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Best musical entertainer of all-time

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Scoop123

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Who is the greatest musical entertainer of all time? Not the most talented guitarist, song writer, producer, singer, etc. But when looking at all things entertainment-wise, who is the greatest?

I say Michael Jackson. He wrote music, he performed, he danced, he produced. #1 selling album of all-time (by a mile) and had 5 solo albums that sold over 20 million copies. His worldwide audience is practically unmatched. (as a side note, I'm not a big MJ fan and think he was guilty with the kids - but I am putting that to the side).

A gal I worked with fought me on it and said Prince. Good choice. Anyone who saw "The Vault" on 60 minutes knows his talent was endless. I just think MJ was much, much bigger, and while he had a ton of albums - outside of 1-2 albums Prince was not on the scale of MJ.

Runners up:

Elvis
Chuck Berry
Freddie Mercury
Elton John
 
NikkiSixx

NikkiSixx

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you kinda started and ended the thread,

you can make a strong argument sales wise, for Taylor Swift, & Lady Gaga,

Madonna had her day, so did Brittney

Bruno Mars is probably the top male entertainer right now.

Edit: it would not surprise me if Taylor Swift's empire is worth more than MJ's.. her sales and merchandising is like on another world compared to the times Michael was running the globe..
 
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Scoop123

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Nice call! Bruno is an amazing entertainer - I totally forgot about him. I watched his band play with the full brass section (on TV 6-8 years ago?) and the way he danced would make Chuck Berry proud. It was crazy good. Dude is uber-talented.

And even though I'm not a fan, I agree Swift needs to be listed. Good shout outs - that's what I was looking for.... Listing people I forgot, and I wanted to see if others felt strongly there is someone better than MJ. Just a fun convo
 
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Scoop123

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Spectrumalaska said:
Gag me, Jackson is the Jerry Sandusky of entertainers. This revisionist hero worship is truly sad.
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I get the kid thing and I fully agree with you he's a bum and I believe he's guilty. I think he's weird, and probably did some horrific things. (Welcome to Hollyweird)

But as an entertainer, it is not revisionist history. The facts are compelling and indisputable on many levels.
 
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Tahoe78

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Scoop123 said:
Who is the greatest musical entertainer of all time? Not the most talented guitarist, song writer, producer, singer, etc. But when looking at all things entertainment-wise, who is the greatest?

I say Michael Jackson. He wrote music, he performed, he danced, he produced. #1 selling album of all-time (by a mile) and had 5 solo albums that sold over 20 million copies. His worldwide audience is practically unmatched. (as a side note, I'm not a big MJ fan and think he was guilty with the kids - but I am putting that to the side).

A gal I worked with fought me on it and said Prince. Good choice. Anyone who saw "The Vault" on 60 minutes knows his talent was endless. I just think MJ was much, much bigger, and while he had a ton of albums - outside of 1-2 albums Prince was not on the scale of MJ.

Runners up:

Elvis
Chuck Berry
Freddie Mercury
Elton John
Click to expand...
Elvis... caught him at Pershing the summer of his passing... He was old...He was overweight, but he was Elvis..
 
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Anon1674350430

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Scoop123 said:
Who is the greatest musical entertainer of all time? Not the most talented guitarist, song writer, producer, singer, etc. But when looking at all things entertainment-wise, who is the greatest?

I say Michael Jackson. He wrote music, he performed, he danced, he produced. #1 selling album of all-time (by a mile) and had 5 solo albums that sold over 20 million copies. His worldwide audience is practically unmatched. (as a side note, I'm not a big MJ fan and think he was guilty with the kids - but I am putting that to the side).

A gal I worked with fought me on it and said Prince. Good choice. Anyone who saw "The Vault" on 60 minutes knows his talent was endless. I just think MJ was much, much bigger, and while he had a ton of albums - outside of 1-2 albums Prince was not on the scale of MJ.

Runners up:

Elvis
Chuck Berry
Freddie Mercury
Elton John
Click to expand...

