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John playing his drums drum logos

John's Favourites

(Background music courtesy of Loreena McKennitt)


View this background - Shades of Classics Artist Collage

View my list of Essential Artists




HEARTFELT MUSIC

I created this category for all of the artists whose beautiful and inspiring music reaches and caresses your heart and your soul.
New members will be added as they are deemed worthy.

Inaugural Members:
  • Fionnuala Sherry & Rolf Lovland (Secret Garden)
  • Sarah Brightman
  • Steve Bell
  • David Lanz
 Secret Garden
New Members:
  • Phil Coulter
  • André Rieu
  • Peter Calamera (Cal)
  • Betsy Foster
  • Richard Carr
  • Sissel
  • Loreena McKennitt
  • Michael Conway Baker
  • Karen England & Rebecca Knight (The OperaBabes)
  • Janet Chvatal
  • Rebecca Luker
  • Hayley Westenra
  • Joshua Bell
  • Fiona Joy
  • Karen Marie Garrett
  • Frank Smith
  • Dana Cunningham
  • Elena Galitzkaya (Ariaphonics)
  • Gloria D'Amos (Ariaphonics)
  • Joe Bongiorno
  • Denise Young
  • Ann Sweeten
  • Giorgia Fumanti
  • Sean Christopher (Dockery)
  • Natasha Marsh
  • Will Ackerman
  • Nathan Pacheco
  • Silvard
  • Anne Trenning
  • Sora
  • Evan Wish
  • Amy Lauren
  • Amy Janelle
  • Tim Glemser
  • Heidi Breyer
  • Marc Enfroy
  • Kevin Keller
  • Cathy Oakes
  • Bruce Mitchell
  • Steven Vitali
  • Antonija Pacek
  • Roberto Cacciapaglia
  • Christine Brown
  • Carolyn Southworth
  • Michael Dulin
  • Jeff Oster
  • Angelo Râpan
  • Renée Michele
  • Katya
  • Anaya
  • Mary-Jess Leaverland
  • Lynn Yew Evers
  • Rachel LaFond
  • Anastasia Partafylla
  • Michele McLaughlin
  • Kathryn Kaye
  • Masako
  • Sharon Fendrich
  • Louis Anthony deLise
  • Lynn Tredeau
  • Force for Good
  • Terry Lee Nichols
  • Yiruma
  • Chad Lawson New

MY GREATEST OF ALL TIME
  • Greatest Musical Artist: Secret Garden
  • Greatest Canadian Musical Artist: Loreena McKennitt
  • Greatest Classical Artist: Joshua Bell
  • Greatest Canadian Classical Artist: Jon Kimura Parker
  • Greatest New Age Artist: Secret Garden
  • Greatest Canadian New Age Artist: Loreena McKennitt
  • Greatest Choral Ensemble: Anúna
  • Greatest Canadian Choral Ensemble: Camerata Nova
  • Greatest Female Vocalist: Sarah Brightman
  • Greatest Canadian Female Vocalist: Loreena McKennitt
  • Greatest Male Vocalist: José Cura
  • Greatest Canadian Male Vocalist: Ben Heppner
  • Greatest Band: The Moody Blues
  • Greatest Canadian Band: The Guess Who
  • Greatest Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Greatest Canadian Composer: Michael Conway Baker
  • Greatest Recording: Dawn of a New Century  (Secret Garden)
  • Greatest Canadian Recording: An Ancient Muse  (Loreena McKennitt)
  • Greatest Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
  • Greatest Canadian Orchestra: Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra
 Secret Garden

THE BEST SARAH BRIGHTMAN SONGS
  1. La Califfa  (La Luna)  (...the background music)
  2. Il Mio Cuore Va  (Eden)
  3. La Luna  (La Luna)
  4. How Fair This Place  (La Luna)
  5. Nessun dorma (Eden)
  6. So Many Things  (Eden)
  7. Solo Con Te  (La Luna)
  8. Lascia Ch'io Pianga  (Eden)
  9. Time to Say Goodbye (Intimate Version)  (Classics)
  10. The War is Over  (Harem)
  11. Who Wants To Live Forever  (Time To Say Goodbye)
  12. Until the End of Time  (Harem)
  13. No One Like You  (Time To Say Goodbye)
  14. Figilio Perduto  (La Luna)
  15. Attesa  (Symphony)
THE BEST SECRET GARDEN SONGS
  1. Hymn to Hope  (White Stones)
  2. In Our Tears  (Dawn of a New Century)
  3. When Darkness Falls  (Earthsongs)
  4. Prayer  (Dawn of a New Century)
  5. Once in a Red Moon  (Once in a Red Moon)
  6. Grace  (Earthsongs)
  7. Nocturne  (Songs from a Secret Garden)
  8. Aria  (Dawn of a New Century)
  9. Passacaglia  (White Stones)
  10. Poéme  (White Stones)
  11. Sleepsong  (Earthsongs)
  12. Frozen in Time  (Winter Poem)
  13. Duo  (Once in a Red Moon)
  14. You Raise Me Up  (Once in a Red Moon)
  15. En Passant  (Just the Two of Us)

