The Top Ten Greatest Sports Teams in History

I enjoy my sports. I think, in order of my watching preference, I'd have to say: hockey, baseball, football, NCAA football and basketball (love me some March Madness), and pro ball. I am a huge hockey fan, especially my Detroit Red Wings, and I love my Tigers. Then, I guess I'd say I thoroughly love the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers, I really like to watch the Michigan Wolverines play football, the Spartans shoot some hoop, and, of course, the Detroit Pistons. Ok, so that about covers it. Well, I thought since I'd only done maybe one other sports related list -if even that- I figured I'd do another and stir up a little controversy along the way. So, according to several wise sources, as follows are the top 10 greatest sports teams in history. Arguably. Oh, and these teams are IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER.

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10) Basketball - 1985 Boston Celtics

From NBA.com: " Larry Bird and Bill Walton teamed with veteran center Robert Parish, offensive-minded forward Kevin McHale and talented Scott Wedman, a classic small forward who had been an All-Star and top scorer in Kansas City, in a formidable five-man frontcourt rotation that nobody in the NBA could match. In the backcourt were Johnson and Danny Ainge, two big guards who could play harassing defense and provide double-figure scoring while focusing on feeding the front line, with scrappy Jerry Sichting in reserve. The result was a unit that won 67 games, a record for the fabled Celtics franchise. McHale averaged 21.3 ppg and 8.1 rpg, Parish had 16.1 ppg and a 9.1 ppg, and Johnson (15.6) and Ainge (10.1) also scored in double figures. Wedman contributed 8.0 ppg off the bench, and Walton played in a career-high 80 games and averaged 7.6 ppg and 6.8 rpg. Boston led the league in rebounding with 46.4 rpg, nearly five per game more than its opponents. And the Celtics were virtually unbeatable at home, losing only a game in December to Portland en route to a league-record 40-1 home mark (they would also win all 10 home playoff games)."

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9) Hockey - 1997 Detroit Red Wings

from legendsofhockey.net: "In 1995-96, the Detroit Red Wings set an NHL record for most wins in a regular season. It was thought that the team would easily capture the Stanley Cup, but a powerful and hungrier Colorado Avalanche halted their 41-year journey. In 1997, it was time for redemption and the team with the longest Cup drought in the NHL lost only four playoff games en route to a Stanley Cup title. Mike Vernon, the Detroit goaltender was fabulous and posted an incredible 1.76 goals-against average in the playoffs becoming the first goaltender to win the Conn Smythe Trophy since Patrick Roy in 1993."

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8) Football - 1948 Cleveland Browns

From profootballhof.com: "You won't find it in the NFL Record and Fact Book but there was another team that like the 1972 Miami Dolphins, experienced a perfect season, undefeated and untied through regular and post-season play. The Cleveland Browns, then members of the All-America Football Conference finished 15-0 in 1948. Two years later the AAFC folded and the Browns became members of the NFL. While the NFL does recognize the records of the American Football League (1960-1969), it does not include AAFC marks in its record keeping. The perfect season came in the middle of a 29-game unbeaten string that began in October 1947 and continued until October 1949. By 1949, even Browns followers were so weary of constant and even predictable victory celebrations, they simply stopped coming to the games. Thus the Browns, because of their overwhelming domination, contributed to the demise of the AAFC."

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7) Football - 1985 Chicago Bears

From Wikipedia: "The 1985 Chicago Bears season was their 66th regular season and 16th post-season completed in the NFL. The club posted a 15-1 record, earning them the top seed in the NFC for the playoffs. The franchise did not stop there as they rolled through the playoffs crushing their three opponents by a combined score of 91-10 en route to a victory in Super Bowl XX, their ninth NFL Championship. Also, linebacker Mike Singletary was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year and the UPI Defensive NFC Player of the Year. Running back Walter Payton won the NFC Offensive Player of the Year, head coach Mike Ditka was named NFL Coach of the Year and defensive end Richard Dent was named Super Bowl MVP."

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6) Hockey - 1987 Edmonton Oilers

From legendsofhockey.net: "The Edmonton Oilers made quick work of the Boston Bruins capturing their fourth Stanley Cup in five years. Edmonton only lost two games due to the stellar play of Vezina-winner Grant Fuhr and the unbelievable 43 points from the great Wayne Gretzky. This would be Gretzky's last season as an Oiler, as he would be traded to the Kings in the off-season. In a rare occurrence, game four of the Stanley Cup Finals ended in a tie. The game was suspended at 16:37 of the second period due to a power failure in the Boston Arena. As NHL rules stated, the game was suspended at a 3-3 tie. The series shifted back to Edmonton where the Oilers won the deciding game 6-3. Gretzky was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after amassing 43 playoff points."

