Steve Earle, the renowned country music rebel, once said of his early mentor: "Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole wide world, and "I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." A bold statement -- but in certain regards, Van Zandt's influence stretches as

Contemplative, Gritty, Rebel, Rough, Smoky

Raised in Avalon, Mississippi, Hurt learned to play guitar at age 9. He spent much of his youth playing old time music for friends and dances, earning a living as a farm hand into the 1920s. In 1923 he often partnered with the fiddle player Willie Narmour (Carroll County Blues) as a substitute for hi

Gritty, Playful, Repetitive, Rhythmic, Self-reflection, Witty

80s synthpop, Domestic, Feminine, Fleeting, Glamour, Grand, Gritty, Intense, Intimate, Melancholy, Pop, Queer, Rhythmic, Sensual, Serene, Sexy, Smart, Sophisticated

The Pretty Things pioneered a raw approach to rhythm and blues that influenced a number of key bands of the 1960s British invasion, particularly The Rolling Stones. The Pretty Things were preceded by Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys, which consisted of Dick Taylor, fellow Sidcup Art College stude

Classic rock, Cool, Distorted, Gritty, Hypnotic, Implosive, Intense, Joyful, Minimal, Physical force, Playful, Pop, Power, Primal, Quirky, Repetitive, Rhythmic, Rough