This is just speculative question that I love to ask. I mean, Bob Dylan influenced many recording artists to probe deeper--into more suggestive lyrics that is.

The artists he influenced were The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Otis Redding, The Byrds, and plenty more. His songs were covered 3,000 times by many prominent musicians.

Although he sucked as a singer, you cannot forget his contribution to music. This is just my opinion.

He's one of my favorite singers, and influence is not a matter of opinion. Are you asking if he's the most important person alive in music, or most important person ever?

Are you limiting this to Rock related genres?


If so, you can say the most influential were


Elvis
Lennon/Mccartney
James Brown
Dylan
Hendrix
Jimmy Page



At the moment, Mccartney would be the most influential still living. However, if you're asking most influential and still releasing anything worth listening to....Dylan wins easily.


Paul has been on cruise control for 25-years.



P.S. The most influential non-classical musician of Modern Music would be Louis Armstrong.

Well the most important person ever really. I think John Lennon inspired teenagers more so than Paul McCartney (I still have no idea what he inspired. Last week my friend and I borrowed my brother's CD of Paul McCartney and we made fun of it more than anything.)

But that is his solo material. None of that is influential. Overall, Lennon's solo recordings are better, however, we will never know how his overall solo output would have been in comparision to McCartney if Lennon wasn't murderd.


Their influence was as a team. Based on their solo recordings alone; they wouldn't even make the top 100.



For all we kno....if The Beatles didn't break up they might have gone the way of The Stones.

By saying that you demonstrate your lack of understanding of his music and talents.

He is the world's most important living musician.

his "shitty" voice was one of his biggest contributions to music. imagine all the great songwriters with eccentric voices who would have fallen through the cracks without dylan.

I guess if you don't fit in the Whitney Houston template your voice sucks. The important thing is that we need to have a very narrow perspective on what good singing is. If we thought a little bit outside the box American Idol could flounder.

I agree with this except for one part , Paul
I am only about 3 dvds into the 10 dvd anthology directors cut on The Beatles so maybe I have a bit more to learn

In the history of the world, Dylan is the most important musician?

He did play harmonica on a Keith Green song, but give me a break.