Influential Musicians Who Left Their Mark On Music History

Our Favorite Musicians

We all have our favorite artists and genres. From Chappell Roan to John Coltrane, Heavy Metal to Funk, there are a ton of talented musicians out there with their own unique sounds. Have you ever wondered, though, where these genres came from or who your favorite artist is inspired by? Where did Jimi Hendrix get ideas from? Did Elvis Presley really invent rock n’ roll? Well if you want to find out, I guess you’ll just have to keep reading.

All About Bing Crosby

The first artist we’re going to talk about got his start recording music in 1926 and his name is Bing Crosby. Crosby is one of the world’s most influential and best-selling music artists; he sold more than 200 million records by the year 1960, and his work has influenced musicians such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.

Most notably, though, Crosby wasn’t afraid to try new things in his recording process and he was one of the first musicians to use a microphone as an instrument. Before, musicians would have to project their voices as much as they could in hopes that the people farthest from the stage could still hear them. Bing figured out, though, that with the help of the microphone’s amplification, you could focus more on the phrasing and annunciation of the music rather than just being loud. It’s because of this discovery that 'crooning' was invented. Crooning is a style of singing known for its melodic and gentle vocal delivery (think of Nat King Cole or even Billie Eilish.) Crosby is also known for being the first artist to record his music on tape, which allowed for a better playback quality on the radio (before most radio performances were live,) and also made it a whole lot easier to edit and re-record audio. It’s thanks to Bing Crosby that all of the musicians listed here were able to make the music they did.

Chuck Berry
Our next artist is “The Father of Rock n’ Roll,” Chuck Berry. He started out as a rhythm & blues artist, but through his experimentation in the genre, he developed a lot of the defining features of rock as we know it today.

Berry was inspired by blues artist T-Bone Walker’s guitar riffs, and he loved a good guitar solo as much as the next guy. You can hear these stylized sounds in his songs like Roll Over Beethoven (1956), Johnny B. Goode (1958), and in his rendition of Ida Red (a classic American folk tune), which he called Maybellene (1955). He was one of the very first people to be inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Although his track record with the law is questionable at best and appalling at worst (another discussion for another day,) his music inspired countless artists. Musicians like Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, and The Beatles all credit Berry as being one of their inspirations, so without his experimentation with rhythm & blues, we’d be missing a whole lot of good music.

The Beatles
Speaking of The Beatles, they’re on this list as well. Although we all know them for their cult-like following and iconic (for some reason) bowl haircuts, they left their mark on more than just pop culture and actually did quite a lot for the recording process as well. Much like Crosby, they weren’t afraid to experiment with new technology and techniques; because of this, they were some of the first people to use a four-track recording system. Before The Beatles, musicians recorded their songs as a performance, everything in one track, in one take. Because of this band’s work recording with multi-track recording systems, though, that was all changed. This new method of recording allowed you to do individual takes and then go back to edit them all together later. The effect this had on their sound can be most noticeably heard in their song A Day in the Life (1967) from their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), although it first appeared in their single I Want To Hold Your Hand (1963). 

The Beatles' willingness to experiment changed how artists record their music forever, and their unique sound will continue to inspire new musicians for a long time. Moving from rock to soul, it’s time to talk about Ray Charles. 

Ray Charles

Through his blending of jazz, blues, and gospel music, Charles was able to create a sound of his own and pioneer the way for plenty more soul music to be made down the line. His first song to be classified as soul music was his hit single I Got A Woman (1954), popularizing the idea of mixing genres, which had never been done quite like he did it. Ray Charles’ sound has inspired many of your favorite artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, and Elton John. Aside from pioneering the genre of soul, and inspiring some very talented musicians, Ray Charles also won The World Music Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Music Industry in 1994. Plus, he did all of it blind! Pretty impressive if you ask me.

Kraftwerk

Last on our list today is a group that brought a much more modern sound onto the music scene, Kraftwerk. They’re a German-based synth-pop group who helped not just to popularize the genre but to make it what it is today. They first started making music in the 70s when an entirely electronic sound was unheard of. Still, with their use of synths, electronic rhythm sections, and vocoders (a synthesizer you play using your voice,) they paved the way for more and more musicians to follow their lead.

In fact, many Hip Hop percussion lines pull inspiration from Kraftwerk songs like Numbers (1981) and Trans Europa Express (1977). Without Kraftwerk’s early work in the synth-pop genre, groups like New Order, Depeche Mode, and Daft Punk may have never found mainstream acclaim.

There are so many musicians who have impacted the history of music it was hard to pick just five. Some honorable mentions were:

→  Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul and also responsible for popularizing the melisma (a series of different notes all sung on the same syllable);

→  Nirvana, a group that helped bring alternative music into the mainstream with their fusion of grunge and punk; Led Zeppelin, widely credited as being the founders of Heavy Metal;

→  Sam Cooke who, along with Ray Charles, helped to pioneer soul music and started his record label called SRA Records.

That being said, Bing Crosby, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, The Beatles, and Kraftwerk are five who weren’t afraid to try something new. Whether using new equipment or trying out an entirely new sound, these guys were changing the sound of music in a way that will be remembered forever.

Thanks for reading!

-Bee Zak :)
Hollow Bone Records Employee