Which musicians do you think are true prodigies?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Tori Amos
John Bonham
Johnny Greenwood
Fiona Apple
Missy Elliott

Fiona Apple had authentic, raw natural musical talent.

I still am surprised her career never blossomed.

It blossomed; she has a devoted following.

[Anonymous]

Alison Krauss

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Steve Winwood
Todd Rundgren
Jerry Garcia

Barf

Steve Winwood is a true prodigy. He was writing and singing with the Spencer Davis group at age 14, then joined Traffic while he was still a teenager, then joined Blind Faith and produced a seminal album with a super group. In the the 80s, he produced, wrote all the songs and played all of the instruments on two more great albums. Todd Rundgren is simply a musical genius….nuff said. Jerry Garcia began playing folk music and bluegrass as a teenager, taught himself the banjo and pedal steel guitar, then later taught Bob Weir, and then formed a group called the Warlocks….which eventually became known as the Grateful Dead. He also played with New Riders of The Purple Sage, Old and In the Way, and formed his own Jerry Garcia Band. Whoever made the cute comment above is entitled to their opinion,..as there is no accounting for taste…..but the facts don’t lie.

[Anonymous]

Mozart
Bach
Joshua Bell
Hilary Hahn

[Anonymous]

Bjork - I get very tired of how she is consistently overlooked.

[Anonymous]

Right out of the box...I'd say Mozart, Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder are the only ones that were good from the get go - like really crazy ass good.

[Anonymous]

Leonard Cohen

Joni Mitchell

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post should have started with a definition of prodigy - which is not limited to youth. Otherwise, why do we use 'child prodigy' which would be redundant. None of the adjective forms are limited to children either. Prodigy is someone demonstrating very great ability usually, but not always, in youth. It's is something extraordinary.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/prodigy
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigy


Did you know?
Is a prodigy a genius or a monster - or both? Nowadays, it's the talent that shines through, but back in the 15th century the word's meaning was more strongly influenced by that of its Latin ancestor, prodigium, meaning "omen" or "monster." Back then, a prodigy could be any strange or weird thing that might be an omen of things to come. Even in modern English, the word sometimes refers to an extraordinary deed or accomplishment. P.G. Wodehouse used that sense when he described how a character named Pongo Twistleton was "performing prodigies with the [billiard] cue."

A prodigy is a child or younger person, always - that they have prodigious talent amongst their peers is what defines them
Prodigy: definition
a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.

No, a prodigy is not always a child/younger person. Even the definition you provided does not limit it to children or younger people. Especially =/= always.

Besides, limiting 'prodigy' to children/youth smacks of elitism. Talent does not suddenly arise in adulthood. It may not be discovered or developed in childhood but, given opportunity, will emerge. Those opportunities are usually not available unless the families have means. Ah, notice the appearance of 'usually' again. That doesn't mean 'always'. Sometimes, families of limited means are able to discover/develop the talents of their child prodigies.

Tell that to all the concert musicians who came out of Harlem.
there have been prodigies since the dawn of time, it's hardly a new concept. Catch up.

What does “Harlem” have to do with it?

prodigies have always risen out of poverty. I'm surprised I have to connect the dots for you here. Being a prodigy, a child prodigy is not exclusively for the "elite" classes, ever. Ok lesson over I am so tired of you dummies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post should have started with a definition of prodigy - which is not limited to youth. Otherwise, why do we use 'child prodigy' which would be redundant. None of the adjective forms are limited to children either. Prodigy is someone demonstrating very great ability usually, but not always, in youth. It's is something extraordinary.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/prodigy
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigy


Did you know?
Is a prodigy a genius or a monster - or both? Nowadays, it's the talent that shines through, but back in the 15th century the word's meaning was more strongly influenced by that of its Latin ancestor, prodigium, meaning "omen" or "monster." Back then, a prodigy could be any strange or weird thing that might be an omen of things to come. Even in modern English, the word sometimes refers to an extraordinary deed or accomplishment. P.G. Wodehouse used that sense when he described how a character named Pongo Twistleton was "performing prodigies with the [billiard] cue."

