US States Ranked By Musical Importance

[Gass3268]

I've been working on this list for a while, as it is ranking the states (plus DC) based on their musical impotance. Thought everyone here would find it interesting considering its a cross between music and geography.

1.   New York
2.   California
3.   Tennessee
4.   Texas
5.   Michigan
6.   Washington
7.   Louisiana
8.   New Jersey
9.   Illinois
10.   Georgia
11.   Pennsylvania
12.   Ohio
13.   Mississippi
14.   Florida
15.   Massachusetts
16.   Minnesota
17.   Missouri
18.   Indiana
19.   Washington DC
20.   North Carolina
21.   Virginia
22.   Oklahoma
23.   Kentucky
24.   Alabama
25.   Arizona
26.   Wisconsin
27.   Maryland
28.   Arkansas
29.   Oregon
30.   Connecticut
31.   New Mexico
32.   Colorado
33.   South Carolina
34.   Nebraska
35.   Kansas
36.   North Dakota
37.   West Virginia
38.   Vermont
39.   Delaware
40.   Utah
41.   Nevada
42.   Rhode Island
43.   Iowa
44.   Idaho
45.   Hawaii
46.   Alaska
47.   Maine
48.   New Hampshire
49.   Montana
50.   South Dakota
51.   Wyoming

[Filuwaúrdjan]

racist list is racist

[free my dawg]

Uhh... NH definitely isn't 48th.

We had Stephen Tyler, Ronnie James Dio, and Sully Erna. We may not have much pop to our name, but goddamn we can rock out.

[Gass3268]

Uhh... NH definitely isn't 48th.

We had Stephen Tyler, Ronnie James Dio, and Sully Erna. We may not have much pop to our name, but goddamn we can rock out.

But Aerosmith and Godsmack started in Massachusetts and Dio lived most of his life in New York before starting in music. That's what this list looks at

racist list is racist

Wait, what?

[traininthedistance]

Glad to see the Jerz getting its due here in the top 10.

[King]

care to explain the methodology?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

The Great One came from Minnesota. And Willie is from Texas.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Mississippi not in the top ten?

[7,052,770]

Not putting Mississippi at #1 is crazy. Without the Delta blues and Elvis, America's popular music would be unrecognizable.

[angus]

Not putting Mississippi at #1 is crazy. Without the Delta blues and Elvis, America's popular music would be unrecognizable.

I was surprised as well at the low ranking of Mississippi.

I think we should give a shout out to neighboring states Louisiana and Tennessee also.  Jazz was born in Louisiana, but quickly travels upriver to Saint Louis.  Blues comes from Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.  Rock and Roll may have been born in Mississippi, in the sense that those in whom it originated were natives of the Hospitality State, but it first comes out in Memphis.  Soul music comes from Philadelphia, but its godfather, James Brown, comes from South Carolina.  Country music, as well as gospel, originated in Massachusetts, but travels quickly via the Appalachian Mountain region and really becomes popular in the lower Mississippi valley and in the Great Plains.  R&B comes originally from New York, but is popularized in urban centers such as Atlanta and Los Angeles.  The lower Mississippi River valley region seems very important in American popular music.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Any list that doesn't have DC at #1 is crazy. #19? WTF wow.

Here's what the top 10 should be counting only good music:

1-DC (hands down and far ahead of everything else)
2-New York
3-New Jersey (NEW BRUNSWICK! I bet traininthedistance strongly disagrees with me that it's the best city in the state hands down though.)
4-Pennsylvania
5-California (but basically just Bay Area + San Diego. Non-San Diego SoCal can f[inks] off.)
6-Washington
7-Illinois
8-Maryland (Oddly mostly for Annapolis. AKA The Hated and Moss Icon)
9-Massachusetts
10-Minnesota (yep I can fit us on here thanks to Husker Du mostly.)

Mississippi would be #51.

Also are we going only based on artists from the state and not fests hosted there? Because if we count fests Indiana would be in the top 10.

[7,052,770]

Any list that doesn't have DC at #1 is crazy. #19? WTF wow.

Here's what the top 10 should be counting only good music:

1-DC (hands down and far ahead of everything else)
2-New York
3-New Jersey (NEW BRUNSWICK! I bet traininthedistance strongly disagrees with me that it's the best city in the state hands down though.)
4-Pennsylvania
5-California (but basically just Bay Area + San Diego. Non-San Diego SoCal can f[inks] off.)
6-Washington
7-Illinois
8-Maryland (Oddly mostly for Annapolis. AKA The Hated and Moss Icon)
9-Massachusetts
10-Minnesota (yep I can fit us on here thanks to Husker Du mostly.)

Mississippi would be #51.

Also are we going only based on artists from the state and not fests hosted there? Because if we count fests Indiana would be in the top 10.

Without the Delta Blues none of your dude music would have ever existed...

[Nutmeg]

Any list that doesn't have DC at #1 is crazy. #19? WTF wow.

Here's what the top 10 should be counting only good music:

1-DC (hands down and far ahead of everything else)

What history am I unaware of here?

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Any list that doesn't have DC at #1 is crazy. #19? WTF wow.

Here's what the top 10 should be counting only good music:

1-DC (hands down and far ahead of everything else)

What history am I unaware of here?

Revolution Summer. For more info: http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2012/nov/27/rites-spring-summer-punk-rock

And of course Minor Threat, and then later Fugazi. And then the whole Dischord Records scene.

[Oswald Acted Alone, You Kook]

Louisiana could be higher. Jazz is the only thing about America that's truly American.

[Donerail]

Any list that doesn't have DC at #1 is crazy. #19? WTF wow.

Here's what the top 10 should be counting only good music:

Also are we going only based on artists from the state and not fests hosted there? Because if we count fests Indiana would be in the top 10.

