which true "icons" have you seen?

[dougjwray]

This is mostly for my fellow oldtimers.
Which "icons" have you seen in concert? I'm talking about people worthy of biographical films, found in "History of the 20th century" books, beloved by young and old alike, etc., etc. No Geddys or Fleas allowed.
For my part, some of the people I've seen:
Ray Charles
Benny Goodman
Johnny Cash
Aretha Franklin
Miles Davis
Count Basie
Muddy Waters
Lennon, McCartney & Starr (individually)
B.B. King
Bob Dylan

There are more, but they might be "second tier" icons, so I'll quit there...

Anyone else?

 

[baba]

Not sure where to draw the line here, but you seem to have listed artists outside of rock mostly. In line with the same, here's a few that come to mind:

Elvin Jones
McCoy Tyner
Sonny Rollins
Ornette Coleman
John Lee Hooker
BB King
John McLaughlin
James Brown
Buddy Guy
Johnny Winter

As for older rock artists:

Eric Clapton
Jerry Garcia/Dead
Carlos Santana
Roger Waters/Floyd
John Fogerty
Paul Simon
David Bowie
George Clinton/P-Funk
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
Pete Townsend
Ozzy
Allmans
Yes

 

[mambo4]

Ray brown
Tito Puente
some hair band called "The Who"

 

[4bpauly]

Oscar Peterson
Neils Henning - Orsted Pederson

maybe not movies, but probably some books there.

 

[dougjwray]

Not sure where to draw the line here, but you seem to have listed artists outside of rock mostly. In line with the same, here's a few that come to mind:

Elvin Jones
McCoy Tyner
Sonny Rollins
Ornette Coleman
John Lee Hooker
BB King
John McLaughlin

Good list... I've seen all of them, plus (and I'm probably veering into some demi-icon territory here): Bill Evans, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan, Charles Mingus, Bo Diddley, Oscar Peterson/Milt Jackson/Ray Brown (together), Barney Kessel, Dexter Gordon, Jackie McLean, Stan Getz, the Byrds, Cream, Derek & the Dominos, Jefferson Airplane, Dead, Moby Grape, The Who, Neils Henning Orsted Pederson, Tony Williams, Art Blakey, Andres Segovia, Buddy Guy & Junior Wells, Albert King... there are more, but I'm gonna quit there...

 

[von buck]

My first concert were the Door's, in New Haven, the night Morrison was arrested on stage. Cream several times, Hendrix(with the Experience), The Jeff Beck Group (the Truth tour) Zepplin, Tull, the Dead, Janis,..
James Brown, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy Jr. Wells, Hooker, most of the old blues guys.
Miles Davis, Ornette Coleman,Mingus,Gene Krupa, Sinatra.
These are only the tip of the ice berg. i picked a good time to be an old guy.

Andy

 

[Phalex]

Well......

B.B. King
Bobby Bland
Johnny Winter
Santana
YES
C.S.N & Y
Jean Luc Ponty
Bob James
Grateful Dead
Allman Bros

 

[fo shizzle]

Ray Charles
B.B. King
Jerry Lee Lewis
Chuck Berry
Willie Nelson
Clapton
SRV
Townsend
Paul

 

[sarcastro83]

do Lou Reed and Toots and the Maytals count?

Almost got to see Burning Spear at a free show this summer or last (can't remember), but I got sick...

 

[Lazylion]

Just saw Chris Squire last Sunday. He's a bass icon in my book!

 

[Dr2Kitties]

I took bass lessons from CAROL KAYE!

....and for those of you younger bassists who don't recognize her name, Carol Kaye was the Los Angeles session bass player who is on literally thousands of 1960's and 1970's records, movie soundtracks, and television show theme songs.


Tisabelle

 

[dougjwray]

Okay, people... we're getting away from true "icon" (household name) material here...



(Carol Kaye, wow! Great bassist. She's still playing, right?)
(A footnote: I had a lesson with J. Pastorius, in his backyard, in 1977.)

 

[Bluesy Soul]

I've seen and heard more than I can remember and list (The Eagles, Santana, Leon Russell, The Four tops, The Temptations, The Ventures etc.), but the memorable ones are those my bands have opened for or backed up:

-Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels,
-Gary Lewis & The Playboys
-The Electric Prunes
-Buddy Knox

and those I saw and heard, because I was a reviewer for a local newspaper and had a press crredential, at a distance of 15 feet or less:

-Muddy Waters
-Albert Collins
-Albert King
-Michael Bloomfield
-The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
-Lynyrd Skynyrd

and, finally, I grew up with Tommy Bolin, played and jammed with him many times. We used to hang out at the local music store (United Music in Sioux City, Iowa) and often ate lunch together in high school.

Bluesy Soul

 

[StanFan]

Ozzy

 

[MAJOR METAL]

METALLICA , Elton John , U2.

 

[Kelly Lee]

Ozzy

+1

Ozzy and/or Black Sabbath are icons even if they only go back to the 60's.

Metallica is also another band worthy of the icon label. I don't care for them anymore but they have left their mark on music history.

 

[Stumbo]

Chicago w/Terry Kath - 4 times(2x at the Whiskey, sitting 10 feet from the stage)
John Lee Hooker
Ten Years After
Led Zeppelin
Crosby, Still, Nash & Young
Jimi Hendrix
Janis Joplin
ZZ Top (first L.A. performance)
Richie Havens
Joe Pass
Doobie Bros.
Steelie Dan
Journey

One band I was in backed The Drifters, Peaches and Herb, Big Joe Turner, Rosie and the Originals.

 

[Sneckumhaw]

Sweeney Todd feat. Nick Gilder

 

[scootron]

Tons of guys, but a few that haven't been mentioned:

John Mayall twice
Freddie King 70's
Tom Waits 70's
Buddy Guy
Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
Cedar Walton at the Village Vanguard (the venue made it cooler)
Johnny Winter early 70's
Leon Russell
Neil Young w/Crazy Horse

 

[Turock]

The Rolling Stones
Jeff Beck
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Allman Brothers
Pink Floyd
Yes
Johnny Winter
Edgar Winter
Leon Russell
BB King
Eric Clapton
Bob Dylan
Paul McCartney
ZZTop
Chicago
Jimmy Page
Carlos Santana
James Brown
Robert Plant
Mark Boston (AKA Rockette Morton)