The Top 50 Geniuses of Pop Music

20 Little Richard
Bubblegum superfreak
Genius credentials: If anybody was to uncage the animal lust at the heart of rock & roll, who better than the pimp-suited, pompadoured, piano-pumping Pentecostal queen, Richard Penniman? Chuck Berry may have written the book, but on a string of singles unmatched for sheer whomp — “Tutti Frutti,” “Long Tall Sally,” “Good Golly Miss Molly” — Little Richard invented the wheel. An ocean away, John Lennon and Paul McCartney could only stare, slackjawed.
His peers agree! “Little Richard is the originator.” — Mick Jagger
Genius zenith: The Georgia Peach (Specialty, 1991)

19 Neil Young
Been there, did that
Genius credentials: Only fellow ’60s crank Bob Dylan can cite as flourishing and varied a career as Young, and even Dylan must be impressed by Young’s pathological refusal to stick to the script. From hippie rocker to singer-songwriter to punk proselytizer to grunge gene mapper — and some head-scratching detours in between — Young’s zigzag wanderings have emboldened budding iconoclasts from Kurt Cobain to Jeff Tweedy.
His peers agree! “No one except Neil can tell you what Neil’s going to do next.” — David Crosby
Genius zenith: Rust Never Sleeps (Reprise, 1979)

18 Aretha Franklin
Queen of soul
Genius credentials: A preacher’s daughter from Detroit, Aretha Franklin brought the passion of the church to secular R&B, erupting on a series of funky late-’60s singles to wail with naked desire. Notoriously moody, she often displayed lousy artistic judgment — as shown by her limp 1980s work with Kenny G. and George Michael — though her down-home attack could bring soul even to such pop slush as “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
Her peers agree! “Her genius transcends all categories.” — Producer Jerry Wexler
Genius zenith: I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You (Atlantic, 1967)

17 Grandmaster Flash
Grandmaster, cut faster!
Genius credentials: Every time a DJ “scratches” a vinyl record, it’s a tip of the Kangol to Grandmaster Flash, a.k.a. Joseph Saddler. The Bronx, New York–raised former electronics student also innovated “cutting” — segueing between two records precisely on the beat. These two cornerstones of hip-hop turntabling dwarf even the innovations of his cohorts the Furious Five, namely the crowd exhortation “Everybody say ‘Ho!’ ”
His peers agree! “Flash is fast/Flash is cool.” — Blondie, “Rapture”
Genius zenith: The Message (Sugar Hill, 1982)

16 Pete Townshend
Got old, but his music didn’t
Genius credentials: The rock opera. The power chord. The willful destruction of instruments. It’s almost easier to list the things Who guitarist Pete Townshend didn’t pioneer back in the ’60s. But it’s his extraordinary songwriting, from the teen scream of “My Generation” to the song cycles of Tommy and Quadrophenia, that justify Townshend’s predictably immodest assessment of his own “brilliance.”
His peers agree! “Give me power chords, man. I love Pete Townshend.” — Miles Davis
Genius zenith: Who’s Next (MCA, 1971)
VIDEO: The Who's Classic Smothers Brothers Interview

15 Paul McCartney
In any other band, he’s the number 1 genius
Genius credentials: The cute, clever, charming and controlling Beatle hides his complexity behind a folksy facade. Likewise his songs: effortlessly enjoyable, yet they strike a deep and lasting human chord. Such masterpieces as “Hey Jude,” “Here There and Everywhere” and “Yesterday” soothe the soul and gladden the heart. And only next to the Beatles does his work with Wings disappoint.
His peers agree! “Paul McCartney is one of the best songwriters of all time.” — Oasis’s Noel Gallagher
Genius zenith: Revolver (Capitol, 1966)

14 Jimi Hendrix
Rock’s resident guitar god
Genius credentials: His reign would last a mere four years, from the release of 1967’s Are You Experienced to his death in September 1970. But that was long enough for the onetime Isley Brothers session man to reveal just exactly what you could do with the guitar: feedback solos, twisted cover versions (“The Star-Spangled Banner,” Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower”), experimental psychedelia, onstage pyromania.
His peers agree! “He was a left-handed motherfucking genius.” — Les Paul
Genius zenith: Electric Ladyland (MCA, 1968)

13.5 Morrissey
Fabulously Miserable
Genius credentials: It is arguable that whatever James Brown did for hip-hop, Morrissey did for emo. By transforming personal annihilation into high art and degradation into grandiose pop theater, the Moz went deeper than one thought possible, mobilizing a legion of loners and weaklings into a ferociously loyal army in the process.
His peers agree! "I would be devastated if Morrissey didn't like us" - Brandon Flowers, the Killers
Genius zenith: The Queen is Dead (Warner Brothers, 1986)

13 Michael Jackson
No longer the king, but back when . . .
Genius credentials: On the landmarks Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982), Michael Jackson transformed dance music into an album genre and busted the color barrier on MTV. His self-disfigurement now overshadows his talent, but today’s pop stars still mimic his every hiccup and twirl.
His peers agree! “What is a genius? What is a living legend? What is a megastar? Michael Jackson — that’s all.” — Elizabeth Taylor
Genius zenith: Thriller (Epic, 1982)

12 James Brown
The godfather
Genius credentials: From the tough soul of “Cold Sweat” to the late-’60s empowerment anthem “Say It Loud — I’m Black and I’m Proud” to the hard funk that lay the foundation for hip-hop, Brown is the fountainhead of modern black music. While the swaggering, self-styled Soul Brother Number 1 specializes in positive messages, his moral authority has been undercut by numerous legal scrapes, including a late-’80s jail sentence for guns and drugs. On the other hand, his 2006 wake onstage at the Apollo Theater was an affair befitting a king.
His peers agree! “James Brown is a genius.” — Michael Jackson
Genius zenith: Live at the Apollo (Polydor, 1963)

11 Elvis Presley
In the beginning . . .
Genius credentials: His early sides (“Heartbreak Hotel,” “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Hound Dog”) sound tame now, but back in the late ’50s, they appeared to have been beamed down from another, very sexy planet. The Hollywood years were the brainchild of “Colonel” Tom Parker, Presley’s poltroon of a manager, but clad entirely in black, Presley returned, sexier than ever. His death, as the ever-sentimental Parker noted, “changed nothing.”
His peers agree! “Elvis was the best, the most unique. He started the ball rolling. He deserves the recognition.” — Jim Morrison
Genius zenith: From Elvis in Memphis (RCA, 1969)