Generational Relevance?

CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
edited August 2007 in Strut Central
Meaning, what artists out there have stayed somewhat relevant over the course of several generations? Of course taste will come into play, and this will probably open up a whole can of worms, but you know it seems that it's so few and far between that artists will actually be able to have a career in music, and thrive, while still pushing boundaries and maintaing a sense of "being hip" or something like that.I'll start it out, because these are a few artists that I've listened to in the past few days that I've thought are still thorough and maybe "got it" - albeit in a different sense than when they first started or during the apex of their careers:The Isley Brothers (6 decades, damn.)Prince (He's had his low points but still to this day he'll get on stage and kill it.)David Bowie (Again like Prince, but I watched a Bowie performance and from last year and he has come into a maturity with his art and music that's incredibly admirable by me.)Who else you got? If this is a stupid topic please disregard, but you know being someone who lives off music, a lifelong career and how to do it is never far off of my mind.
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  • FatbackFatback 6,746 Posts

  • Deep_SangDeep_Sang 1,081 Posts
    Pointer Sisters had a good run
    Marvin Gaye (yeah, I think I can get down with Sanctified Lady)
    LL Cool J

  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    Marvin - relevant in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Had he not died his run would have continued on I bet. Don't know about the Pointers. LL might be the closest we have to one of these artists in hip-hop, but it will probably be a few more years to tell. And yeah on Neil Young too.

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    Rolling Stones

  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    Rolling Stones

    I almost said Stones in the first post but didn't but yes of course, like them or not, I think that they hold up to a standard of generational relevance that I'm talking.

  • Dylan (see last week's discussion)

  • Deep_SangDeep_Sang 1,081 Posts
    Don't know about the Pointers.

    70's & 80's, definitely crossed a couple of generations, but not on the level of the Isley Brothers.

    I doubt many kids are listening to Prince these days, but he's still doing good things. I don't think he was very "relevant" after the mid nineties w/ Pussy Control/Pheromone, if one equates relevance with reaching new generations of listeners.

  • miles davis

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Alex Chilton.

    He has a young-ish indie-rock following that knows all about his solo and Big Star recordings, but isn't too hip to his earlier Box Tops records.

    Don't know about the Pointers.

    I don't know about the Pointers either. Yeah, they had a good two decades (or so) of hits, but they don't seem to be influential.

  • Willie Nelson. From writing 50s country tunes, to his own hits, to farmaid, to biowillie, spots on the colbert report and shit... dude is STILL going strong.


    Also Quincy Jones was going strong for a long ass time. Maybe not so much anymore... at least that I've heard of anyways.



    And there was a banner ad up there advertising a new Tupac album. You have to hand it to a dude that put out more albums dead than he did while he was alive. (no sarcasm either).

  • This is a good question, as there are a lot of acts that come to mind that have remained relevant off their early works (Parliament-Funkadelic and the Ramones came to mind). But, to think of someone who has continued to create relevent music is a tougher question.

    Ergo, and his music has never been my thing, but I would say Paul McCartney. I prefer John, but he's still a major figure, and making new contributions.

  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    I doubt many kids are listening to Prince these days, but he's still doing good things.

    I really don't think "the kids" are checking much these days. ::OLD MAN::

    B/W

    ""Heroes"" is the shit.

  • James Brown stayed relevant up through the 90s, albeit by others sampling his works. So even though he wasn't really putting out new music, his older stuff remained relevant.

  • NateBizzoNateBizzo 2,328 Posts
    Seems like homeboy has been able to transcend generations without issue.



  • Deep_SangDeep_Sang 1,081 Posts
    I doubt many kids are listening to Prince these days, but he's still doing good things.

    I really don't think "the kids" are checking much these days. ::OLD MAN::


    The kids are too busy partying like rockstars???

  • pointmanpointman 1,042 Posts
    The first people I thought about were Bowie and Neil Young for sure.

    Another one I'm thinking could be is actually Madonna. She's still dropping records and her original fan's children worship her.

  • CosmoCosmo 9,768 Posts
    Well it was Bowie who made me think this thread up. I say yeah for Madonna too.

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    5 decades long y'all

  • TabaskoTabasko 1,357 Posts
    van morrison maybe

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    Paul Simon?

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    Johnny Cash

  • Paul Simon?

    good one.

    Randy Newman, on a smaller scale, but his film work adds a notch, imo.

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Carol King

  • dayday 9,611 Posts
    Carol King

    You think? I'm not too sure about that one only because I don't recall her output after the 70's-early 80's?

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Merle Haggard

  • DJ_EnkiDJ_Enki 6,473 Posts
    Johnny Cash


  • Birdman9Birdman9 5,417 Posts

  • bassiebassie 11,710 Posts
    Carol King

    You think? I'm not too sure about that one only because I don't recall her output after the 70's-early 80's?

    She moved into Adult Contemporary territory which may be why she fell off our radars (she's done a lot of soundtrack and political work too), but I think her songwriting will carry her for a long time; people will cover her songs forever. I am sure many will disagree with this choice.

  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett.

    These are the only two lounge-lizard types that the rock crowd has ever really paid attention to. Al Martino (to name somebody else in the same genre) doesn't have that kind of mystique.

  • Leonard cohen (not that i love dude's work...)
    Tom Waits
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