Do you all agree when Prince said the 60s, 70s and 80s were the golden ages of music?

He was one heckuva guitar player. He played many instruments. And he’s absolutely right. Why? What era has as many actual hits?
And he’s referring to Motown too, for he grew up on Motown. And besides being surrounded by great songwriters Motown’s musical backbone was having music performed by jazz musicians. Rock can’t claim that. Only Motown can. The great James Jamerson was but one of these jazz musicians who created the music that became Motown. Barry Gordy was no fool. He knew where to find the best musicians for his recordings. The jazz night club. And that’s what Prince is referring to too. Real musicians performing on instruments at a high level. Know your stuff. As a non pro jazz pianist who began on trumpet, migrated to sax and bass, who eventually came to piano, I can relate.

Earl Palmer (New Orleans) and Jim Keltner (Tulsa) both come from Jazz backgrounds. Palmer is the drummer heard on Little Richard’s 1950’s Rock ’n’ Roll records, and on some of Phil Spector’s 1960’s procductions (along with Hal Blaine, also a Jazz guy originally). In the 1990’s I and a lot of other drummers went to Chadney’s in Burbank to listen to Earl play in his Jazz trio.

Keltner plays drums on a lot of Rock albums, including those by John Lennon, George Harrison, Ry Cooder, Bill Frisell (definitely a Jazz guitarist, but he dabbles in Americana), Randy Newman, Bob Dylan, The Traveling Wilbury’s, LOTS of others.

Zappa had lots of Jazz musicians in his band over the years, and Steely Dan did on their albums. Jeff Beck’s drummer Vinnie Colaiuta comes from Jazz, as did Toto’s Jeff Porcaro. Steve Smith of Journey too (he’s now back to playing that music). Guitarist Danny Gatton played Jazz AND Rockabilly. I could cite a hundred more examples. To say there are no Jazz players in Rock reveals ignorance, not superior taste or standards.

I would agree if he had left out the 80's.

@bdp24, I’m not suggesting there’s no rock guys who played jazz. But not all jazz players had equal talent. Jazz, like Motown, was black music. Jazz was created by blacks, The finest jazz players  were blacks. Bebop, the highest musical form of jazz, was created and played by nearly exclusively blacks. Yes, white musicians were most popular, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, because its mainly an all white population, but what they played was the dance music I.e. the soundtrack of the early 40’s.
Real talk. Jazz was created by blacks, and overtaken by whites after it was seen to be  a money maker because of the youth in the 40’s. And that’s why blacks in the mid 40’s created bebop. For in its time that’s the only way blacks could get a gig! We all know the racial dynamics that existed in the 40’s. Duke Ellington, Count Basie’s were doing a totally separate thing in the 30’s. You had to be a master of your instrument to play bebop.   
I’m sure there were a few white guys who could play some softer jazz. But clearly there are different levels of jazz talent. 

So far everyone agrees with Prince. Is a shame music just went downhill so badly in the 90s