Look what CCR (and Janis) did in a few short years. No one sounds like CCR, though many follow in their wake (think most Southern rock and roots rock) and they wrote great songs, Green River, Down on the Corner, Bad Moon Rising, Who’ll Stop the Rain, etc.

Janis was the premier white female blues singer/belter. She could interpret a song with such passion it can make you cry.

Bowie is pretty much without passion. Though I do give him credit for bringing Stevie Ray Vaughn to a wider audience.

I once took a uni course that was supposed to be “the history of rock”, but a sick professor meant a replacement at the head of the class. Instead of rock we got “the history of the blues” taught by an accomplished musician and public radio (WDET) disc jockey. He came to class with arm loads of old records and multiple guitars. Man, it was sweet. We covered some rock toward the end of the semester, and of all the white musicians who adopted the blues he held Janis in the highest regard. He said she really had the blues, she wasn’t just playing it.

Anyway, i voted for Bowie.

Anyway, CCR is a little over its head in these later rounds, and I’ve already talked about how I can’t figure out why Joplin is as highly regarded as she is.

As for the name, Copeland came up with it because they were rock band wearing a punk band’s uniform. A book on The Police quotes Copeland as saying, “The Police was an entirely fake punk band, wearing a uniform and flying a flag of convenience.”

So mission accomplished….