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5) NCAA Basketball - 1968 UCLA Bruins

From espn.go.com: "The Bruins, playing with an injured Alcindor, suffered a mid-season loss to Houston and Elvin Hayes in the Astrodome, but proved that was a fluke in the tourney semifinal, burying the Cougars 101-69. The final was also cake, a 78-55 win over UNC. How'd they do it? To start, they had Alcindor, the best player in college basketball history, who averaged 26 points and 16 rebounds per game. Junior guard Lucius Allen, senior Mike Warren, Jr., Lynn Shackleford and senior Mike Lynn also averaged in double figures for the season."

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4) NCAA Football - 1971 Nebraska Cornhuskers

From huskers.com: "Nebraska’s 1971 season came down to a single game at Owen Field in Norman, Okla., on Thanksgiving Day. At least, that’s how it is most often remembered. The No. 1 Cornhuskers played No. 2 Oklahoma in what still is regularly regarded as college football’s "Game of the Century.’’ The teams were undefeated and untied, and they included 17 of 22 first-team All-Big Eight players. Nebraska had the nation’s top-ranked defense. Oklahoma had its most productive offense. The cover of Sports Illustrated (Nov. 22, 1971) published the week of the game included photographs of Nebraska linebacker Bob Terrio and Oklahoma running back Greg Pruitt, nose-to-nose, beneath the headline: "Irresistible Oklahoma Meets Immovable Nebraska.’’

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3) Baseball - 1975 Cincinnati Reds

From baseball.suite101.com: "The Red Sox hadn't won a World Series for 57 years, but that year they won 95 games during the regular season and then ended the Oakland A's championship run with a 3-0 sweep in the ALCS. They also had the two best young hitters in the American League in Jim Rice and AL MVP Fred Lynn, and a strong pitching rotation featuring Luis Tiant and the Space Bill Lee. After five hard fought games, the Reds had a three games to two lead over the Sox when the Series returned to Boston. However, they lost Game 6, a legendary 12-inning affair that culminated with Carlton Fisk hitting a walk-off home run that won the game 7-6. The next night, reeling from exhaustion and the psychological letdown from the night before, the Reds fell behind 3-0. In the top of the sixth, Cincinnati began to chip away at Boston's lead when Tony Perez hit a two run blast that closed the gap. Pete Rose tied the score in the top of the seventh inning when he singled home Ken Griffey with two outs. Then, in the top of the ninth inning, Morgan drove a single to right field that scored Griffey and put the Reds ahead by a run. Reds' reliever Will McEnany pitched the bottom of the ninth and got Carl Yazstremski to fly out to center field for the final out. The Reds had done it: the first world championship for Cincinnati in 35 years."

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2) Baseball - 1927 New York Yankees

From Wikipedia: "The 1927 Yankees batted .307, slugged .489, scored 975 runs, and outscored their opponents by a record 376 runs. Center fielder Earl Combs had a career best year, batting .356 with 231 hits, left fielder Bob Meusel batted .337 with 103 RBIs, and second baseman Tony Lazzeri drove in 102 runs. Gehrig batted .373, with 218 hits, 52 doubles, 18 triples, 47 home runs, a then record 175 RBIs, slugged at .765, and was voted A.L. MVP. Ruth amassed a .356 batting average, 164 RBIs, 158 runs scored, walked 137 times, and slugged .772. Most notably, his 60 home runs that year broke his own record and remained the Major League mark for 34 years until Roger Maris broke it. The pitching staff led the league in ERA at 3.20, and included Waite Hoyt, who went 22-7, which tied for the league lead, and Herb Pennock, who went 19-8. Wilcy Moore won 19 as a reliever. The 1927 Yankees would eventually send six players along with manager Miller Huggins and president Ed Barrow to the Baseball Hall of Fame; only the 1928 Yankees had more with 9 players along with Huggins and Barrow. Three other Yankees pitchers had ERAs under 3.00 that season."

