In my 2024 book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, using the metrics of Popularity (i.e., records sold; concert draw; career longevity), Influence (on the music and culture, in both the short-term and long-term), and Major Awards/Honors Won, Bob Dylan was ranked #2. Coincidently, he was also ranked #2 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s celebrated list. Why? Quite simply, Bob Dylan profoundly changed popular songwriting, recording, singing, and the greater society and culture. With such masterworks as “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall”, “Mr. Tambourine Man”, “Like a Rolling Stone” and countless others, Dylan demonstrated that songs could be about Anything at all, and not simply love won and love lost. When “Like a Rolling Stone” was released in 1965, his record company and radio deejays didn’t know what to do with it— it was six minutes long; should it be edited down? Should the song be stopped mid-stream and then flipped over? Suffice to say, it became not only an enormous hit (#2 on Billboard), but it gave artists permission to record much longer songs (than the typical 2-3 minute singles) and helped give rise to album-oriented artists (Dylan being one of the first and most important) and new FM music radio stations. Likewise, his vocal style— soon there were a host of artists who fell outside the “pretty voice” mainstream— from Jagger to Donovan, Lou Reed to Bruce Springsteen, Leonard Cohen to Tom Waits. As far as Dylan’s impact on the greater culture, it is hard to overestimate that, beginning with his early ‘60s influence on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements as he was an enormous force on college campuses, them morphing into, perhaps, The most important counter-cultural figure later in the decade and into the ‘70s, even if this was a mantle he never sought. Who are some of the many artists who have paid tribute to his influence on their own development? Start with the Beatles (certainly, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison), Johnny Cash, Pete Townshend, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, Patti Smith, Tom Petty, Gerry Garcia, Bono, Cohen, Waits, John Prine, even Stevie Wonder, Sam Cooke, and Sly Stone (and there’s just not enough space to go on). Honors and Awards? The Grammys and Rock Hall induction do not set him apart, but what other songwriter has won a Nobel Prize in Literature, putting him alongside such greats as Faulkner, Hemingway, Eliot, and Morrison? He’s won national honors from France and Spain, Sweden and the U.S. he is taught in universities from Harvard to Cambridge to Oslo. But, best of all, listen to the music, as I’ve done all my life, and maybe read along with my newest book, DOIWN THE ROAD WITH DYLAN – LIVING WITH THE SONGS, available online at BookBaby Book Shop. Thanks for reading.
Category: 21st Century
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In 2020, as the pandemic was breaking all over the world, I stepped away from full-time teaching after four decades in the classroom and took up writing, releasing my first book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, an encyclopedic music history in 2024. It has done remarkably well, with genuine reach and staying power. Recently I finished and published a second, more personal work, DOWN THE ROAD WITH DYLAN – LIVING WITH THE SONGS, that mixes memoir, music, and history, as I weave my own story and an overview of U.S. history these past 65 years with a loving homage and cogent analysis of 100 songs written and sung by music legend Bob Dylan. My hope is that you will read my latest work, especially if you were moved by MUSIC TITANS. These weekly posts are simply a way to get out the word about my books; I hope you help me in that endeavor by “liking” and “reposting”, sharing with your friends and family, perhaps gifting. You can find both books at BookBaby Book Shop. If you leave a Review on my Book Shop book page, that will give my book an enormous boost, as well. Thank you for your kind support. Steve
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As I continue to seek a publishing avenue for my newest book, LIFELONG COMPANION – MY JOURNEY THROUGH 100 DYLAN SONGS, my first book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, remains available at Amazon, B&N, BookBaby and other online sites. Here are some interesting facts about some of the artists featured in the book—
Jazz giant, Louis Armstrong, learned to play the cornet, later switching to trumpet, as a young boy while living at a segregated reform school in New Orleans. 18-year-old Barbra Streisand was virtually homeless when she won a talent contest at a Greenwich Village gay club in 1960; that led to a gig at the Bon Soir nightclub, and she was on her way. The Rolling Stones took their name from an old Muddy Waters’ record “Rollin’ Stone”. The Stones were initially promoted as the uncouth, dangerous alternative and rivals to the clean-cut, uniformed Beatles, but, in fact, the two bands were friendly with one another. Stevie Wonder was initially signed by Berry Gordy Jr’s Motown (Tamla label) primarily because of his harmonica playing. Though he had a #1 record as a 13-year-old, he was nearly dropped from the label a few years later. Until he turned 21, Stevie received a $2.50 weekly allowance from Motown with the remainder of his millions held in trust. As a teenager, Bob Dylan (still Robert Zimmerman and calling himself Elston Gunn) played a couple of gigs backing North Dakota pop star Bobby Vee on piano. In the early ‘60s Vee scored with such hits as “Take Good Care of My Baby” and “Run to Him”. When Jimmy Page was forming a new band in 1968, he wanted to use the moniker The New Yardbirds, but was blocked legally from using that name. One of the members of the Who (reportedly drummer Keith Moon) said the group would go over like a lead balloon. The group settled on Led Zeppelin with its oxymoronic connotations of light and heavy. David Jones changed his name to David Bowie because Davy Jones was gaining fame with the Monkees. Bowie began recording in 1964 and it took him 8 years to become a star with Ziggy Stardust in 1972. In his long climb toward success, he tried blues, folk, rock & roll, English music hall, even novelty records.
