music is good and she is talented, but I don't see her as that influential to the overall direction of music.  In essence, today's music would sound more or less the same even if '21' was never released.

You may not like Lady Gaga, but you can't deny the influence that she had.  She ushered in the electropop era and completely changed the sound of pop music.  2010s music and culture would have not evolved the same if not for Gaga.  Thing about it..all this talk of '10s culture starting in late '08 is largely because that's when Lady Gaga exploded onto the scene.  She was that influential.  She was also significantly influential in the culture wars and changing the very conformist culture of the '00s into the more individualistic, anything goes culture of the '10s.


I didn't say I didn't like her, I just think that her impact is overrated. I don't like too many songs from her, but she does have some tunes I enjoy.

Adele is vastly overrated.

Adele is vastly overrated.


You do have somewhat of a point, but I find it funny how people said the same thing about Lady Gaga 5 years ago. Now people's opinions change overtime as people praise her more now since she hasn't been big since the early 2010's. Lady Gaga was one of the only electropop artists for some reason I couldn't stand at the time she was popular. Maybe it's just me. I just find Adele's music higher quality. Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys had great music throughout the years as well.

You do have somewhat of a point, but I find it funny how people said the same thing about Lady Gaga 5 years ago. Now people's opinions change overtime as people praise her more now since she hasn't been big since the early 2010's. Lady Gaga was one of the only electropop artists for some reason I couldn't stand at the time she was popular. Maybe it's just me. I just find Adele's music higher quality. Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys had great music throughout the years as well.


I don't disagree.  Adele has more mass appeal and is less polarizing than Gaga ever was.  She also has a unique sound, something that not many of today's artists have.  I have a hard time fitting her in a genre because she is kind of her own thing.  I just don't think she had the overall impact that Gaga did.  With Gaga, it was more than just the music.  It was the show, the outfits, the stage presence, and the message.  In 2025, people are going to look back on Adele as a popular artist of the '10s but they aren't going to look back at her as somebody who completely changed the musical and cultural landscape.  I think even Justin Bieber has had a greater impact overall than Adele has.  Adele is more loved, but loved artists aren't always revolutionary.