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1) Basketball - 1986 Los Angeles Lakers

From nba.com: "Stunned by Houston and a game-winning basket by Ralph Sampson in the playoffs a year before, the Lakers came back in 1986-87 stronger than ever. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar now 39 years old, Coach Pat Riley made key changes in the offense, shifting the focus onto Magic Johnson, with James Worthy as his primary sidekick. Mychal Thompson, acquired from San Antonio in midseason, helped take some more of the load off Abdul-Jabbar in the pivot and also played power forward along with A.C. Green and Kurt Rambis. Riley also was blessed with two extraordinary role players, Byron Scott as the designated shooter (17.0 ppg including 65 three-pointers, shooting .436 from behind the arc) and Michael Cooper as the defensive stopper (he would be voted the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year). The Lakers' Showtime offense never ran better. Johnson was brilliant, averaging a career-high 23.9 ppg and leading the league in assists for the fifth year in a row at 12.2 apg. With Abdul-Jabbar and the other big men controlling the boards, Johnson ran the floor and set up Worthy, Scott and Cooper for basket after basket. The result was beautiful to watch as the Lakers raced to a league-best 65-17 record that was the second-best in franchise history, behind only the 69-13 mark posted by the 1971-72 team."

There's this wonderfully giddy and almost overtly informative show on The Travel Chanel called, 'Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern'. Basically, Andrew travels to any number of countries all over the globe and samples the local cuisine, no matter how revolting or gag-inducing, and does it with aplomb and flair making it seem almost as though you, too, would want to indulge on roasted ants or 1000-Year Old eggs. Every episode sees Andrew, an actual chef and food critic, popping up on another continent exploring its popular regions as well as the more out-of-the-way locations where 'natives' dig up far more, um, 'exotic' foodstuffs such as bug larva or sun-dried river life. So, I have basically seen every one of these episodes since the show's inception and I can safely say it has become one of my favorite things to watch. I have gathered a list of ten of the most outrageously disgusting and vomit inducing foods from the past season and change and I, with sour stomach, present them to you.

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10) Bird's Nest Soup

From Wikipedia-"Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese Cuisine. A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup. The edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The nests have been traditionally used in China for over 400 years, most often as bird's nest soup." Yeah, I watched Andrew eat this mess, apparently pretty common, and it looked precisely the way you'd imagine: a big-ass bowl of phlegm.

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9) Camel Paw

'Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern' clip: Crazy Camel Paw

I don't know. I guess this could be OK, right? I mean it's not like the camel is a filthy animal, I mean he just lives in sand primarily, and... oh who am I kidding. Camel paw, camel toe... it all sounds kinda the same.

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8) Haggis

From Wikipedia: "There are many recipes, most of which have in common the following ingredients: sheep's 'pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, and spices and salt mixed with stock, and traditionally boiled in the animal's STOMACH for approximately three hours." See, with this, it's not so much the sum of its parts as it is the individual nastiness. Namely: the stomach. I've heard it's pretty good, but -as adventurous as I am- it just screams off-putting.

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7) Muktuk (Fermented Whale Blubber)

I honestly have very few words for just how undeniably incorrect that muktuk looks. But, I digress. If I were an Alaskan Eskimo, I'm sure it would be just amazing. Goodness.

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6) Yak Penis

From gridskipper.com/travel/beijing: "Above is a dish known as "Dragon in the Flame of Desire," or as you and I might call it, yak penis (waiter included for scale). Though penises have an enduring place in Chinese and Asian cuisine, the new Guolizhuang in Beijing's Westlake is likely the first restaurant to specialize in penises exclusively. Every dish has a penis, the only exception being those which focus more on the testicles. Newbies unsure of their favorite flavor of wang are advised to sample the hotpot, which contains six different penises and four testicles simmered in chicken stock."

Mmmm... pass some more penis, please!

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5) Jellied Moose Nose

"Hey, Rocky, watch me pull a chef's knife outta my hat!"

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4) Balut

I guess at this point this balut nonsense isn't as unusual as it one was, since it's been eaten on everything from Survivor to Fear Factor, but the simple fact remains that this is retched and the sheer sight of it makes my stomach fall into my ass. No thank you very much.

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3) Stinky Tofu

You know, tofu in and of itself isn't exactly pleasant, albeit healthy and evidently the food of the future, I just can't wrap my mind around why anyone -local culture or not- would want to eat something so assaulting to the senses. I just don't get it.