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Greetings. My second book, LIFELONG COMPANION – MY JOURNEY THROUGH 100 DYLAN SONGS, remains on hold as I attempt to navigate the legal minefield of gaining permission to quote from Bob Dylan’s songs. I’m hopeful that it will see the light of day soon.
Meanwhile, I’ll be doing a presentation on my first book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, this Sunday, detailing the algorithm used to choose and rank the artists that are profiled in the book— 1) Popularity (as measured by total records sold; their footprint as a live or concert artist; and longevity- for how long was/is their music still played and remembered); 2) Influence (on the music and musicians of their day and long-term, and their impact on the wider culture of their day and long-term); 3) Major Honors and Awards Won. We’ll also discuss some of the featured artists. This will be followed by a trivia game/charity fundraiser based on the book’s contents.
Thanks for your friendship and your continued support for these books. It means a lot. -Steve
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One of the important sources I used in researching for my book MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS was Ted Gioia’s Music – A Subversive Historywhich argues that for most of recorded history, going back many centuries right up to our present day, the great musical breakthroughs usually come from outsiders, marginalized and oppressed people and communities, from rebels and troublemakers. Later, that music becomes accepted, some would say co-opted, by the mainstream, by the establishment and then new forms of rebellious, outsider music must emerge. For example, look at the role of African-Americans in the rise of Jazz, which started on the margins and later became America’s most popular genre in the late ‘20s, ‘30s, and early ‘40s, coming finally to Carnegie Hall, the secular temple of acceptable culture, in 1938 with Benny Goodman’s legendary concert with a racially integrated band. Or, take the emergence of rock & roll arising from so-called “race music” of the ‘40s, and pioneered in the ‘50s by such Black artists as Little Richard and Chuck Berry before a poor white southerner, blending Black R&B and gospel, Elvis Presley, exploded into prominence; many forget how he was initially ridiculed by the likes of Steve Allen (popular highbrow TV host), called a threat by J Edgar Hoover’s FBI, and in league with the devil by conservative church leaders. Rockers like Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and David Bowie were all viewed by the mainstream with deep suspicion and great alarm (for different reasons), only to be later honored with Kennedy Center Honors, White House medals, and the like. You can see the same pattern with so-called “hillbilly music” of artists like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family up through Hank Williams and later such “poor girls” as Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton. Country music today is as mainstream as it gets. More recently we saw this played out with hip-hop, seen in the ‘80s and ‘90s as dangerous, violent, ugly, revolutionary music (if it was even recognized as music!) by the likes of Public Enemy, Tupac Shakur, and N.W.A, only to see Dr. Dre (formerly of N.W.A.), Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and others headline the Super Bowl in 2022, with Kendrick back 3 years later.
MUSIC TITANS remains available at all major online sites, such as Amazon.
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My first book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, continues to surprise me. I’m in Mexico at the moment and I recently got a call from a gentleman down here who read it and asked if I would give a talk on the book next month to the largest and longest running ex-pat symposium in all of Mexico. Today I was told the book will be used for a kind of trivia game to raise money for a charity fundraiser. In Hawaii, Mana’o Radio (91.7 FM) DJ Paul Janes-Brown continues to read from my book and play featured musical selections twice a month (for a year and a half now).
Thanks to all my friends, and the many I’ve never met, who have read my book, and thanks for telling others or gifting it to family or friends. MUSIC TITANS remains available at a discounted price through Amazon, BookBaby Bookshop, B&N, and many other sites. A sincere thank you – Steve
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Music Lovers Special
With the holiday season here, I hope you will consider gifting my book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS, to the music lovers in your life. MUSIC TITANS ranks and profiles the most consequential recording artists of the past century using a clearly explained algorithm based on popularity (records sold, concert attraction, longevity), musical and cultural influence, and major awards won. You will find artists of all genres included – from Rock to Country, Jazz to Pop, R&B to Hip-Hop, Blues to Folk, Classical to Electronica, and more.
