Best American music of the last 25 years?

Ooh, good ones @slaw. I should have included Mary Gauthier, whom I had the pleasure of seeing live in a small Portland club last year. She was fantastic (very funny, and a good story teller), just her voice, her acoustic guitar (she’s a very effective player---very dynamic), and her wonderful songs. She was joined on harmony vocals on some songs by the woman whom often opens for her on the road (as on this night), don’t remember her name.

But for Pete’s sake, how could I forget Levon Helm?! After leading The Band following the departure of J.R. Robertson, and following the deaths of Band pianist/singer/songwriter Richard Manuel and bassist/singer/songwriter Rick Danko, Levon recorded and released two albums, Dirt Farmer in 2007 and Electric Dirt in 2009, both winning him Grammy Awards. Not bad for an Arkansas hillbilly. ;-)

This is pretty sad.  Most of the names posted haven't had a hit in 25 yrs.  Artists I love like Prince, Tom Petty, John Mellencamp and Bruce Springsteen all had their major hits before the 25 yr threshold.  Bruno Mars, pearl jam, red hot chili peppers, Dave mathews band, the killers, Eminem, Kanye, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor swift, the weekend, lady gaga, maroon 5, imagine dragons, chainsmokers, Linkin park, foo fighters, green day

Much more in country music.  It is scary how American music (top 40) has slipped the past 25 yrs.  My kids and their friends listen to rap and hip hop.  No wonder country music is so popular now.

My kids added Miley Cyrus, rihanna and Beyonce.

Roy Orbison - Mystery Girl

Emmylou Harris

Gram Parsons

Jon Anderson - Yes

So by definition wouldn't the most popular music be the best music?  Does an artist have to have a hit to be the best?  (I don't actually agree with that but as an argument it does have merit)

There is a lot of really good music being made today both in the USA and elsewhere.  Whether it's a hit or not is mostly due to marketing, lack of music education and intent (dance music is very popular within certain age groups)

Over 25 years ago FM radio was the way to be informed of what was going on in the music scene.  Today it's more of an active endeavor or can be outsourced to a program like Roon that uses a computer program and crowd sourcing to build your playlist.  The good news is that due to streaming we aren't limited by geographic boundaries or radio program managers, the only real constraint is time. 

While it will never be mainstream I really enjoy Stages: Volume III by
Ryan Montbleau.  It is such an excellent recording capturing the space of the venue with music that makes me smile.  Trust me to his dismay I'm sure it will never be a hit but that doesn't diminish it's enjoyment level to me.