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2) Mangrove Worm

From members.ozemail.com: "An important bivalve which is found in dead and decaying mangrove wood is called "mangrove worm", Teredo spp. The action of the shells moving together excavates a hole through the wood, and the wood shavings accumulate in the stomach which becomes a distended, worm-like bag. The mangrove worm is chopped from the wood using an axe and is eaten raw."

Oh. Oh God....

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1) Fermented Icelandic Shark

This is the exact point where I would keel over dead. Sweet, sweet Lord...

Disney's Top Ten Dragons

So, I had done this list quite a while ago for a different site where I rattled off the top ten greatest dragons of all time. Well, I really wanted to revisit that subject, but I sure as shit wasn't going to rehash a list I already did. So, to that end, I decided to do a list of Disney dragons, and I thought I'd do ten. Yeah, let me just tell you how tough that was to come up with. Who knew 10 would be such a nearly unattainable number? I mean ten really isn't that many! So, I buckled down, scoured the Disney archives, and finally, I found the elusive 'X', as it were. So, sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labor: The top 10 Disney Dragons. Oh, and I suppose you could argue that I use the term a bit loosely on a few of these. Meh.

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X- EPCOT Center, Disney World - Entrance To China - The Nine Dragons Restaurant

Yeah, I've been here, but I'd completely forgotten the name of the joint. Awesome Authentic Oriental dining that, surprisingly, isn't served buffet style.

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IX- Jake Long - American Dragon

Apparent synopsis: Young boy uses mystic Martial Arts to turn into dragon for some reason and travel back in time writing wrongs so he can leap home... wait, I've never seen this show.

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VIII- Evinrude (A Dragonfly) - The Rescuers

Um, he's the DRAGONFLY in The Rescuers... DRAGONfly. See where I'm going with this?

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VII- The Hydra - Hercules

A hydra is a type of dragon and I defy you to argue with that logic. DEFY!

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VI- Singe - Dragon's Lair (Animated by: Former Disney Artist, Don Bluth)

Man did I ever toss some coin into this machine! What an awesome video game concept this was. Who can forget the Heroics of Dirk the Daring as he dodged, jumped, and defended his way to his true love: Princess Daphne? Animated by Don Bluth (An American Tail, The Land Before Time), former Disney Animator (ah, therein lie the connection) this game was so far ahead of its time and even produced a sequel of sorts, Space ace.

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V- The Reluctant Dragon (Sir Giles {George} and the Dragon)

I remember watching this cartoon a whole ton when Disney Chanel first hit cable. It was aired as a package with three others: Goofy and some kind of nonsense, I believe Pecos Bill, and all of them revolving around a little kid trying to avoid Walt himself. Good stuff.

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IV- Mushu - Mulan

Voiced by the seemingly perpetually-animated Eddie Murphy (where once-funny comedians go to die, see: Robin Williams), Mulan's buddy was the embodied dragon spirit called Mushu (get it?). I've only seen bits and pieces of this movie, but it seemed pretty good and Murphy didn't make too much of an ass of himself (get that one, too?)

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III- Figment - EPCOT Center

Having been to EPCOT Center's Journey Into imagination, I have pretty vivid memories of Figment and his human, Dreamfinder. I think the story revolves around the wizard-guy teaching his little dragon how to use his imagination. Ah, memories.

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II- Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty

This dragoness, as I recall, used to scare the shit out of me when I was but a lad. She was the fourth faerie in the tale, the one not invited to Aurora's 'Christening', as the others, Flora, Fauna, and Meriweather, assumed she'd cause trouble. And, as it was she cursed the infant to "prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and die" before the sun set on her sixteenth birthday. She is viewed as one of the most powerful and sinister of all the Disney villains.

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I- Elliott - Pete's Dragon

The oft invisible friend and guardian of Pete, Elliott wreaked all kinds of havoc in the unpronounceable town of Passamaquoddy. Also, and not-so coincidentally, animated by master Don Bluth, Elliott does a fine job of playing against his live-action friends. A wonderful movie with songs and lines that will stick with you for ever.

The Top 10 Greatest Blind Musicians of All Time

Man, being sick almost the whole of last week and still only at about 80 % sucked some serious ass. So, while recuperating, I stumbled on an idea regarding many of the finest blind musicians of our time. There have been many blind musicians over the years, and all are equally as talented and not only just for being able to rock an instrument with a sight handicap, but also for just being brave enough to put themselves out there in the first place. What follows is a list of the ten greatest, and most well known, blind musicians of all time. Oh, and this list was one of the many suggestions I have received over the past few weeks. Enjoy!

