Most Influential American Musician of All Time?

Grant, you responded too quickly, I didn't have time to re-address my previous post. After thinking about it, yes, Muddy was stunning, but Robert Johnson was definitely the father of the blues. I would compare the Muddy Waters- Robert Johnson relationship to that of John Coltrane-Miles Davis. Yes, Coltrane and Waters are fabulous (to put it mildly), but I think I do have to give Robert Johnson and Miles Davis full credit as being the influences that inspired Muddy Waters and John Coltrane.
Therefore, I do believe that RJ and MD are the originators (even though Coltrane and Waters are fabulous).

Sorry to contridict myself, but that is how I feel at this moment.

Cheers,
John

PS: Makes you wonder if you went back another 50-100 years, who would be the most influential musicians.... the ones that influenced Robert Johnson and Miles Davis. You know there had to be someone........

Yes, but that may also be because of more modern technology. Radio was far more common for Muddy Waters (not to mention John Lee Hooker (but I will)) than for Robert Johnson. If that does make him (Muddy or John Lee) more influential, then perhaps we should keep going forward. Jimi Hendrix....Stevie Ray Vaughn...etc.
Recording/playback was not a huge issue when Robert Johnson was in his prime.

At what point do you stop saying who was more popular and who was more influential?? Yes, modern technology will help preserve/promote any artist popularity. Does that mean that the most recent artist is the most influential?

If so, the Brittany Spears and Jessica Simpson may be the most influential American musicians of all time.......:-(

God help us all.........

Tvad, FWIW I think your definition of 'musician' might be a bit narrow, especially in view of how it's defined in my dictionary, i.e. a composer or performer of music and as an alternative a performer esp of instrumental music.

Re Robert Johnson's importance (to me) I'd never heard of him 'til you mentioned him. I though you were referring to a relatively obscure jazz personality from early 1900, James P Johnson who was an African American composer and piano player who developed the Stride style of jazz piano. He also composed hit tunes, waltzes, ballet, opera and symphonic music. He taught Fats Waller and influenced Gershwin, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Art Tatum and Thelonious Monk, ad infinitum.

LMAO at my own ignorance and willingness to sign on just to be equitable. I'm not into Blue's. I went straight from hillbilly ('folk music' for the elitists and 'blue grass' for the generic non-hillbilly) to classical and jazz. Who is Robert Johnson? :-)