Attention. The Dog has a matter of cultural significance for your consideration. Who is the greatest living figure in popular music who is not a household name?
Before we can proceed, we must define terms. What is popular music? That could encompass everything other than classical music. But in order to prevent our inquiry from becoming unwieldy, let’s limit ourselves to the non-classical music of the English-speaking world. And let’s also steer clear of the grand traditions of Broadway and the specialized realm of jazz.
Next, what is a household name? For present purposes, let’s define that as a name immediately recognizable to the general public of the United States. In that way, we can avoid the daunting task of tracking everyone who is — or is not — very famous somewhere. Also, let’s assume that if a musical group is a household name, its members and ex-members likewise qualify as such, even if they may be less familiar in their individual capacities.
Now comes the really hard part. What does it mean to be great and how should it be measured? That’s endlessly debatable. But here are some possible criteria:
— Someone with a career of long standing, going back more than a generation.
— Someone whose achievements as a songwriter include a substantial body of work with finely crafted lyrics and beautiful melodies.
— Someone who is an outstanding performer on a musical instrument.
— Someone with a stirring and memorable voice.
— Someone who remains a creative force, having continued to tour and release new material in recent years.
— Someone who is highly respected in music circles and has broadly influenced others in the field.
So who best fits the bill?
Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t done enough research and would lack the discernment to express a reliable opinion even if I had. But it may well be this guy.
Compared to his long-time fans, my knowledge of him is slight. But I can answer the question, “Who is Richard Thompson in a hundred words or less?”
He was born in London, the son of a Scotland Yard detective. Fifty years ago, he joined Fairport Convention, a seminal English folk/rock band. In 1972, he struck out on his own, releasing the first of 25 albums of original material. Interestingly, not long afterward, he became (and remains) a Muslim. The Los Angeles Times once called him, “The finest rock songwriter after Dylan and the best electric guitarist since Hendrix.” At age 68, he is currently on tour. He lives in California with his second wife. But some of his greatest work was done with his ex-wife, Linda.
More about her in a future post. For now, let’s return to our inquiry. Is there someone else you have in mind? What if we tweaked the criteria?
What do you think? The Dog Wants to Know.
Arguably Leonard Cohen, though a great musician/composer, was never a widely recognized public figure in the US. But of course he died before you posed the question.
Apart from being dead, the great Leonard Cohen may have achieved the status of “household name,” as a result of his song “Hallelujah.” Tellingly, his death was a major first page story in the New York Times
Pete Seeger, I know he died too but not so long ago – I actually went to his 90th Birthday concert at Madison Square Gardens, there were so many great musicians celebrating with Pete. He is an icon, a gifted singer, songwriter, leader for the good fight, I loved him and fits all of your criteria…
I would think that Pete Seeger, even more than Leonard Cohen (see above), would be disqualified not only by virtue of being deceased but as a “household name.” But perhaps I am overestimating the musical literacy of the public at large.