A prodigy is a child or younger person, always - that they have prodigious talent amongst their peers is what defines them
Prodigy: definition
a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.

No, a prodigy is not always a child/younger person. Even the definition you provided does not limit it to children or younger people. Especially =/= always.

Besides, limiting 'prodigy' to children/youth smacks of elitism. Talent does not suddenly arise in adulthood. It may not be discovered or developed in childhood but, given opportunity, will emerge. Those opportunities are usually not available unless the families have means. Ah, notice the appearance of 'usually' again. That doesn't mean 'always'. Sometimes, families of limited means are able to discover/develop the talents of their child prodigies.

Tell that to all the concert musicians who came out of Harlem.
there have been prodigies since the dawn of time, it's hardly a new concept. Catch up.

What does “Harlem” have to do with it?

prodigies have always risen out of poverty. I'm surprised I have to connect the dots for you here. Being a prodigy, a child prodigy is not exclusively for the "elite" classes, ever. Ok lesson over I am so tired of you dummies.

I can see why you — for all of your arrogance— are surprised! In your ignorance, you’ve managed to equate “Harlem” as a community with “poverty “ and assumed that everyone would share your limited and quite inaccurate view. You sound like someone who once read about “Harlem” in an article, saw a few pictures or film clips and thought you were making an edgy statement.

Harlem as a community, has and has dealt with dire poverty. It has — and has always had — neighborhoods with affluence and privilege, including the historic Sugar Hill. Prodigies have indeed lived in Harlem, but not all of them “have risen out of poverty”.

Connecting dots accurately is clearly not your forte.

[Anonymous]

Vivaldi

[Anonymous]

Dolly Parton
Michael Jackson
Taylor Swift
Prince

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This post should have started with a definition of prodigy - which is not limited to youth. Otherwise, why do we use 'child prodigy' which would be redundant. None of the adjective forms are limited to children either. Prodigy is someone demonstrating very great ability usually, but not always, in youth. It's is something extraordinary.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/prodigy
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prodigy


Did you know?
Is a prodigy a genius or a monster - or both? Nowadays, it's the talent that shines through, but back in the 15th century the word's meaning was more strongly influenced by that of its Latin ancestor, prodigium, meaning "omen" or "monster." Back then, a prodigy could be any strange or weird thing that might be an omen of things to come. Even in modern English, the word sometimes refers to an extraordinary deed or accomplishment. P.G. Wodehouse used that sense when he described how a character named Pongo Twistleton was "performing prodigies with the [billiard] cue."

A prodigy is a child or younger person, always - that they have prodigious talent amongst their peers is what defines them
Prodigy: definition
a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.

No, a prodigy is not always a child/younger person. Even the definition you provided does not limit it to children or younger people. Especially =/= always.

Besides, limiting 'prodigy' to children/youth smacks of elitism. Talent does not suddenly arise in adulthood. It may not be discovered or developed in childhood but, given opportunity, will emerge. Those opportunities are usually not available unless the families have means. Ah, notice the appearance of 'usually' again. That doesn't mean 'always'. Sometimes, families of limited means are able to discover/develop the talents of their child prodigies.

Tell that to all the concert musicians who came out of Harlem.
there have been prodigies since the dawn of time, it's hardly a new concept. Catch up.

What does “Harlem” have to do with it?

prodigies have always risen out of poverty. I'm surprised I have to connect the dots for you here. Being a prodigy, a child prodigy is not exclusively for the "elite" classes, ever. Ok lesson over I am so tired of you dummies.

Not at all. Many of them have comfortable middleclass upbringing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Leonard Cohen

Joni Mitchell

Could not agree more…and I would also add Laura Nyro from that musical era.

[Anonymous]

Yevgeny Kissin is a child prodigy. Most of the more popular singers simply had talent

[Anonymous]

Chris Brown, though deeply flawed and criminal