Which dead singer/band would be most relevant today?

[Str8Shooter]

So of all the great musical artists that have passed away before their time. Which one, if they were still alive today, would be the most relevant to the World right now?

[Westcoastvibes]

Dimebag for sure, maybe Bradley Nowell, I forget her name but the English chick that sung that "rehab" song.

[Everlong]

It would have to be someone who died recently who was still fairly young, because even some of the biggest named artists who died young (Hendrix, Morrison, Mercury) would have been long past their prime.

Possibly Kurt Cobain, but the grunge movement was already slowing down before his death and they might not be any more relevant than a band like Pearl Jam right now (still relevant of course, just not extremely culturally important right now).

Wouldn't be Michael Jackson, because he, too was long past his prime.

Maybe Amy Winehouse, she wasn't super influential yet when she died but seemed to be gaining some traction.

I think most likely would be Tupac or Biggie. They were extremely influential on their genre and were two of the greatest of all time.

[War Daddy]

Dimebag for sure, maybe Bradley Nowell, I forget her name but the English chick that sung that "rehab" song.

I second the Dimebag mention.

[Westcoastvibes]

Dimebag for sure, maybe Bradley Nowell, I forget her name but the English chick that sung that "rehab" song.

I second the Dimebag mention.

I am almost positive that death or no death pantera would still be separated but I do think that the Abbott brothers would be tearing shit up if dime was still with us

[blackparade]

Queen, hands down. If Freddie Mercury were still around, music as a whole would be better.

[Westcoastvibes]

Queen, hands down. If Freddie Mercury were still around, music as a whole would be better.

No way, as great as Mercury/Queen was I just dont think that they would have adapted to keep on top long enough to change the coarse of music from what it is now.

[Locke]

No one, because most people who die become famous because of their untimely death and suddenly all their stuff is untouchable and legendary. I still remember grunge, I still remember when Nirvana was around. Yeah, they were popular alright, they were wonderfully popular, but so were other grunge bands. Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Stone Temple Pilots, more that I'm brainfarting on atm because I'm at work, they were wildly popular and famous, too. Now no one cares about either SP or STP, Billy Corgan is running some oddball pro-wrestling show for AMC (I think), and the lead singer of STP, Scott Weiland, is known for being a whiny princess that no one likes.. and Pearl Jam is still pretty awesome but they aren't nearly as "important" or "famous" or "lucrative" as fucks like Justin Beiber and One Direction.

So yeah. No one.

[Battleaxe]

Dimebag is a pretty good candidate, as I'd say his place in history as an all-time guitarist was already cemented by the time he died. I bet he'd be playing in various super-groups these days.

[Westcoastvibes]

Dimebag is a pretty good candidate, as I'd say his place in history as an all-time guitarist was already cemented by the time he died. I bet he'd be playing in various super-groups these days.

Right alongside Dave grohl and Cory Taylor

[War Daddy]

Dimebag is a pretty good candidate, as I'd say his place in history as an all-time guitarist was already cemented by the time he died. I bet he'd be playing in various super-groups these days.

Right alongside Dave grohl and Cory Taylor

There was another band that DIme and his bro formed outside of Pantera but I cant remember the name for the life of me.

[Westcoastvibes]

Dimebag is a pretty good candidate, as I'd say his place in history as an all-time guitarist was already cemented by the time he died. I bet he'd be playing in various super-groups these days.

Right alongside Dave grohl and Cory Taylor

There was another band that DIme and his bro formed outside of Pantera but I cant remember the name for the life of me.

Damage plan I think. Or that was Phil's new band I can't remember

[War Daddy]

Dimebag is a pretty good candidate, as I'd say his place in history as an all-time guitarist was already cemented by the time he died. I bet he'd be playing in various super-groups these days.

Right alongside Dave grohl and Cory Taylor

There was another band that DIme and his bro formed outside of Pantera but I cant remember the name for the life of me.

Damage plan I think. Or that was Phil's new band I can't remember

Damageplan! It was good stuff for sure.

[PorkChop]

I had no idea who Dimebag was until he died, and providing he was alive, would hardly be more relevant in modern society than Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Freddy Mercury, etc.

Sounds like fanboyism to me.

