Essential bands/artists for every genre?

[Cannons Ahoy]

Essential bands/artists for every genre

The idea is to compile a "recommended" or "essential" acts listing for every music genre there is, so people who want to expand their common knowledge can check 'em out.

So anyone can suggest acts for the list and I'll add them to this first post. Remember to add some kind of explanation on why the act should be added
to the list. Also feel free to suggest bands for other genres not included in this list, and I'll add them.

A good criteria you can use when suggesting artists: Is the artist in question a "must-know"? Does the artist represent everything or many significant aspects of their genre? When someone mentions the name of the genre, does the artist in question immediately pop to your mind?

List of genres (I'll add to this as people supply suggestions)

Classical
Johann Sebastian Bach
Ludwig Van Beethoven
Johannes Brahms
Frederic Chopin
Edward William Elgar
Felix Mendelssohn
Claudio Monteverdi
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Franz Schubert
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Richard Wagner
Vaughan Williams
Antonio Vivaldi
Rimsky-Korsakov

Blues
Willie Dixon
Billie Holiday
Son House
B.B. King
Skip James
Robert Johnson
Muddy Waters
Howlin' Wolf
John Lee Hooker

Jazz
Dave Brubeck
Chet Baker
John Coltrane
Miles Davis
Bill Evans
Stan Getz
Thelonious Monk
Charlie "Bird" Parker
Oscar Peterson
George Benson

Rock & Roll
Chuck Berry
Johnny Cash
Bo Diddley
Fats Domino
Buddy Holly
Elvis Presley
Phil Spector

Blues Rock
Jeff Beck
Big Brother and the Holding Company
Joe Bonamassa
Eric Clapton
Cream
Rory Gallagher
Janis Joplin
The Kinks
Led Zeppelin
The Rolling Stones
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Johnny Winter
ZZ Top
Fleetwood Mac(The early line-up featuring Peter Green)
Robin Trower
Pat Travers

Folk Rock
Joan Baez
The Band
Jackson Browne
The Byrds
Leonard Cohen
The Corrs
Bob Dylan
Joni Mitchell
Van Morrison
Phil Ochs
The Pogues
Simon & Garfunkel
The Waterboys
Neil Young
Gordon Lightfoot

Psychedelic Rock
The Beatles
Captain Beefheart
The Doors
Jimi Hendrix
Jefferson Airplane
Love
Moby Grape
The Mothers of Invention
The Velvet Underground
Frank Zappa
Hawkwind

Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
Deep Purple
Black Sabbath
Uriah Heep
Budgie
UFO
Whitesnake
Rainbow

Progressive Rock
Emerson Lake & Palmer
Genesis
Jethro Tull
The Mothers of Invention
Mike Oldfield
Pink Floyd
Supertramp
Yes
Frank Zappa
Camel
Gentle Giant
Van Der Graaf Generator

Glam Rock
David Bowie
The New York Dolls
Lou Reed
Roxy Music
T.Rex
Sweet
Slade
Mud

Punk Rock
Black Flag
The Clash
Richard Hell
Iggy & the Stooges
The Ramones
The Sex Pistols
Patti Smith
Television
Tom Robinson Band

New Wave of British Heavy Metal
Saxon
Iron Maiden
Diamond Head
Judas Priest
Ozzy Osbourne

Speed Metal/Thrash Metal
Annihilator
Anthrax
Coroner
Exodus
Kreator
Megadeth
Metallica
Nuclear Assault
Overkill
Slayer
Sodom
Testament
Venom

 

[LG]

I'll be back later when I have more time Cannon.

 

[Death on Credit]

Great thread! I'm not really very familiar with Progressive, Hard Rock, or Metal, so I'll leave those for the much more in-the-know members.

Classical - Wagner, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin.

Blues - Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Skip James, Willie Dixon, Son House

Jazz - Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Charlie "Bird" Parker

Rock & Roll - Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Bo Diddley

Blues Rock - the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Big Brother and the Holding Company/Janis Joplin

Folk Rock - Bob Dylan, the Byrds, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Van Morrison, Leonard Cohen, the Band, Phil Ochs, Joan Baez, Simon & Garfunkel

Psychedelic Rock - the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Love, Jefferson Airplane, Captain Beefheart, the Velvet Underground, Moby Grape, the Doors, the Mothers of Invention

Glam Rock - David Bowie, Lou Reed, T. Rex, the New York Dolls, Roxy Music

Punk Rock - Iggy & the Stooges, the Clash, the Ramones, the Sex Pistols, Patti Smith, Richard Hell, Television, Black Flag

 

[Tek_54]

Uff, difficult, I have to think

 

[TheSound]

Nice idea for a thread, though there's about 4 or 5 categories there that I hate and would rather have needles stuck into my ears, but the ones I know a little about.....if you are talking ESSENTIAL....

Classical - Beethoven, Schubert, J S Bach, Brahms, Vaughan Williams, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Elgar, Monteverdi, Mendellsohn

Blues - B B King, Robert Johnson, Billie Holliday, Muddy Waters

Jazz - John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans, Dave Brubeck, Chet Baker, Stan Getz

Rock & Roll - Elvis, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Phil Spector

Blues Rock - Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Johnny Winter, Rory Gallagher, Jeff Beck, Joe Bonamassa, Z Z Top

Folk Rock - Dylan, The Corrs, Joni Mitchell, The Byrds, Simon and Garfunkle, The Pogues, the Waterboys

Progressive Rock - Yes, Genesis, ELP, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Supertramp, Mike Oldfield, Frank Zappa.

 

[snake666]

Time please, I´ll be back soon

 

[Stiff n Cold]

Speed Metal/Thrash Metal

Megadeth
Testament
Kreator
Anthrax
Slayer
Metallica
Nuclear Assault
Exodus
Sodom
Coroner
Overkill
Annihilator

 

[Cannons Ahoy]

Thanks for the suggestions! Hope to have more posts from people.

 

[TrekkiELO]

Recommended additions...

Electric Light Orchestra
Phil Collins
Billy Joel
Paul McCartney & Wings
Fleetwood Mac
The Doobie Brothers
The Alan Parsons Project
Paul Simon
George Harrison
John Lennon
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
Foreigner
Chicago
Earth, Wind & Fire
Journey
Three Dog Night
Stevie Wonder
The Spinners
Bachman-Turner Overdrive
The J. Geils Band
The Cars
Elton John
Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Lovin' Spoonful

 

[Nololob]

Classical - Antonio Vivaldi
Blues Rock - Fleetwood Mac
Hard Rock/Heavy Metal - Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Budgie, UFO, Whitesnake, Rainbow
Progressive Rock - Camel
Glam Rock - Sweet, Slade, Mud
New Wave of British Heavy Metal - Saxon, Iron Maiden, Diamond Head, Judas Priest, Ozzy Osbourne
Speed Metal/Thrash Metal - Venom