I feel your definition of 'good music' has very little to do with 'musical importance'.

[Gass3268]

care to explain the methodology?

First I complied a massive list of artists and influential non-performers (producers, song-writers, executives, etc.). I looked at where the musican/non-performer started there musical career. This process took me a couple weeks. Then I ranked the states based on the following criteria:

- Centers of music (length of time as a center, importance, number) (New York City, Los Angeles, Nashville, New Orleans, etc)
- Genres associated with the state (Bluegrass-Kentucky, Jazz-Lousiana and New York, Blues-Mississippi and Illinois, etc)
- Legends (Imporant acts are weighed more)
- Then number of acts that I could find

Mississippi not in the top ten?

Mississippi was difficult to rank because it was the home of the Delta Blues, but many of the acts from area where born and raised in Mississippi but went north, mainly to Chicago and Chess Records, to start their music careers. I'll relook at the list, I could see moving MS up to 11.

Not putting Mississippi at #1 is crazy. Without the Delta blues and Elvis, America's popular music would be unrecognizable.

I gave Elvis to Tenessee as he moved there at age 13 well before he stared his musical career.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Not putting Mississippi at #1 is crazy. Without the Delta blues and Elvis, America's popular music would be unrecognizable.

I was surprised as well at the low ranking of Mississippi.

I think we should give a shout out to neighboring states Louisiana and Tennessee also.  Jazz was born in Louisiana, but quickly travels upriver to Saint Louis.  Blues comes from Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.  Rock and Roll may have been born in Mississippi, in the sense that those in whom it originated were natives of the Hospitality State, but it first comes out in Memphis.  Soul music comes from Philadelphia, but its godfather, James Brown, comes from South Carolina.  Country music, as well as gospel, originated in Massachusetts, but travels quickly via the Appalachian Mountain region and really becomes popular in the lower Mississippi valley and in the Great Plains.  R&B comes originally from New York, but is popularized in urban centers such as Atlanta and Los Angeles.  The lower Mississippi River valley region seems very important in American popular music.

how are country and gospel from Massachusetts?

[Atlas Has Shrugged]

Any list that doesn't have DC at #1 is crazy. #19? WTF wow.

Here's what the top 10 should be counting only good music:

1-DC (hands down and far ahead of everything else)
2-New York
3-New Jersey (NEW BRUNSWICK! I bet traininthedistance strongly disagrees with me that it's the best city in the state hands down though.)
4-Pennsylvania
5-California (but basically just Bay Area + San Diego. Non-San Diego SoCal can f[inks] off.)
6-Washington
7-Illinois
8-Maryland (Oddly mostly for Annapolis. AKA The Hated and Moss Icon)
9-Massachusetts
10-Minnesota (yep I can fit us on here thanks to Husker Du mostly.)

Mississippi would be #51.

Also are we going only based on artists from the state and not fests hosted there? Because if we count fests Indiana would be in the top 10.

Without the Delta Blues none of your dude music would have ever existed...

Agreed in full.

[Badger]

Any list that doesn't have DC at #1 is crazy. #19? WTF wow.

Here's what the top 10 should be counting only good music:

1-DC (hands down and far ahead of everything else)
2-New York
3-New Jersey (NEW BRUNSWICK! I bet traininthedistance strongly disagrees with me that it's the best city in the state hands down though.)
4-Pennsylvania
5-California (but basically just Bay Area + San Diego. Non-San Diego SoCal can f[inks] off.)
6-Washington
7-Illinois
8-Maryland (Oddly mostly for Annapolis. AKA The Hated and Moss Icon)
9-Massachusetts
10-Minnesota (yep I can fit us on here thanks to Husker Du mostly.)

Mississippi would be #51.

Also are we going only based on artists from the state and not fests hosted there? Because if we count fests Indiana would be in the top 10.

Without the Delta Blues none of your dude music would have ever existed...

How did I just know BRTD's "contribution" to this thread would be awful and painful?

[angus]

how are country and gospel from Massachusetts?

The same way Blue Laws are, I suppose.  Of course, gospel music's inception is usually accredited to a native Pennsylvanian, Philip Bliss, but his father, who also loved music and Methodism, was from Springfield, Massachusetts.  And folks have been hootin' and hollerin' about separatism from The Church of England since before even Jamestowne, Virginia was established, but they first showed up in the Americas in Plymouth in 1620.  Drinking homemade beer, eating red corn, and squatting on Squato's land, they sang their praises to the Good Lord Jesus early on.  Colonial music historian David Hildebrand writes quite a bit about this, but for a more contemporary account look up the history of the church hymns of Massachusetts native Dwight Moody.

Country is more obviously from Massachusetts.  Its origin is usually accredited to the Scot-Irish population of the Appalachians, from PA through WV, VA, and TN, and many folks claim Briston, VA as its "birthplace" but they don't look far enough back.  Old time music goes back to the rural areas of New England beginning in the 17th century.  

Of course, those two styles, Gospel and Country, may have originated in New England, but most of the other original American forms started in the Deep South.  Rock'n'Roll, Jazz, and Blues all were born in the lower Mississippi River Valley, with a blending of early 20th-century negro styles and the gospel and country of southerners, so I'd have to agree on some level with Harry.  The Hospitality State deserves a higher ranking than 16.  I'm not sure I'd go with #1, since Louisiana spawned Jazz, and Elvis, though born in Mississippi, really got his big break in Memphis, Tennessee, but Mississippi should certainly be in the top ten, in my humble opinion.

[🐒Gods of Prosperity🔱🐲💸]

Very interesting - though when it comes to old time music derived from the English folk traditions the Virginians had a few years on New England. There's records of fiddling in early Jamestown, and they've excavated tambourine jangles from the period.