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10) ED 'LITTLE BUSTER' FOREHAND (10-28-42)

Little Buster was a celebrated artist in the soul and blues genres. He was born sighted, but developed glaucoma at age 3. By the time his vision was completely gone, he was fluent on six instruments, including the guitar. His first professional gig was at the Brooklyn Paramount, where he was a back-up guitarist for Alan Freed's Rock and Roll shows. He also became a regular at Long Island clubs. In 1961, Buster composed his first original song Looking For a Home while living in Glen Cove. First recorded on Josie/Jubilee after winning a talent contest at Harlem's Apollo Theater in 1964, Buster released Looking For a Home. He recorded a series of 45s there, including his biggest hit in 1968, Doc Pomus' Young Boy Blues. Pomus was quoted as saying that Buster's overwhelming version of this song was the best rendition that he ever heard. Buster's last single with Josie was City of Blues/Cry Me a River. His 45s and several new compositions were compiled for the 1970 LP, Looking For a Home that never came out until it was released by the English label Sequel in 1997. Buster changed his focus, concentrating on the live blues with his band, The Soul Brothers, where they were legendary for bluesy rocking soul that took no prisoners, led by Buster's tremendous guitar playing and heart-rending vocals.

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9) BLIND LEMON JEFFERSON (11-26-1894 / 12-1929)

"Blind" Lemon Jefferson was an influential blues singer and guitarist from Texas. He was one of the most popular blues singers of the 1920's. Despite his commercial success, Jefferson stands alone in a category of his own. His musical style was extremely intense and individualistic, bearing little resemblance to the typical Texas blues style of the 1930s. Jefferson's singing and self-accompaniment seemed only loosely connected, and he appeared to improvise his accompaniment. His irregular vocal style and his freely structured field holler rhythms made the tension between his guitar and his voice wildly unpredictable. He was not influential on younger blues singers as they did not seek to imitate him as they did other commercially successful artists. On the other hand, the white North Carolina performer Arthel "Doc" Watson credited listening to Jefferson's recordings as his first exposure to the blues, which would powerfully influence his own style.

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8) TERRI GIBBS (6-15-1954)

Terri Gibbs is a country music performer and song-writer who had some pop and country hits during the early 1980's. Gibbs was born in Miami, Florida and raised in Grovetown, Georgia from age one. She is blind from birth. Terri Gibbs learned to play the piano at three years of age and was influenced by a variety of musical styles in her formative years. Her most successful hit was in 1981, "Somebody's Knockin'", a #8 country and #13 pop hit. It was controversial at the time because the subject matter of the song compared a woman's lover metaphorically to the Devil. Gibbs received the ACM's Best New Female Vocalist award. She also won the CMA's inaugural Horizon Award (for artists rising to new levels of prominence). Gibbs made I'm a Lady in 1981 and Over Easy in 1983. Both made the charts, but not as high as "Somebody's Knockin'." She also had country hits with "Ashes to Ashes" in 1982 and "Anybody Else's Heart but Mine" in 1983. Later in the 1980's, Gibbs returned to her gospel roots. In 1987, Turn Around received a Grammy nomination but ultimately lost to Kate Helein's "You Dropped A Bomb On Me". Gibbs' "Unconditional Love," "Comfort the People," and "Promised Land" all made the CCM charts. She made "Great Day" on the Morning Gate label in the 1990's. Then Gibbs left music to concentrate on her family.

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7) ART TATUM (10-13-99 / 11-5-56)

Arthur Tatum Jr. was an American jazz pianist and virtuoso. With an exuberant style and technique that combined dazzling speed and precision with sophisticated use of harmony, Art Tatum is widely recognized as one of the leading jazz pianists of all time. Critic Scott Yanow wrote "Tatum's quick reflexes and boundless imagination kept his improvisations filled with fresh (and sometimes futuristic) ideas that put him way ahead of his contemporaries ... Art Tatum's recordings still have the ability to scare modern pianists."

