Re: Re: [Harp-L] re: pathetic

["Tim Moyer" <wmharps@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris Michalek wrote:
> I think in 100 years the harmonica players that will be 
> remembered will be
>
> Litte Walter
> John Popper
> Toots Thielemans (Maybe)
> Stevie Wonder

It's funny to think about pop icons in terms of "staying power" on 
the order of a century.  How many of us know anything about pop 
culture from 1906, for instance?  We're in a new era now, because 
100 years ago there wasn't nearly as much in the way of capturing 
the performances of entertainers.  

I'd guess that of the above-mentioned harmonica players, none will 
be remembered by the public in 100 years.  Stevie Wonder probably 
has the best chance, albeit not as a harmonica player, because his 
compositions are performed by lots of other musicians.  If you think 
about musical personalities we remember over the centuries, most are 
composers because there was actually a medium to capture their work 
and preserve it over time.  Maybe this will change with all the 
ability we have now to capture and replay performances, but how many 
of us are going back and listening to old Enrico Caruso recordings?  
I can't imagine my children's children's children listening to 100-
year-old Blues Traveler CDs.

-tim