My Group of Hypothetical Dead Musicians is Better Than Yours.

Thanks, Pat Sox, for this debate. My hypothetical deceased band includes... Drums: John Bohnam [http://en.wikipedia.org...] Bass: Charles Mingus [http://en.wikipedia.org...] Guitar: Jimi Hendrix [http://en.wikipedia.org...] Vocals: Ray Charles [http://en.wikipedia.org...] [ Drummers ] Keith Moon was great, sure, but John Bonham was a rhythmic beast. I consider him the most influential drummer in rock history. Completely self taught, Bonham was known to have drum solos that lasted for 20 - 30 minutes, such as on the infamous Led Zeppelin tune Moby Dick. If you start watching the YouTube clip, you'll notice that the band actually walks off the stage after playing the first minute to give Bonzo his chance in the spot light as he pounds away for the next 9 minutes by himself. A true musician and master of the instrument, Bonham is able to keep the audience interested, entertained and awe stricken while creating harmonious melodies despite playing an instrument strictly rhythm based. Plus, since the song's main riff is a 12 bar blues, Bonham's drumming (essentially since he's the only one playing for most of the song) illustrates the dynamic complexity he can bring to such a simple structure. Any musician who understands the fundamentals of music knows that a 12 bar blues is incredibly simple; it even follows a specific and usually unchanging chord structure (usually a 1-4-5 progression). For Bonham to take such simplicity and make it so intricate is nothing short of sheer brilliance and talent. When Bonham performed this song and others live (again - sometimes improvise soloing for up to 30 minutes at a time) he often played until his sticks broke. When that happened, he would continue the solo playing with his bare hands until they bled. The song, "Four Sticks", was named by the fact that Bonham had failed a few takes of the song in the studio because he couldn't get the drum track just how he wanted it. In his frustration, he grabbed a second set of sticks (four sticks total) to lay down the final track [1]. The song "How The West Was Won" features even more Bonzo greatness. Now given the fact that Led Zeppelin is timeless, it's pretty safe to say that he's influenced every great drummer that has come after him -- including his friend Keith Moon whom he'd worked with -- and contemporary greats such as Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters and Neil Peart of Rush (whom I think is phenomenal). I'll detail more of why Bonham is a better drummer than Moon in the upcoming rounds. http://www.youtube.com... [ Bass ] Now I noticed that someone else had chosen Charles Mingus for this category but I'd like to note that I chose him not for his immense fame and credibility, but because (1) I think he'd best fit in with my hypothetical band and (2) I'm actually a trained jazz musician myself who is all too familiar with this man's talent and skill. His mastery of various genres has earned him the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award among other prestigious titles. He could play bass, double bass and used both bass guitars as well as upright bass. Again, I'll compare his prowess to Entwistle's in the upcoming rounds. http://www.youtube.com... [ Guitar ] Like Mingus, I didn't select him for his household name, but for the way he revolutionized guitar playing in general. Rolling Stone magazine considers him the best guitarist of all time - and with good reason [2]. They mention how he did this thing where he would play a chord, and then he would sweep his left hand through the air in a curve, and it would almost take you away from the idea that there was a guitar player here and that the music was actually coming out of the end of his fingers. The guy was, in short, magical... and ingenious. It wasn't just his psychedelic larger than life persona either. In addition to the most well recognized solos ever (such as his rendition of The Star Spangled Banner), he had a knack for taking other songs and mastering them even further - such as the infamous "All Along the Watch Tower" originally performed by none other than Bob Dylan. Indeed Hendrix HAS to be considered one of the most influential guitar gods of rock-n-roll; another incredible guitarist - Stevie Ray Vaughn, respectively, in particular idolized Hendrix for his style and romanticism while playing. Everything about Hendrix's music is electric. This guy's influence on rock-n-roll was immeasurable. Even another great - Zeppelin's Jimi Page was on the scene at the time and bowed down to Hendrix. The guy just had it all: talent, charisma, passion, he commanded attention, brilliant solos, could make great things better, innovation, presence, etc. I'm willing to bet there's plenty of people here on this site going "Frank Zappa... who?" which speaks volumes for Hendrix's impact not only on the music scene but the rock culture in general compared to Zappa's limited commercial success. Hendrix is a household name and a forever legend, whereas Zappa's known more so by musicians and whose impact is somewhat exaggerated by fans on his Wiki. http://www.youtube.com... [ Vocals ] Ray Charles hands down owns Jim Morrison in this category. Now I like The Doors as much as the next guy; however, listening to these guy's voices in comparison to each other is laughable. I'm not even sure I have to type much (though I will) comparing the two, as their voices speak for themselves. For instance, take Charles' most famous song "Hit the Road Jack" and give a listen to the deep soul he brings to the track. Now listen to one of The Doors' most famous songs - which I love - called "Touch Me." While great, in comparison to Charles, Morrison's voice almost sounds hokey. It's as if Neil Diamond could have sang the exact same thing and no one would have known the difference. But again, I'll leave the comparison for the next few rounds and focus on Charles here. Rolling Stone lists Charles as the best male vocalist of ALL TIME (second only to Aretha Franklin) [3] and though we shouldn't take their judgment as gospel for fallacious ad populum or perhaps even appeal to authority purposes, we cannot dismiss such a well renowned source of music journalism in their assessment. You'll notice that Jim Morrison doesn't even make the top 100. One reason Charles is so significant his the uniqueness of his voice, and the impact he made on music and society. Again, character space is limited, but I will easily pin him up against Jim Morrison in the next round. [ Band ] My band is INCREDIBLY conducive; each influencing and bouncing off one another to create a sound that I'm willing would be one of the best in history. One noticeable advantage my band has over Pro's is the diverse range of music that each musician plays, in addition to the fact that Charles is a fantastic pianist who could contribute to the band's overall sound and make it more versatile. While Pro's band features only rock musicians, mine hosts accomplished jazz artists as well as features pioneers of blues, soul, funk, bebop, AND rock amongst others. While Hendrix for instance shreds on the guitar with the rest of rock's grittiest soloists, he also brings a certain funk to his rock similar to how Bonham and Led Zeppelin did with their music. Bonham's playing is "raw" much like Mingus' bass solos AND rhythmical chord progressions. Add in Charles' soulful, one of a kind voice in consideration with their individual accomplishments in addition to the impact they had on both music AND society, and we've got a winning band. http://www.youtube.com... [1] http://www.buzzle.com... [2] http://www.rollingstone.com... [3] http://www.rollingstone.com...