Prince - Saw him in Minneapolis and had no idea what to expect. The guy blew doors! Guitar playin son of a gun with vocal chops and showmanship to boot! I was floored.
George Harrison - I know a bunch of you homos don't like The Beatles, but you're taste is all in your mouths. George was a heck of a humble dude and his music post Beatles is really worth checking out.
Kiss - Bought a ticket to their reunion tour on a lark and was not a fan in the least. I left hoping I'd see a show that good again.
Townes Van Zandt - Well, you should probably just check him out. Mellow, Sunday morning coffee drinking music.
Luke Bryan - He's Uber Homo and has nothing to do with good music let alone being under rated in any way, shape or form. He's on this list strictly so you guys that listen to him will stop on account of him being queerer than Ingwe's .270...
Waylon Jennings - I know Billy Joe Shaver wrote a lot of his tunes, but the way he delivered songs kills me. He was just so different from anyone else out there and he remains that way to this day. The epitome of electric country music in one person.
The Byrds - I can't even tell you about Sweethearts of the Rodeo because you won't believe me.
Always up for one of the Flying Burrito's ablums.... Back in the day (1971) we had John Sebastian for Spring Weekend. I know, What a Day For a Daydream but, not on this night. The band rocked and brought the house down....
Stewart Copland, great drummer and now he composes lots of music. He was part of what made the Police so good.
Opeth is a band full of great musicians.
Gojira writes great songs despite it being death metal, they guy uses melody and the guitar and drum parts aren't your average run of the mill gallops and blast beats. I dig'em.
12 foot Ninja, they are a very versitile band and their drummer is great. They are a funny band without resorting to being strait up stupid like Primus. Check out the songs One Hand Killing and Mother Sky. It's heavy metal, salsa, jazz and pop all rolled into one and they pull it off well. Lots of other great songs too, those are just 2 of my favorites.
Johnny Cash, none of his musicians were worth a damn but he himself was a great story teller and it translated well to song.
Journey, killer vocals and everyone in the band was a great musicians especially Steve Smith.
Dime bag Darrel, he wasn't great at music theory but he was a great lead player be spite of it and he could break your ribs with a two note power cord riff. RIP.
That dude put more heart and soul into each song than anyone I have ever seen. Did he have a great voice, no. He was still belting out his songs until the day he died.
I suggest you look at a few of his concerts from the 1990's on youtube and watch how hard that man works.
Boston. The late Brad Delps vocals were right there with Steve Perry for the best ever and Tom Scholz is one of the great musical geniuses of our time.
People are just not aware of his accomplishments. He had one hit (I'm Moving On) that stayed number one for 21 weeks, not even the Beatles can make a claim like that...
Boston. The late Brad Delps vocals were right there with Steve Perry for the best ever and Tom Scholz is one of the great musical geniuses of our time.
Great band but hard to listen to after I learned how animal rights they all are.
Honorable mention to Leann Rhymes for her rendition of Patsi Cline's "Blue"....I can listen to her sing that song all day and never get tired of it....
Few people know of Uriah Heap and the combined talent there. I would agree with these guys and just recently got a Ken Hensley solo album. Everyone should hear "The Wizard" just once to experience vocals and guitar at this level...
Former Black Sabbath frontman Tony Martin. Love all eras of the band but no other singer who held the mic for them could come close to matching his vocal prowess.
Also, Doogie White of Rainbow. Incredible voice that few have ever heard.
I'd never say KISS is "under rated" because they've sold a gazillion albums and EVERYBODY knows who they are, love them or hate them. I do not think they get the credit they deserve as musicians though. None of the original four were professionally trained and none of them could even read music. To reach the heights they reached with those limitations is remarkable. Peter Criss in particular is often maligned as a drummer. I will admit, his glory days are long over and his stamina is gone. But in the early days, he was an animal behind the kit.
Also, his "whiskey" voice made the songs he sang lead on that much better...
Few people know of Uriah Heap and the combined talent there. I would agree with these guys and just recently got a Ken Hensley solo album. Everyone should hear "The Wizard" just once to experience vocals and guitar at this level...
