Oh, I thought he did just that!
He did! He did just that!
I really can't think of too many more monumental changes in (modern) music. I don't really have enough context to judge Bach, Beethoven, or Mozart. I'm not sure if they really changed music so much as they contributed to it in the style of their day.
So, I speak only of modern music, that is in the past century.
Can you think of a single person that you know (honestly) that doesn't know who Bob Dylan is? Even though they're not folk fans?
I can't think of anyone. Maybe my neighbor's kid? But, they're not into music even in the slightest.
I'd guess that folks who just aren't into music might not know him, but I bet a ton of those folks still at least know who he is. Or they at least know of one of his songs.
He was relatively obscure, even in the folk sphere, before he hopped on stage with an electric and a backing band.
Hmm...
Yeah, I'm hard pressed to think of anything more influential in recent memory. Michael Jackson, maybe? Nirvana - but they were just doing the grunge thing as pioneered by Neil Young and others in the alternative scene. EVH? I dunno? I mean, he influenced hard rock and metal pretty heavily. None of those seem more influential? Some might also be monumental.
Les Paul maybe, for popularizing multi tracking and promoting the use of the electric guitar
Oh, good call. Definitely him, though I think some overstate his influence on playing the electric guitar. That was catching on before him, during his heyday, and long after him. But, he too was DEFINITELY monumental. His influence on playing the guitar might be smaller, though his name sold a fucking metric-butt-ton of guitars.
I'd have to ponder that one for a while, but he was absolutely monumental. He straight up pioneered the use of multitracking. Not by himself, of course.
I would say that Hendrix convinced (and influenced) many guitar players - convincing all sorts of people to pick up the guitar.
He wasn't as good as people claim, but he certainly influenced a ton of people.
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