Legends of 2016
Legends never really die, they only transform from their physical lives into their personal legacy. Now, in the beginning of the New Year, it is great time to begin to reflect on several artists whose souls have moved on in the next phase of their journey, but who left us with musical legacy that will continue to make an impact on generations to come.
We at GROM Audio have dedicated a blog for each artist to recount their contributions to the music industry and the world alike. See links below for respective pages of these amazing artists:
In their own rights, they each have lived and created art that will endure as their souls move forward through eternity. The sadness of their passing is surpassed by the remarkable achievements that will continue to inspire and entertain for endless generations to come. Other influential music artists who had left us last year include, Phife Dawge, Tom Fekete, Leon Russel, Keith Emerson, Greg Lake, and rising star Christina Grimmie.
2016 Top Charts
While 2016 was a hard year for both music artists and celebrities in general, the year also hallmarked the rise of many new artists and the resilience of a myriad of veteran performers. Billboard recently released their chart toppers of 2016. Among the categories that were covered were the major hitters in various genres.
Below is a recap of the number ones in several categories, demonstrating the best by success.
Adele was number one in top artist overall.
Adele has been around for many years and has maintained her staying power with her listeners. She found immediate success with her first album titled “19” in 2008. Last year she released “Adele Live 2016” and was able to have continued success by scoring a major hit with “Send My Love (To Your New Lover)”
Adele was able to mix simple urgent beats In “Send My Love,” complementing them with her smooth vocal melodies, and crowned sudden explosions of soft pop chores. The song demonstrates her ability to record tracks that balance competing musical elements to create a symmetrically harmonious pop hit.
Drake was number for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Artists.
A Canadian rapper and singer-songwriter, Drake initially found success as an actor on “Degrassi: The Next Generation,” a dramatic television series for teens in the early 2000s. Drake’s debut studio album “Thank Me Later in 2010,” reached number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Drake released “Views” in 2016 and had a hit with the single “One Dance.”
The album offers a swanky vibe that verges on machine efficiency but is balanced by the humanity in Drake’s singing and lyrics. This is perfectly represented in the first track on “Views” titled “Keep the Family Close.” In that track, the steely production is countered by the pleading melody of Drake’s voice as he reflects on an unsettled relationship.
Twenty Øne Piløts is a duo that made number one in Top Rock.
The members come from Columbus, Ohio and self-released their first album in 2009 titled “Twenty One Pilots.” Their album “Blurryface,” which was released in 2015 and scored them two hit singles in 2016: “Stressed Out” and “Ride.”
Though riding number one in the Rock charts of 2016, this group’s sound focuses more on pop sampling and vocals with elements of rap. Both songs center on the energy and stress of everyday life, while accompanied by the musical energy of pop techno arrangements that blend in a hip-hop bounce.
Chris Stapleton made number one as Top Country Artist.
A singer-songwriter from Lexington, Kentucky; Stapleton started his musical career with the country band The SteelDrivers. He released his debut album in 2015 titled “Traveler” and had a hit single from the album in 2016 called “Parachute.”
“Parachute” is a staple of the kind of song that Stapleton has crafted over the years, focusing on his strong melodic vocals and centered on a traditional arrangement of country and blue-grass elements that includes guitar and banjo.
Joe Bonamassa was number as Blues Album Artist.
A blues rock guitarist and singer-songwriter, Bonamessa opened for B.B. King when he was 12 years old. Since then, he has put out 15 solo albums. His latest album in 2016 “Blues of Desperation” reached number one on the Billboards Blues Albums of 2016. His latest album focuses on guitar riffs and blues vocals that sound like if AC/DC had joined forces with Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Lindsey Webster reached number one for Smooth Jazz Artist.
Webster grew up in Woodstock, NY where she developed her love of the arts and became an accomplished cellist. Webster released her second album “Back to Your Heart” in 2016 and quickly reached number one on Billboard’s Smooth Jazz Songs. The album features smooth Jazz arrangements followed by Webster silky smooth R&B vocals.
The success of these artist and many others last year demonstrate both their passion and skills in music that enabled them to reach to the top. For more on Billboards records for 2016, please visit their year-end page at http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end
Here is a compilation of our playlist featuring these artist on Spotify: 2016 Playlist
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