New York is America’s first city when it comes to music, so drawing up a list of the 50 greatest New York musicians ever seemed like a logical thing for TONY to do. But what makes a musician great? And for that matter, what makes them a New Yorker?

Determining greatness is both easy and complex. Influence, innovation, sheer aesthetic brilliance—and the context of the times in which an artist brings those protean qualities to bear—all played a major part in our discussions, debates and arguments (oh, there were a few, but thankfully, TONY covered the hospital bills).

Deciding who is and who isn’t a bona fide New Yorker was a trickier endeavor, especially for jazz musicians, many of whom arrived in the city already armed with impressive résumés. Jazz may have been born in New Orleans, but it came of age, again and again, right here. As one general standard, we settled on a minimum five-year residence—but perception counted too. That’s why ultimately, with difficulty, we excluded Charlie Parker, who despite having his name on Avenue B, is claimed by Kansas City. The same goes for John Coltrane, who identified more as Philadelphian than New Yorker. Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie each spent quality time here, but it’s hard to think of either of them as locals; both established themselves as genuine citizens of the world. The Strokes? Come on, we’re talking great here. Billy Joel—see previous comment (plus, all his auto accidents were on Long Island). Frank Sinatra, son of Hoboken, became a star in Manhattan—yet he makes you think of Las Vegas. And so on. On the other hand, the members of Public Enemy came together at Adelphi University on Long Island, but they channeled the lightning energy of New York City as few others have. 

In the end, that was the one universal trait for all the musicians on our list: Their music ripples with the unique power and attitude of New York. None of them could have been who they are anywhere else.—Mike Wolf, Music editor