dreaminaboutu said:

daPrettyman said:

I can't pick just one:

I would say these are among my favorite/greatest entertainers:

James Brown would probably be at the top of my list. Especially since a lot of what we see and hear today came from him.

I would also add, Jackie Wilson, Michael Jackson, Prince, Sammy Davis Jr. (only because he did everything great), Tina Turner, Madonna and Fred Astair. All of these people are among the best to have ever done it.

I gotta give a vote to James Brown. He was electrifying. There was no doubt after I got the DVD of James Brown on the T.A.M.I Show in 1964. He thought he was going to be the closing act but they wanted it to be The Rolling Stones. The Stones reportedly contacted their booking agent and begged to be placed anywhere in the show NOT next to James (that's Mr. Brown to you...) and for good reason. James and his band tore that stage up. It is a legendary performance.

One of my regrets is I never got to see James live

Walt Disney

For the current conversation I will say it has to be Prince but back in the early 70's there was a guy named Napolean Murphy Brock who had it all- incredible stage presence, killer dance moves, fantastic vocal range and agility, played sax and flute to boot.

He was the lead singer in Frank Zappa's band at the time which also included Gerorge Duke, Ruth Underwood on vibes/percussion and drummer Chester Thompson.

I saw him perform on the Roxy and Elsewhere tour and I was absolutely blown away. I'm sure he could have easily led his own band and been a big star if he wanted to go in that direction. Not a lot of video exists from that time but here's the best I could find for yas:

[Edited 8/3/11 0:54am]

If the question is "entertainers", not musicians, then let's have some new names on the table:

Houdini.

Spielberg.

Walt Disney.

John Holmes.

Traci Lords.

But the answer's clearly David Bowie.

mjscarousal said:

TylerHippie said:

I wouldn't say he entertained them by doing that, it was his presence that had people so crazy.

When you entertain someone, it last for a longer time.

Of COUSE you would say this... I mean this is a PRINCE FORUM BUT on ANY regular forum on a good day golf forum, beauty forum, rap forum, ring forum, weightloss forum, music forum paybills forum AS WELL AS REAL LIFE etc etc etc... Michael Jackson wins all the time because HE IS.

You have to realize something, being a musician and entertainer are TWO different things. Musicians can also entertain as well however Prince is an ACQUIRED taste. I LOVE Prince but I have NEVER been entertained by him like how I am by Michael. There really is NO comparision. Your going to get this thread locked or just stir up more drama. Cause you talkin crazy shit now.

Just say you prefer Prince over MJ but Michael is the greatest hands down. This goes BEYOND tours. Michael as a performer could stand ALONE on stage with a mic and be entertaining. Michael DONT EVEN have to use his magical amazing natural dancing talent to entertain a crowd but on the other hand folks here only arguement for Prince is the fact that his plays instruments and interacts with the crowd. I like to see Prince do half the stuff Michael does and be able to bring tears to my eyes without no guitar in his hand and just his mic. Not to mention Prince is NO WHERE near as talented as Michael on VOCALS ALONE. It is MUCH more to being a entertainer and it is also much more as to why Michael is the greatest entertainer that ever lived besides his impact on tours.

[Edited 8/2/11 8:42am]

all of this !! amen..you took the words out of my mouth

as far as musical entertainers go:

Earth, Wind and Fire appealed to a widely diverse audience; as one of the first black rock/soul groups to cross over to a white audience, they paved the way for the entire rhythm and blues/pop crossover phenomenon of the late 1970s and the 1980s. Built on danceable funk, Latin, and African rhythms, layered with lush horn arrangements, the groups music urged listeners to enjoy life, to love, and to be open to the positive and mystical aspects of the universe.

IMO, we all need songs with positive lyrics. So much of today's popular trendy music is about moving from our bodies and so very little about value of our collective minds for a better tomorrow. A large part of current sounds in music is mind numbing when it should be finding futuristic values in ourselves and our planet and each other.

I'm a lyrical person -"There is a message in the music" if you take time to explicate the words.

(please take time to listen THippie)

Keep Your Head to the Sky

http://www.youtube.com/wa...4Lwh5k-TkY

Shinning Star

http://www.youtube.com/wa...c0AW67CmAh

and: Santana

Carlos Santana featured a melodic, blues-based guitar lines set against Latin and African rhythms featuring percussion instruments such as timbales and congas not generally heard in rock music. Oye Como Va features a mixture of Latin influences with familiar rock themes such as overdriven electric guitar, organ and heavy drums. Santana's stylistic versatility, became popular early on and he is well noted as one of the top (uncompromising) musicians of today.

