nicos1331

Rich,

Great topic for a discussion! Kudos to you! I love a good debate. I apologize in advance if I go off on a rant here but I disgree with your central thesis that, “Nowhere out there is an artist that defines the music of the day, or gives direction or meaning to a generation the way that some have in the past.” Is this thesis is based on the concept that there can be an artist out there who does define the music of the day or gives direction or meaning to a generation, or that some bygone era was somehow better than the current one?

I am skeptical of the idea that that America or the World has ever produced an artist of such caliber. I disagree that Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elvis, Sinatra, Beatles, Goodman, Bee Gees or anyone else somehow defined the music of their day (I am not sure I even know what that phrase means; who is it defining for?). I don’t believe that it would be difficult to find people who, while alive at the time, did not listen to such music nor were they aware of it, or cared that they were not aware of it. Certainly they were not missing out on anything. One can lead a fine musical life without Michael Jackson, Madonna, Elvis, Sinatra, Goodman, Beatles, Bee Gees or any other ‘popular’/’defining’ act. I do not believe that Jackson or Madonna somehow defined (or helped define) the 1980s era, well not for me.

I contend that there can never be too many choices for music.

“There are various “scenes” going on, but nothing that has really been able to take generational ownership.” What does ‘generational ownership’ mean? Which generation are we talking about? What does it mean for them to take ownership of something? What is a ‘sound of a generation’? Can generations even be so classified? What about the people in a generation who never listened to such msuic, where do they fit in?

In my mind, it makes no difference about what is popular or helps to define a generation (which generation; if such a thing is even possible, and I think it’s not). I reconciled myself years ago with the knowledge that there is so much music out there that it is not possible for me to hear all or most or even half of it. I listen to and buy what I like.

For me, music is a beautiful, rich, & complex organism that in a constant state of flux and whose best days have yet to come.

We are all friends in here and let’s keep the debate going. I know my views are usually not in the majority when it comes to just about everything.

Peace and kudos to all posters.

-Nicos

Aside from the actual musical acts, lets not forget all the wonderful composers of lyrics & music, the arrangers, the producers & studio musicians (the late great Nelson Riddle comes to mind for Sinatra’s arrangements). Here is a short roll call of some wonderful composers of music & lyric, arrangers, studio musicians, engineers, & producers: Cahn/Van Heusen, Robert Hunter, Funk Brothers, George & Ira Gershwin, Arlen/Mercer, Brent/Dennis, Rogers/Hart, Tom Marshall, Irving Berlin, Gilbert/Sullivan, Rogers/Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Roger Waters, Rick Rubin, Trent Reznor, Brian Eno, Nile Rogers, Phil Spector, Geroge Martin, Holland/Dozier/Holland, Ashford/Simpson, Teo Maceo, Gil Evans, Tom Dowd (engineer), and on and on. Kudos to their contributions as well. I think someone mention the gifted individuals who started record companies, signed acts, and displayed incredible vision, retraint, & freedom (the late great Ahmet Ertegun comes to mind, along with Jim Stewart, Barry Gordy, Bruce Pavitt/Jonathan Poneman, and many many more). After all, music is a collaborative process and their contributions were enormous.

Where does on go from there? eh

-Nicos

I don’t know if Mr. Hornsby has peaked. However, I am not sure what one means by ‘peaked’. Are we speaking about a ‘peak’ in terms of: popularity, musical composition, lyrical composition, singing voice, awards, musical arrangements, producing, overall creativity, performing live, or something else? Or does a ‘peak’ imply all of the above?

If it is all of the above, then I have no idea. Is a ‘peak’ something one can truly discuss while an artist is still actively creating music and performing? Maybe an musical artist can sustain a long career without a definable ‘peak’ or maybe someone’s entire career can be labeled a ‘peak’, in which case it really wouldn’t be a peak. Perhaps the artist himself is the best judge about whether he has peaked, since he is in the best position to know about his own musical abilities. Or can it be the case that one can have several peaks in different musical concentrations/areas (i.e. musical compostion, lyrics, arrangements, performance, etc . . .) throughout one’s career? I suspect that in music, in all forms of music, there are plenty of examples of all the above.

After all, a musical artist’s peak, if there is such a thing, may not have been one era, one year, one album, one concert, or one song but something entirely different. Which category, if any, does Mr. Hornsby fit into I simply do not know.

-Nicos

Here are 10 of my favorite songs by Mr. Hornsby (in alphabetical order & including only those songs either written or co-written by Mr. Hornsby):