I'd never say KISS is "under rated" because they've sold a gazillion albums and EVERYBODY knows who they are, love them or hate them. I do not think they get the credit they deserve as musicians though. None of the original four were professionally trained and none of them could even read music. To reach the heights they reached with those limitations is remarkable. Peter Criss in particular is often maligned as a drummer. I will admit, his glory days are long over and his stamina is gone. But in the early days, he was an animal behind the kit.
Also, his "whiskey" voice made the songs he sang lead on that much better...
I'm a huge EARLY Kiss fan. Kiss alive and alive 2 are 2 of my most favorite albums. BUT Peter Chris isn't or never was a great drummer and I know cause I'm a drummer. I watched the solo, 3 minutes of single stroke rolls doesn't make you a good drummer. That solo shows no skill what soever. I could have played that about the 3rd month I started playing drums. The best two musicians in the band was Ace and Gene. Paul is a great singer but plays guitar about as well as Peter plays drums. I still love them though.
Bob Welch had a great voice. Unfortunately the only really good song it was ever applied to was 'Ebony Eyes'. Fleetwood only hit it big when Buckingham/Nicks replaced him.
I can't believe no one said Stevie Ray Vaughn the best guitar player in years. Delbert MC Clinton great song writer and singer. Van Morrison just keeps putting out great songs.
Not so much, but not mentioned, Van Morrison and Jim Croce.
I agree very much with these choices. My opinion is that Don Felder is a wizard on guitar, Van Morrison and Jim Croce (who left us way too soon) were great songwriters.
Marty Stuart sucks....If he is real country music, I hope country music dies.
Originally Posted by mtcurman
Marty Stuart. Excellent songwriter, can shred just about any instrument he picks up, carries on real country music, etc..
So just who is real country music?
Yes, very true, those three are about as country as you can get... But I don't know how that makes makes Marty(who had been touring with Lester Flatt and Johnny Cash before he was 20) any less country. He's like the modern day equivalent of Porter Wagoner.
thanks for the Marty Stuart stuff- that was new to me. Dang good pickin'
I am not sure Knopfler and Vaughan fall in to the under rated category. Not that they aren't great of course but everyone already knew it. Kind of like mentioning Jimi Hendrix ya know?
I can't believe no one said Stevie Ray Vaughn the best guitar player in years.
I don't think so much underrated, though. Certainly not among other guitar players.
Originally Posted by CharlieFoxtrot
Mark Knophler as a writer and guitarist. Brilliant in both.
He can play the hell outta that guitar.
Also...you can go ahead and laugh, but George Thorogood. There, I said it and I'm glad! Not technically on the same level as SRV, but he can do very authentic Delta style slide guitar and he's damned good at it. He can make his guitar tell a story. GT always seemed to be pigeonholed as a novelty act and never got much respect. I'll be the first to admit his singing leaves something to be desired.
Glad to see the love for Steve Harris, and Wayne Hancock. Two of my personal favorites.
Jim Heath, of Reverend Horton Heat is a phenomenal guitarist who's style and song writing cover the gamut from early americana -country-blues-surf-punk- and metal. Check him out.
Old Crow Medicine Show, playing a bluegrass/Americana Style, with some wonderfully unique flair, write and perform some damn good stuff
Song writing, Social Distortion, love em
So many to choose from, but those come to mind first
I can't believe no one said Stevie Ray Vaughn the best guitar player in years. Delbert MC Clinton great song writer and singer. Van Morrison just keeps putting out great songs.
I saw his last 2 concerts with my daughter.
She gave me a bootleg of the last one as a birthday present. Never gets old.
Kris Kristofferson. Voice like a gravel road, can't carry a tune, but his writing is poetry and his songs tell a story that makes you feel like you are living it.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, been around about 50 years, still good. They haven't had many big hits. The only ones I can think of is "Mr. Bojangles", and a big album with the Carter Family, "Will The Circle Be Unbroken".
Some have been mentioned. As a group: Byrds, New Riders of the Purple Sage,Trampled by Turtles,Pixies, Bongos, White Stripes. Solo: Warren Zevon, Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, John Hartford, Tom Waits, Randy Newman, John Mayall, John Prine, Mazy Star, Sons of the Pioneers.
Kris Kristofferson. Voice like a gravel road, can't carry a tune, but his writing is poetry and his songs tell a story that makes you feel like you are living it.
George was a heck of a humble dude and his music post Beatles is really worth checking out.