Oye Como Va

http://www.youtube.com/wa...NsJ84YV1oA

Hope you're feeling better (instrumental)

http://www.youtube.com/wa...re=related

(these posted artist imo are two of the best in my music library. these 2 vinyl albums are just a few that were left to me by a loved one. i will leave them to my off-spring who is in late teens.)

All due respect, the best live performances I have ever seen have come from this woman:

[img:$uid]http://files.myopera.com/jekav/blog/tori-amos.jpg[/img:$uid]

Either solo or with a band, this woman brings it. Easily the most intense, emotional, powerful thing I've ever seen.

=0P

TylerHippie said:

I was watching Prince's Parade Tour, and he was performing "Life Can Be So Nice", and I said to myself, "this motherfucker is the greatest entertainer ever". As soon as I said that, I thought about

MJ(everyone claims he's the greastest entertainer of all time). Now, doing Prince's performance, he was really interacting with the crowd, playing a little bit of keyboards, doing some sexy as dance moves, hell, he even tried catching flowers with his mouth.

Second is Freddie Mercury, he was a far better entertainer than MJ. Simply because of his personality, and he was doing something different every show.

Point is, what makes a artist a great entertainer? Because there's no way in hell MJ was better than Prince or Freddie Mercury.

I LITERALLY SPAT Out what i was drinking and laughed out so loud..you just cant be serious

IDRAG4MJ said:

TylerHippie said:

I was watching Prince's Parade Tour, and he was performing "Life Can Be So Nice", and I said to myself, "this motherfucker is the greatest entertainer ever". As soon as I said that, I thought about

MJ(everyone claims he's the greastest entertainer of all time). Now, doing Prince's performance, he was really interacting with the crowd, playing a little bit of keyboards, doing some sexy as dance moves, hell, he even tried catching flowers with his mouth.

Second is Freddie Mercury, he was a far better entertainer than MJ. Simply because of his personality, and he was doing something different every show.

Point is, what makes a artist a great entertainer? Because there's no way in hell MJ was better than Prince or Freddie Mercury.

I LITERALLY SPAT Out what i was drinking and laughed out so loud..you just cant be serious

I'm quit serious...

Dig, all of this is my opinion. You have one too...

[Edited 8/3/11 5:42am]

bboy87 said:

It's all subjective

I prefer Michael but you can't deny someone like Sammy Davis Jr. the title either. Hell, he's the originator of that title

Like Graycap said, Sammy had IT altogether. The man lived, breathed, and DIED entertainment. He was show business to the day he died. He was a great singer, a great dancer, and a great actor. The original Mr. Entertainment. It annoys me that he doesn't get the recognitiion and respect he truly deserves. Before Michael, Prince, Jackie Wilson, and James Brown, it was Sammy. You really have to look back at Sammy's career to see how great he was.

Michael, who is my favorite, was very similar to that. To really put Michael in the context of "greatest entertainer", you just can't watch a concert from the Dangerous Tour or Bad Tour and make up your mind. You have to go ALL THE WAY BACK to 1969. I'm talking The Jackson 5's first TV performance on the Miss Black America pagaent singing "It's Your Thing" You gotta check out a 11 year old Michael RIPPING UP "Who's Loving You" on The Ed Sullivan Show, in fact, you gotta check out many of The Jackson 5's performance during 1969 to 1975. If you watch The Jackson 5 in Mexico concert from '75 or 2 shows from the Destiny Tour (Either the one in London or the one in New Orleans), you'll see what I mean. The Victory Tour and Bad Tour came and that's when the theatrics came. The lip synching, the pyro, the interludes, but because of what Michael saw entertainment as, I understand what he was going for. He sang, he danced, he wrote songs, and he acted (or tried )

When people say Michael Jackson is the greatest entertainer, they're not just talking about his stage shows, they're also talking about his album, his videos, his overall IT factor.

