Which American states have the greatest musicians?

New Jersey: Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Connie Francis, Dionne Warwick, Frankie Valli, Sarah Vaughn, John Bon Jovi, My Chemical Romance, Kool & the Gang, Count Basie, Deborah Harry...

^ Whitney Houston (NJ)

Kentucky, duh, the home of bluegrass. Jack Harlow, the Judds, the Everly Brothers, Loretta Lynn, Rosemary Clooney, etc.

R1 - also Gloria Gaynor, The Smithereens, Queen Latifah and The Fugees. And David Cassidy, while from NY, was raised by his NJ grandparents after his parents' divorce.

Texas: Van Cliburn, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Willie Nelson, Buddy Holly, ZZ Top, Roy Orbison, Albert Collins, Usher, Beyonce, Selena, Joe Tex, the Dixie Chicks, Jerry Jeff Walker, Townes van Zandt, Lizzo, Lyle Lovett, Johnny Winter, Edgar Winter, Erykah Badu, Don Henley, Janis Joplin, Flaco Jimenez, Pantera and the Butthole Surfers.

Surely California ranks in the Top 3? Tom Waits, Kendrick Lamar, Miles Davis, The Beach Boys, Cher, Randy Newman, Jane's Addiction, Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Cage, The Eagles, Metallica, Jefferson Airplane, Guns 'N' Roses, Jackson Browne, James Taylor, Lindsey Buckingham, Chet Baker, Dave Brubeck...

^NWA!

Michigan has Aaliyah, Alice Cooper, Aretha Franklin, Bob Seger, Eminem, Glenn Frey, Iggy Pop, Jackie Wilson, Madonna, Marvin Gaye, MC5, Parliament-Funkadelic, the Romantics, Smoky Robinson and the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Sufjan Stevens, The Temptations, White Stripes….

Even if the Motown stable are ignored, there is excellent representation from the rest.

An side question is which state contains the greatest number of famously bad musicians

Easy - Louisiana!

Michigan: Motown.

Minnesota - Prince, The, Replacements, Husker Du, Soul Asylum, Bob Dylan, Judy Garland, The Jets, Morris Day and the Time, The Jayhawks, The Andrews Sisters, Eddie Cochran

R6 James Taylor? Miles Davis? I don’t think any of the Eagles are actually from California

James Taylor is from Boston.

Dean Martin and Doris Day were from Ohio. But I don't know who else.

Washington: Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, Jimi Hendrix, Bing Crosby, Queensryche, Sir Mix-A-Lot. Dozens of other indie and grunge bands, too many to name.

Georgia.

On a per capita basis, Jersey rules!

Florida has Vanilla Ice.

Thread Closed

[Actually, there are a bunch, from Tom Petty to Gloria Estefan.]

Michigan seems to breed musicians

[quote] I don’t think any of the Eagles are actually from California

I think r6 is copying his answers from ranker or google and not checking.

The Eagles are an LA band, part of the “LA Sound” of the 70s; they even introduce themselves as “the Eagles from Los Angeles”. Even though the members themselves hail from all over the continent.

R10 whats the point of listing one hit wonders? Soul Asylum didnt make great music.

The California girl upthread wisely made no mention reedy Adam Levine or foghorn Katy Perry, nor did OP mention dumb Okie Blake Shelton.

Speaking of Lauryn Hill and New Jersey...

Lauryn Hill Delivers a Surprise Performance at Her High School Reunion in New Jersey

Mississippi: Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, B. B. King, Howlin Wolf, Bo Diddley, John Hurt, Sam Cook, John Lee Hooker, Elvis Presley, Leontyne Price, Jimmie Rogers, Charley Pride, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette, Bobbie Gentry, Jimmy Buffett, Faith Hill, Thelma Houston, Steve Forbert, LeAnn Rimes, Lance Bass, Brandy

It's clearly Michigan.

Georgia has a little bit of everything