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6) BLIND WILLIE MCTELL (5-5-1901 / 8-15-1959)

William Samuel McTier in Thompson, Georgia, blind in one eye, McTell had lost his remaining vision by late childhood, but became an adept reader of Braille. He showed an inherent proficiency in music from an early age and learned to play the six-string guitar as soon as he could, eventually becoming a proficient 12-string finger-picking guitarist. His father left the family when McTell was still young, so when his mother died in the 1920s, he left his hometown and became a wandering busker. He began his recording career in 1927 for Victor Records in Atlanta. In the years before WWII, he traveled and performed widely, recording for a number of labels under a variety of names. His style was singular: a form of country blues, bridging the gap between the raw blues of the Mississippi Delta and the more refined East Coast sound. The style is well documented on John Lomax's 1940 recordings of McTell for the Library of Congress.

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5) EDDIE LANG (10-25-1902 / 3-26-33)

Eddie Lang was an American jazz guitarist, considered by many to be the finest of his era, and to be the greatest rhythm player of all time, providing great influence for many guitarists, including Django Reinhardt. Lang was born Salvatore Massaro in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At first, he took violin lessons for 11 years. In school he became friends with Joe Venuti, with whom he would work for much of his career. He was playing professionally by about 1918, playing violin, banjo, and guitar.

In 1929 he joined Paul Whiteman's Orchestra, and can be seen and heard in the movie The King of Jazz. When Bing Crosby left Whiteman, Lang went with Bing as his accompanist and can be seen with him in the 1932 movie Big Broadcast. Lang also played under the pseudonym Blind Willie Dunn on a number of blues records with Lonnie Johnson. Eddie Lang died from a sudden hemorrhage following a tonsillectomy in New York City.

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4) RONNIE MILSAP (1-16-43 {Some say '46 or '44})

Ronnie Lee Milsap was born in in Robbinsville, North Carolina, and is an American Country/Pop Singer and Musician. He was one of Country Music's most popular singers in the 1970's and 1980's. He became Country Music's first blind superstar. He was one of the many crossover Country singers in Country Music at this time, which was also called Countrypolitan or Country Pop. His biggest crossover hits include "(There's) No Gettin' Over Me", "Smoky Mountain Rain", and "Lost In the Fifties Tonight". He is credited with forty number-one songs, third only to George Strait and Conway Twitty.

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3) JEFF HEALEY (3-25-66 / 3-2-08)

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Healey was raised in the city's west end. Healey lost his sight when he was eight months old, due to retinoblastoma, a rare cancer of the eyes, which he suffered from throughout his life and which ultimately killed him. His eyes had to be surgically removed, and he was given artificial replacements. He began playing guitar when he was three, developing his unique style of playing the instrument flat on his lap. When he was 17 he formed the band Blue Direction, a four-piece band which primarily played bar-band cover tunes.

Shortly thereafter he was introduced to two musicians, bassist Joe Rockman and drummer Tom Stephen, who formed a trio and made their first public appearance at The Birds Nest, located upstairs at Chicago's Diner on Queen Street West in Toronto. Jeff Healey was discovered by guitar virtuoso Stevie Ray Vaughan and later appeared in the Patrick Swayze film "Road House" (released 1989). 1988 saw the release of the hit single "Angel Eyes". The song "Hideaway" was nominated for the "Best Instrumental" Grammy Award, and in 1990 the band won the "Entertainer of the Year" Juno Award.

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2) RAY CHARLES (9-23-30 / 6-10-04)

Ray Charles Robinson, known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a pioneering American Pianist and musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. He brought a soulful sound to country music, pop standards, and a rendition of "America the Beautiful" that Ed Bradly of 60 Minutes called the "definitive version of the song, an American anthem — a classic, just as the man who sang it."

Frank Sinatra called him "the only true genius in the business."And in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Ray Charles #10 on their list of The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

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1) STEVIE WONDER (5-15-50)

Stevie Wonder (born Steveland Hardaway Judkins, name later changed to Steveland Hardaway Morris) is an American Singer-Songwriter/Multi-instrumentalist, and Record Producer. A prominent figure of 20th century Popular Music, Wonder has recorded more than thirty top ten hits, won twenty-five Grammy Awards (a record for a solo artist), plus one for Lifetime Achievement, won an Academy Award for Best Song and been inducted into both the Rock and Roll and Songwriters halls of fame. Opera star Luciano Pavarotti once referred to him in a concert as a "great, great musical genius".

Blind from infancy, Wonder signed with Motown Records as a pre-adolesant at age twelve, and continues to perform and record for the label to this day. He has nine U.S. number-one hits to his name and album sales totaling more than 100 million units.

**All Article Snippets Borrowed From Wikipedia**