Prince, he's the most complete musician there is. That's where his heart is. His concerts are never the same, you can't predict what's he going to do next, and he's been able to pull it off for nearly 35 years! You see his shows and he puts his SOUL in it. I've listened to live concerts and had to rewind parts because it reels you in. Anybody who's heard the Septembre bootleg where he performs Purple Rain for the last time knows what I'm talking about. You end up tearing up, and you're listening to a 20 year old bootleg! He can just about anything and can pull it off

Freddie Mercury... what else can be said. IT'S FREDDIE MERCURY! All you gotta see is Queen's Live Aid performance and with that, enough said. Freddie Mercury is one of the few entertainers on my list who I can watch a full show from beginning to end without getting bored. That man's energy is unlimited. He had so much charisma, it seemed as if he didn't know what to do with it all

In the end, it comes down to communicating with the audience

Great Post. I definitly agree that Sammy deserves WAY more credit even the Nicholas Brothers who were awesome dancers.

Your perspective on MJ was very on point and well said.

The internet.

Liberace, coked oot his nut showing off his ring(s).

TheDigitalGardener said:

Liberace, coked oot his nut showing off his ring(s).

"Entertainer" sounds pretty cheesy. When I think of "entertainers" I think of clowns, strippers, stand up comedians, acrobats, magicians, TV show hosts and so on.

MJ the greatest entertainer ever? Why not. But in the same sense as clowns and strippers?

novabrkr said:

"Entertainer" sounds pretty cheesy. When I think of "entertainers" I think of clowns, strippers, stand up comedians, acrobats, magicians, TV show hosts and so on.

MJ the greatest entertainer ever? Why not. But in the same sense as clowns and strippers?

If you look at it that way, then you, he probably is.

^^^^

en·ter·tain·er/ˌentərˈtānər/

Noun: A person, such as a singer, dancer, or comedian, whose job is to entertain others.

bboy87 said:

It's all subjective

I prefer Michael but you can't deny someone like Sammy Davis Jr. the title either. Hell, he's the originator of that title

Like Graycap said, Sammy had IT altogether. The man lived, breathed, and DIED entertainment. He was show business to the day he died. He was a great singer, a great dancer, and a great actor. The original Mr. Entertainment. It annoys me that he doesn't get the recognitiion and respect he truly deserves. Before Michael, Prince, Jackie Wilson, and James Brown, it was Sammy. You really have to look back at Sammy's career to see how great he was.

Indeed. SD Jr. was a musician, singer, dancer, and comedic talent. He could really do it all, and that can't fully be said about the Princes, MJs and James Browns of the world.

But as you said, there are so many great entertainers who could vie for that title.

Louis Armstrong is widely credited as a founding father of modern entertainment. he was not only a powerhouse, innovative musician, but he also had the stage presence to hold a crowd in the palm of his hand. Most of the artists mentioned here owe him a debt of gratitude.

But so many others could vie for that title.

And, for the record, EVER? Can we look for another moniker, like, "of the modern era" or "last century"?

Ahem......

Elvis anyone?????

SquirrelMeat said:

Ahem......

Elvis anyone?????

purplethunder3121 said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Ahem......

Elvis anyone?????

Right on Thunder pants!

I'm going with Elvis.

Great live.

Crossover.

Big actor.

Most number ones of all time.

One of the most successful singers of all time.

Wrote a tune or two.

Had fantastic jump suits.

Lived life to the full.

Didn't play with little kids or do crack.

game over. E is the one.

SquirrelMeat said:

Ahem......

Elvis anyone?????

White face for true African American talent? I'll pass. I dont do imitators Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry etc are really the genius behind everything that is Elvis. Sorry

[Edited 8/3/11 9:18am]

SquirrelMeat said:

purplethunder3121 said:

Right on Thunder pants!

I'm going with Elvis.

Great live.

Crossover.

Big actor.

Most number ones of all time.

One of the most successful singers of all time.

Wrote a tune or two.

Had fantastic jump suits.

Lived life to the full.

Didn't play with little kids or do crack.

game over. E is the one.

I never got his appeal... all I saw was a bunch of girls swooning over him because they thought he had lots of sex appeal.

I didn't think he had a great voice, didn't really think he could dance that well, and I thought he was just OK. But then, I honestly think if I were white and liked the things white Americans liked then I would probably appreciate Elvis more.

To me he was a copy-cat and stood on the shoulders of greater men... like James Brown, Smokey Robinson, Sam Cook, and muthafucking Hector Lavoe.

Those men had voices... those men could sing and dance Elvis under the table... but then, that's just me.

Elvis was a good looking man though, he did have dreamy eyes. I'll give him that.

mjscarousal said:

SquirrelMeat said:

Ahem......

Elvis anyone?????

White face for true African American talent? I'll pass. I dont do imitators Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry etc are really the genius behind everything that is Elvis. Sorry

[Edited 8/3/11 9:18am]

Oh dear.... And the wolf reveals herself.