MUSIC TITANS has been lauded by music industry insiders – music publisher Peter Burke called it “an absolute masterpiece!”; Grammy winning producer Jeffrey Weber wrote, “I love this Book!”; while producer Bill Bentley said, “Steve Williams…comes through with flying colors.” Reviewers have used words like “comprehensive,” “accessible,” “insightful,” “immersive,” “entertaining,” “perceptive,” and “fun” in describing it.
MUSIC TITANS is available (and at discount prices) at Amazon, BookBaby Bookshop (my publisher), and at several other online sites. Thank you! – Steve
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Two years ago, I released my first book, MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS. Featuring groundbreaking artists from all genres, many have been especially prominent or been in the news this past year. For example— Bruce Springsteen just wrapped up the biggest tour of his career and is featured in the new biopic, Deliver Me From Nowhere; Ariana Grande, who boasts a four-octave vocal range, snagged an acting Oscar nomination for playing Glinda in Wicked, reprising the role in the newly released Wicked: For Good; Willie Nelson continues touring at age 92; Patti Smith, one of the founding figures of punk rock with the 1975 album Horses just released Bread of Angels: A Memoir. Her first memoir, Just Kids, won the National Book Award; Johnny Mathis gave his last concert in May, capping a 70-year career; the Who are finishing their Farewell Tour; Beyonce, who has won more Grammys than any artist in history, captured Album of the Year in 2025 for Cowboy Carter. Biopics on Bob Dylan (A Complete Unknown) and Bob Marley: One Love were international hits this past year. More biopics are in the works— Michael Jackson in ’26 and one for each of the four Beatles. A nasty feud between two of hip-hops biggest stars, Kendrick Lamar and Drake, spilled over into the Super Bowl and the Grammys. Several major artists passed away— visionary musician/composer/producer Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys; Sylvester Stewart, leader of the funk-rock pioneering band, Sly and the Family Stone; Garth Hudson, organist extraordinaire and last surviving member of The Band; Ozzy Osbourne, who first found fame as lead singer of Black Sabbath; and brilliant country singer/songwriter Kris Kristofferson.
Black Friday marks the start of the Christmas gift-buying season, and I would be remiss if I failed to mention that MUSIC TITANS – 250 GREATEST RECORDING ARTISTS OF THE PAST 100 YEARS remains on sale in both paperback and eBook formats at Amazon, B&N, BookBaby Bookshop, and many other sites. Thanks, Steve
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Bob Dylan has rarely been celebrated for his vocals, though I found him to be a particularly expressive singer, able to communicate quite a range of emotion and nuanced ideas, particularly as a younger man. Examples? Listen to “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again” from Blonde on Blonde, “If You See Her Say Hello” from Blood on the Tracks, or “Blind Willie McTell” from The Bootleg Series Volumes 1 — 3. Even if his voice is not your cup of tea, it’s hard to argue with the brilliant writing and musical and cultural impact of such songs as “Blowin’ in the Wind”, “Chimes of Freedom”, “Like a Rolling Stone”, “All Along the Watchtower”, “Tangled Up in Blue”, “Mississippi”, and so many more. The only songwriter to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for “having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition,” Dylan, at 84, is still on the road playing to large crowds, in the midst of a 63 year (and counting) recording career. I hope to release my newest book, LIFELONG COMPANION: MY JOURNEY THROUGH 100 DYLAN SONGS early in the new year. I hope you will read it. Thank you.
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Greetings all! As my 2nd book, Lifelong Companion: My Journey Through 100 Dylan Songs, remains on hold as I await permission to quote from Bob Dylan’s songs, I would like to remind everyone that my well-received first book, Music Titans: 250 Greatest Recording Artists of the Past 100 Years, makes for a great Christmas or seasonal gift and remains readily available in paperback and eBook formats at Amazon, B&N, BookBaby, Apple, and many other sites. Music Titans contains encyclopedic entries on artists of all genres- from rockers like the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, and Bruce Springsteen to country artists like Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, and Willie Nelson; from such vintage greats as Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, and George Gershwin to my parents’ favorites, Benny Goodman, Glenn Millker, and Tony Bennett; from experimental giants like Bjork, Kraftwerk, and Daft Punk to rap luminaries like Tupac Shakur, JAY-Z, and Eminem; from such transcendent greats as the Beatles, Elvis, and Michael Jackson to contemporary titans like Taylor Swift, Beyonce, and Rihanna. The artists are ranked from #250 to #1, using a clearly explained metric that considers such factors as record sales, and musical and cultural influence. Thanks for reading.
