Tweet
Gentlemen,
I enjoyed the "albums" thread so much I thought I would start this one. It is similar, but obviously not exactly the same. Here is the challenge and the criteria:
Challenge:
You have just been named a "committee of one" to select American rock stars to be immortalized in granite on "Mount Rockmore," as the four Presidents were on Mount Rushmore. In a nod to gender equality, there will be male and female Mount Rockmores.
Criteria:
- Must be American (no Brits like members of the Beatles, Clapton, etc.)
- Must be primarily identified as a rock / R&B artist (no Sinatra, etc.)
- Must be justified (explain why your selections qualify over other deserving artists - for example, my list leaves off James Brown, Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Paul Simon)
- Select four artists of each gender
My List:
- Elvis: The one and only unanimous choice. He defined "rock star" and brought rock to a mass audience
- Chuck Berry: He wrote the immortal songs, laid down many of the seminal guitar licks, and we sent his recordings into outer space to represent human culture
- Jimi Hendrix: Rock is fundamentally guitar music. He was the greatest guitarist who ever lived
- Bruce Springsteen: The Boss is the only later-generation rock star who synthesizes the dual traditions of Elvis and Woody Guthrie into one quintessentially-American brew
I enjoyed the "albums" thread so much I thought I would start this one. It is similar, but obviously not exactly the same. Here is the challenge and the criteria:
Challenge:
You have just been named a "committee of one" to select American rock stars to be immortalized in granite on "Mount Rockmore," as the four Presidents were on Mount Rushmore. In a nod to gender equality, there will be male and female Mount Rockmores.
Criteria:
- Must be American (no Brits like members of the Beatles, Clapton, etc.)
- Must be primarily identified as a rock / R&B artist (no Sinatra, etc.)
- Must be justified (explain why your selections qualify over other deserving artists - for example, my list leaves off James Brown, Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Paul Simon)
- Select four artists of each gender
My List:
- Elvis: The one and only unanimous choice. He defined "rock star" and brought rock to a mass audience
- Chuck Berry: He wrote the immortal songs, laid down many of the seminal guitar licks, and we sent his recordings into outer space to represent human culture
- Jimi Hendrix: Rock is fundamentally guitar music. He was the greatest guitarist who ever lived
- Bruce Springsteen: The Boss is the only later-generation rock star who synthesizes the dual traditions of Elvis and Woody Guthrie into one quintessentially-American brew
Comment