SquirrelMeat said:

mjscarousal said:

White face for true African American talent? I'll pass. I dont do imitators Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry etc are really the genius behind everything that is Elvis. Sorry

[Edited 8/3/11 9:18am]

Oh dear.... And the wolf reveals herself.

So has the baboon

mjscarousal said:

White face for true African American talent? I'll pass. I dont do imitators Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry etc are really the genius behind everything that is Elvis

SquirrelMeat said:

Oh dear.... And the wolf reveals herself.

So has the baboon

Eh?

Lets try and understand your logic. Are you saying Elvis is an imitator because he grew out of what went before him or are you simply picking on the colour of his skin?

If its the former, then by that logic, the likes of MJ and James Brown are also simply imitators. As are the Beatles, Prince and anyone you can find the slightest link to. Hell, it means the only people who can be classed as the greatest entertainer is the earliest one we can find.

If its the latter, well, that explains your stance on previous posts.

TylerHippie said:

MJ(everyone claims he's the greastest entertainer of all time). Now, doing Prince's performance, he was really interacting with the crowd, playing a little bit of keyboards, doing some sexy as dance moves, hell, he even tried catching flowers with his mouth.

Second is Freddie Mercury, he was a far better entertainer than MJ. Simply because of his personality, and he was doing something different every show.

Point is, what makes a artist a great entertainer? Because there's no way in hell MJ was better than Prince or Freddie Mercury.

All of the worst music ever was by Queen. Seriously.

MJ was without doubt one of the worlds greatest entertainers, even after the 76-87 golden period when all started to go horribly wrong.

Unholyalliance said:

Cinnamon234 said:

I'd say actually from the mid 90's and on, Prince was a BETTER performer than MJ. He was more spontaneous and had more variation in his shows. MJ lip synched too much for my liking in the 90's and kept rehashing old dance moves. "This Is It" showed a lot of promise however and i'm so upset we never even got to see one show.

Could you imagine Billie Jean with no Moonwalk? Actually...I would be curious to the audience's reaction.

Lol I wish he had done it. At least once. Chris Cornell showed in his cover of "Billie Jean" that it doesn't need a thumping beat or eye catching dance moves to be great. It can still stand on it's own without all of that. Chris' version actually made me appreciate the lyrics of the song more and realize what a dark song it actually is. Michael doing an unplugged version of "Billie Jean" would have been awesome if you ask me.

SquirrelMeat said:

mjscarousal said:

White face for true African American talent? I'll pass. I dont do imitators Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino and Chuck Berry etc are really the genius behind everything that is Elvis

So has the baboon

Eh?

Lets try and understand your logic. Are you saying Elvis is an imitator because he grew out of what went before him or are you simply picking on the colour of his skin?

If its the former, then by that logic, the likes of MJ and James Brown are also simply imitators. As are the Beatles, Prince and anyone you can find the slightest link to. Hell, it means the only people who can be classed as the greatest entertainer is the earliest one we can find.

If its the latter, well, that explains your stance on previous posts.

This isnt connect four or connect the dots ... this is a completely different topic and has nothing to do with other discussions lets stay on topic Also once again you show ur immaturity but I can laugh it off because it means nothing to me and im exactly humored by it

If you want to have mature discussion then act like it. All the name calling to trying to prove a point is not going to work and it only makes you look more ridiculous.

Their is no logic to understand.

Elvis had the it factor.

Good looks and a descent voice.

However he thrived during a time where racism and prejudice ran rapid. With that being said alot of his music as well as dance moves was stolen from alot of legendary black acts that Ive mentioned and NO credit has ever been given to them. Alot of this credit is falsely given to Elvis. The crown of "rock n roll" when the REAL kings are never spoken of who HE stole and admired himself. Their was nothing original or innovative about anything he did during the time. He brought the genius' of the artists I mentioned to the forefront and because he was white he became what he was DURING that period. Now we can look back and really put his talent and so called genius in its right perspective. Those African American acts innovated it all and was doing it long before Elvis but because he was popular and ... white DURING THAT PERIOD he became a big deal. BUT if I want to see the real masters behind his swagger jacking style then I will flip on Jackie Wilson or turn on Fats Dominos.

Please do not compare Elvis to Prince, MJ, and James You love comparing everybody to them to support an arguement. This has nothing to do with them.

I dont know but this thread certainley is entertaining.