(Pictured: the underrated Bob Dylan, 1966.)
Here’s the second half of American Top 40‘s “Giants of Rock ‘n’ Roll” countdown from the July 4 weekend in 1986.
20. James Brown. The Godfather of Soul is probably ranked a bit too low even for 1986.
19. Led Zeppelin. Casey plays all of “Stairway to Heaven” and only talks over a little of it.
18. Lionel Richie. Nope nope nope. Lionel was way too high on this list even in 1986. More influential than Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Ray Charles? As I asked the other day about Hall and Oates and Billy Joel, who did he influence, and how? Next to the omission of Aretha Franklin, this is the show’s biggest goof.
17. The Doors
16. The Who
15. Bob Dylan
Casey quoted a lot of DJs who responded in the poll, mostly from small and medium-sized markets. Writing about Dylan, one said, “He gave us something to sing about besides cars and girls.” Precisely: Bob Dylan is largely responsible for the idea that rock lyrics don’t have to be doggerel. They can tell serious stories in a literary way, or be poetic in a way pop songs were not before he came along. So he’s influential in a way unequaled by practically everyone else on this list. He should have been no lower than #3.
14. The Eagles
13. Creedence Clearwater Revival
12. Chicago
Chicago is way too high on the list and might not belong on it at all. Several horn bands emerged at about the same time Chicago did, and Casey talks about how Chicago was inspired by Blood Sweat and Tears. If that’s true, shouldn’t BS&T be on this list instead?
11. John Lennon. Casey quotes a DJ who says Lennon belongs on the list “for his love.” Whether that’s accurate is a question biographers have considered since 1980, but it sounded great next to “Imagine.”
10. Buddy Holly
9. The Beach Boys
8. Paul McCartney
7. Elton John
6. Bruce Springsteen
Paul and Bruce get two songs each, as Eric Clapton did in his segment earlier.
5. Chuck Berry. Casey praises Berry as an influential guitarist, but then plays “Maybelline,” even though every kid who bought a guitar because he loved Chuck Berry wanted to learn “Johnny B. Goode” first.
4. Stevie Wonder
3. The Rolling Stones
2. Elvis Presley
1. The Beatles
The songs Casey chose for the top three—“I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “A Day in the Life,” “Hound Dog,” “Suspicious Minds,” “Miss You,” and “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”—make abundantly clear why these people top the list. Casey’s choice of “Part Time Lover” for Stevie pales in comparison, although it’s in keeping with this show’s tendency to play 80s hits wherever possible. It’s why “We Built This City” got on earlier and not “White Rabbit” or “Miracles,” and why James Brown’s then-recent “Living in America” got on instead of quite literally anything else.
As I listened to the show (which was fabulously entertaining despite all that you’ve read here), I was reminded that merely working in radio doesn’t automatically make you an expert. Some radio people have a historian’s knowledge of music, but many others are simply passionate fans who don’t know much more than their listeners. (And some don’t like music at all.) It’s perfectly fine to be a passionate fan, but such a person is likely to think, Billy Joel and Chicago have had lots of hits so they have to be on the list, without giving much thought to the question of who they influenced and how. They won’t differentiate between the Jefferson Airplane, whose psychedelic style really did have an impact on other performers, and the Starship, which was a generic 80s album-rock band. (That one may be the AT40 staff’s fault, though, for assuming that the entity remained the one and the same for 20 years.) Neither will they single out the house bands at Motown or Stax, for example, even though those groups inspired bands in garages from coast to coast. And there’s a long list of artists experts recognize as pioneers and influencers who never made a radio hit, so they’d never register on a list like this.
Apart from the unconscionable omission of Aretha Franklin and any women other than the Supremes, the show does get a lot of rock history right, though. But who do you think is missing? Who shouldn’t be on it? How would you re-rank the list? Who from the last 33 years would have to be included on a similar list made today, and who would get bumped from this list in their favor?
The Hits Just Keep On Comin' 
Influence–as opposed to popularity or greatness–is a bit of a tricky concept, as there have been some “great” bands like REM that are fairly singular, and have influenced subsequent bands more by way of ethos as opposed to sonics.
I’m not sure how obvious it would have been in 1986, but then-current(ish) band/groups/individuals like The Clash, Talking Heads, Run DMC, Chic, Brian Eno, Giorgio Moroder, Joy Division/New Order, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, and Depeche Mode had much more of an influence over the direction of the next 30 years of music than a good portion of groups/individuals on Casey’s List. I’d also suggest that, in the long run, Paul Simon (as a solo artist) proved much more influential than Simon & Garfunkel, especially his world music era from which bands like Vampire Weekend continue to draw inspiration.
If you re-ranked this 1986 list, David Bowie–like Prince–would be MUCH higher, as would Marvin Gaye. And, as you note, I would expect Joni Mitchell to fare very well also, as she has only risen in esteem and influence among current musicians. Moreover, although I like only a small portion of their work, the absence of The Grateful Dead is pretty galling given the jam band movement, which took inspiration from them from the 1990s forward. Also, while his talent is undeniable, was anyone ever really influenced by Elton John? He seems one-of-a-kind, and the #7 ranking strikes me as way high. I also doubt that Lennon or McCartney would make a re-ranked list as solo artists (and, of the two, McCartney would be more likely to make it).
Subsequently, for good or ill, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, and The Strokes had scores of less skilled imitators and thus they would probably appear on any updated list measuring “influence.” Frankly, with the rise of hip hop, not only would someone like Kanye West probably qualify, relative “cult” personalities like J Dilla or Eric B (from Eric B & Rakim) would have a good argument given their game-changing influence in that genre.
And, although I clearly forgot it on my initial attempt, The Velvet Underground would be quite high on any revised list. Per Brian Eno, “The first Velvet Underground album only sold 10,000 copies, but everyone who bought it formed a band.”
And let us never forget the Ramones. I don’t know if any of their songs made the Top 40 but I would argue that their influence rivals the Beatles.
It’s amazing what youth of America listened to at the time – middle-aged white guys. And not just on this kind of countdown or classic rock. Top 40 that summer was dominated by Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, and Peter Cetera.
Well, he wasn’t a major force on the pop charts, but what about Johnny Cash?
I’d add Sly and the Family Stone somewhere between numbers 20 and 35. That act hugely influenced the sound and approach taken of a lot of soul, funk and even rock bands of the late 1960s through the 1970s and even some of the 1980s, I’d argue.
Sly & The Family Stone is a good call. I would say they were a strong influence on both Earth, Wind & Fire and Prince, most prominently.
Maybe U2 belongs somewhere — that kind of big-screen cathartic melodically simple post-punk, or however you describe it.
In 1979, 1999, 2009 and 2019, the show aired special countdowns of the decade’s biggest hits. In 1979 and 1999, the annual year-end countdown show was cut to one week (4 hours) to accommodate the special countdown, though in 2009, they aired a third special week after their usual two-week Top 100. The decade-end shows counted down the Top 50 of the 19, and the Top of the 19, 20, and 20. There was no decade-end countdown for the 19. Over 50 celebrities—among them radio personalities, game show hosts, and (particularly since Ryan Seacrest took over hosting duties) charting artists—have substituted for these three throughout the show’s run. Radio announcer Charlie Van Dyke filled in for Casey a record 31 times in the 19.