For those of us over 60..

Being as timeless as they are, The Band have been on my turntable and in my CD players since 1969 (I didn’t "get" them until a year after Music From Big Pink came out, but for years have listened to that album every single day. Seriously.).

And you don’t more timeless than, or more applicable to the "human condition", than J.S. Bach. There were more geniuses in his time, and he was---and remains---the King of the hill.

I could live on a musical diet of just The Band and J.S. Bach if I had to, but I’d sure miss Dylan, Iris Dement, Buddy Miller, Dave Edmunds, Hank Williams, Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Lucinda Williams, and all my other favorites. Luckily, we mid-century relics have our massive music libraries to elevate us out of the mundane. I truly pity young people; they are in for some bad times ahead. Hope reincarnation is a myth!

Hank Williams: "No matter how I struggle and strive, I’ll never get out of this wor-uld alive."

slaw,

You must be frustrated at the turn this thread has taken, because members are largely just listing bands and albums that they like. I have to admit that your question is a really difficult one to answer, because it is really hard to commit to one artist; and I think that is what some thoughtful respondents have stated.

I really like the way some have listed a number of their foundational artists, and then mentioned that there are of course many others. That is how I feel after further thought.