Scoop123 said:
Who is the greatest musical entertainer of all time? Not the most talented guitarist, song writer, producer, singer, etc. But when looking at all things entertainment-wise, who is the greatest?

I say Michael Jackson. He wrote music, he performed, he danced, he produced. #1 selling album of all-time (by a mile) and had 5 solo albums that sold over 20 million copies. His worldwide audience is practically unmatched. (as a side note, I'm not a big MJ fan and think he was guilty with the kids - but I am putting that to the side).

A gal I worked with fought me on it and said Prince. Good choice. Anyone who saw "The Vault" on 60 minutes knows his talent was endless. I just think MJ was much, much bigger, and while he had a ton of albums - outside of 1-2 albums Prince was not on the scale of MJ.

Runners up:

Elvis
Chuck Berry
Freddie Mercury
Elton John
Click to expand...
People who say Prince is a good musician make me think I'm in a simulation where everyone is trying to make me think I'm crazy God he sucks.
 
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PvilleHuskerTim

PvilleHuskerTim

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Anon1674350430 said:
It's all ****
Click to expand...

Confused High Quality GIF
 
PvilleHuskerTim

PvilleHuskerTim

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The list begins and ends with PRINCE. Now if you asked who is the 2nd best musical entertainer behind Prince, then it is worth discussing.
 
Baxter48

Baxter48

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Willie nelson and George Straight, Allan Jackson for country music the op has a great list except Michael Jackson I never cared for him
 
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burntorange72

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PvilleHuskerTim said:
The list begins and ends with PRINCE. Now if you asked who is the 2nd best musical entertainer behind Prince, then it is worth discussing.
Click to expand...
Being able to play any style of music and being able to entertain are different. I did not like Prince’s style of music. But, for me, standing and playing guitar doesn’t make him and entertainer.
 
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PvilleHuskerTim

PvilleHuskerTim

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burntorange72 said:
Being able to play any style of music and being able to entertain are different. I did not like Prince’s style of music. But, for me, standing and playing guitar doesn’t make him and entertainer.
Click to expand...

no worries. I don’t get a great vibe from half the ones listed. But the fact that Prince could play so many styles of music, as opposed to most of the musicians who can only play 1 style, is proof positive that he could entertain almost anyone.
 
Spectrumalaska

Spectrumalaska

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What did Mick Jagger say about Prince?


“So Prince has a lot of talent as a writer,” Jagger then said, before stating that it was in the live environment where he truly came into his own, adding, “I've seen great performances by Prince. He's outperformed almost everyone. I'd rate him at the top. I don't think there's a lot of competition from new artists.”
 
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Champs 70-71-94-95-97

Champs 70-71-94-95-97

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MJ had the entirety of the Motown machine behind him from day 1. He was promoted/exploited as a child with the full backing of that Detroit machine. Prince was sweeping floors just to get some studio time for himself. MJ could write, dance, etc. Prince could write, dance, play virtually every instrument. Both could put on a live show like nobody else.

In my mind, Prince gets the nod. Another guy who was talented in writing, producing, musically proficient on multiple instruments, and put on a great live show was George Michael.
 
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Claud-Henry Smoot

Claud-Henry Smoot

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If you listen to the Rewatchables podcasts they talk briefly about the year 1984...its truly was a convergence of all kinds of different pop culture sports etc

 
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Scoop123

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Champs 70-71-94-95-97 said:
MJ had the entirety of the Motown machine behind him from day 1. He was promoted/exploited as a child with the full backing of that Detroit machine. Prince was sweeping floors just to get some studio time for himself. MJ could write, dance, etc. Prince could write, dance, play virtually every instrument. Both could put on a live show like nobody else.

In my mind, Prince gets the nod. Another guy who was talented in writing, producing, musically proficient on multiple instruments, and put on a great live show was George Michael.
Click to expand...
Great post. Hadn't thought of that angle. I agree MJ was fed from the beginning and had a ton of money and support. But unless I'm mistaken it's because his voice at a young age was angelic and Motown went nuts over it. So that part is earned (if it's accurate). Anyway - good stuff here.
 
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