[War Daddy]

I had no idea who Dimebag was until he died, and providing he was alive, would hardly be more relevant in modern society than Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Freddy Mercury, etc.

Sounds like fanboyism to me.

Dimebag was one of the greatest, kindest human beings to walk this planet. How relevant he would've been, we will never know. Thanks to that giant asscunt who killed him.

[PorkChop]

I had no idea who Dimebag was until he died, and providing he was alive, would hardly be more relevant in modern society than Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson, Freddy Mercury, etc.

Sounds like fanboyism to me.

Dimebag was one of the greatest, kindest human beings to walk this planet. How relevant he would've been, we will never know. Thanks to that giant asscunt who killed him.

Probably not very, considering he's barely/never mentioned in mainstream Western society.

Kurt Cobain has films on Netflix, books about his life and death, and Nirvana is still a popular band amongst teenagers and they still sell a ton of merchandise. Freddy Mercury is one of the greatest musical icons of all time and is revered in countries like Britain, and Michael Jackson will probably always be the 'king of pop'. On top of those, you still have legends like Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Bob Marley, the list goes on and on.

Dimebag may have been a cool guy, but he doesn't deserve a mention here. There are far, far more musical legends who were more relevant to society than him during their lives, and are still more relevant to modern day society after their deaths.

[Hanley!]

Yeah, I was actually a relatively big Pantera fan back when Dimebag died and was definitely influenced by his death. In fact I think we still have a video tape somewhere of a drinking session that we recorded that we dedicated to the memory of Dimebag.

That being said, I don't think he really belongs in this conversation. While Pantera are an influential band in terms of the thrash metal scene, and Dimebag was an extremely talented guitarist, he didn't have the same cultural influence that others mentioned have had. He's probably at a disadvantage right away just for being a guitarist too. Singers are almost always going to have more influence.

[Westcoastvibes]

Yeah, I was actually a relatively big Pantera fan back when Dimebag died and was definitely influenced by his death. In fact I think we still have a video tape somewhere of a drinking session that we recorded that we dedicated to the memory of Dimebag.

That being said, I don't think he really belongs in this conversation. While Pantera are an influential band in terms of the thrash metal scene, and Dimebag was an extremely talented guitarist, he didn't have the same cultural influence that others mentioned have had. He's probably at a disadvantage right away just for being a guitarist too. Singers are almost always going to have more influence.

Isn't this about relevancy after death?
Even though he was not mainstream pop culture, dime has been labeled as one of thee best guitarist of his generation. I honestly feel that if still alive, he may not have become any more of a pop culture icon than he was but his influence upon the rock/metal genre would be immense. Many major bands like linkin park, theory of a dead man, 30 seconds to mars, the white stripes, avenged sevenfold and more have all labled pantera/dime as a major influence to their lives and creativity. If he was still alive today it is likely that many bands would attribute their success to his music and most likely the popular sounds of today new rock would be different because of those bands.

I consider that to be influence upon music, maybe not most influential but a notible mention none the less

[Kirbi]

In the it's really hard to know, 'cause he died so early in his career category, I'd like to nominate Jeff Buckley.

I also admit to only knowing the name Dimebag because I have friends who are proper metal-heads.

[Hanley!]

Isn't this about relevancy after death?
Even though he was not mainstream pop culture, dime has been labeled as one of thee best guitarist of his generation. I honestly feel that if still alive, he may not have become any more of a pop culture icon than he was but his influence upon the rock/metal genre would be immense. Many major bands like linkin park, theory of a dead man, 30 seconds to mars, the white stripes, avenged sevenfold and more have all labled pantera/dime as a major influence to their lives and creativity. If he was still alive today it is likely that many bands would attribute their success to his music and most likely the popular sounds of today new rock would be different because of those bands.

I consider that to be influence upon music, maybe not most influential but a notible mention none the less

In terms of relevance after death, already people gave less of a shit about him before he died because he wasn't in Pantera anymore. That was the band that put him on the map and that people really responded to.

His style of playing definitely influenced other bands ... though I'm having trouble seeing connections between Dimebag and some of the bands you mentioned ... the White Stripes? And he was one of the most talented guitarists of the time. But others who were less talented were more loved, more known and more influential. And it seems like his level of influence was leveling out anyway, so if he were still around today he'd probably be a lot less relevant than he was in his prime.