THE GREATEST FEMALE VOCALISTS
  1. Sarah Brightman
  2. Dawn Upshaw
  3. Rebecca Luker
  4. Elena Galitzkaya
  5. Gloria D'Amos
  6. Janet Chvatal
  7. Sissel
  8. Katya
  9. Julie Biggs
  10. Mary-Jess Leaverland
  11. Hayley Westenra
  12. Isabel Bayrakdarian
  13. Natasha Marsh
  14. Giorgia Fumanti
  15. Patrizia
THE GREATEST FEMALE VOCALISTS
(NON-CLASSICAL)
  1. Loreena McKennitt
  2. Karen Matheson
  3. Susan Jacks
  4. Enya
  5. Linda Ronstadt
  6. Lisa Kelly
  7. Karen Carpenter
  8. kd Lang

THE GREATEST MALE VOCALISTS
  1. José Cura
  2. Luciano Pavarotti
  3. Marcelo Alvarez
  4. Alessandro Safina
  5. Nathan Pacheco
  6. Ben Heppner
  7. Mario Frangoulis
  8. Victor Micallef (The Tenors)
  9. Remigio Pereira (The Tenors)
  10. Vittorio Grigolo
THE GREATEST MALE VOCALISTS
(NON-CLASSICAL)
  1. Steve Bell
  2. John Denver
  3. Elton John
  4. David Gates
  5. Ray Thomas
  6. Burton Cummings
  7. Gordon Lightfoot
  8. Justin Hayward
  9. Kent "Lobo" Lavoie
  10. Peter Cetera

THE GREATEST CLASSICAL MUSICIANS
  1. Joshua Bell (Violin)
  2. Jon Kimura Parker (Piano)
  3. Vladimir Ashkenazy (Piano)
  4. Nigel Kennedy (Violin)
  5. Ofra Harnoy (Cello)
  6. Yo-Yo Ma (Cello)
  7. Rachel Gauk (Guitar)
  8. André Rieu (Violin)
  9. James Galway (Flute)
  10. Angela Hewitt (Piano)
 Classical violinist Joshua Bell
THE GREATEST NON-CLASSICAL MUSICIANS
  1. Fionnuala Sherry (Violin)
  2. Rolf Lovland (Piano/Keyboards)
  3. David Lanz (Piano/Keyboards)
  4. Loreena McKennitt (Harp/Piano)
  5. Vangelis (Keyboards / Electronics)
  6. Johannes Linstead (Guitar)
  7. Jesse Cook (Guitar)
  8. Jean Michel Jarre (Keyboards / Electronics)
  9. George Winston (Piano)
  10. Ottmar Liebert (Guitar)
 Violinist Fionnuala Sherry

THE GREATEST NEW AGE PIANISTS
  1. David Lanz
  2. Rolf Lovland
  3. Vangelis
  4. Roberto Cacciapaglia
  5. Amy Lauren
  6. Fiona Joy
  7. Joe Bogiorno
  8. George Winston
  9. Richard Carr
  10. Evan Wish
  11. Tim Glemser
  12. Bruce Mitchell
  13. Antonija Pacek
  14. Zade
  15. Phil Coulter
  16. Heidi Breyer
  17. Amy Janelle
  1. Cathy Oakes
  2. Karen Marie Garrett
  3. Denise Young
  4. Ann Sweeten
  5. Anne Trenning
  6. Silvard
  7. Dana Cunningham
  8. Laura Sullivan
  9. Steven C
  10. Mark Pinkus
  11. Michael Dulin
  12. Lynn Yew Evers
  13. Christine Brown
  14. Paul Schwartz
  15. Yiruma
  16. Lynn Tredeau
  17. Chad Lawson
 Pianist and composer David Lanz

THE GREATEST CLASSICAL COMPOSERS
  1. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Unparalleled musical genius
  2. Ludwig van Beethoven
  3. Franz Schubert
  4. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
  5. Antonin Dvorak
  6. Felix Mendelssohn
  7. George Frederick Handel
  8. Johann Sebastian Bach
  9. Gustav Holst
  10. Michael Conway Baker - Canada's greatest composer
 Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

THE GREATEST CLASSICAL COMPOSERS OF THE LATE 20th AND EARLY 21st CENTURIES
  • Michael Conway Baker (Canada)
  • Marjan Mozetich (Canada)
  • Peter Boyer (USA)
  • Kenneth Fuchs (USA)
  • Brian Wilbur Grundstrom (USA)
  • John Mitchell (USA)
  • Mark John McEncroe (Australia)
  • Eric Biddington (New Zealand)
  • Karl Jenkins (UK)
  • Gisle Kverndokk (Norway)
  • Peter Drew (USA)
 Canadian composer Michael Conway Baker

THE GREATEST LOCAL ARTISTS
  1. Steve Bell, singer, musician and songwriter
  2. Julie Biggs, soprano
  3. Carolyn Boyes, soprano
  4. Lara Ciekiewicz, soprano
  5. Burton Cummings, singer, musician and songwriter
  6. Doug Bairstow, oboist (WSO)
  7. Jan Kocman, flutist (WSO)
  8. Jana Ting, classical pianist
  9. Andriana Chuchman, soprano
  10. Eric Lussier, harpsichordist
  11. Ian Hodges, classical guitarist
  12. Nikki Einfeld, soprano
  13. Kurt Tittlemier, classical guitarist
  14. Haley Marie, flutist
 Singer/musician/songwriter Steve Bell

THE GREATEST CANADIAN ARTISTS
  1. Loreena McKennitt, singer, musician and songwriter
  2. Steve Bell, singer, musician and songwriter
  3. Jon Kimura Parker, classical pianist
  4. Michael Conway Baker, composer and musician
  5. Julie Biggs, soprano
  6. Susan Jacks, soprano
  7. Steven Vitali, musician and composer
  8. Bruce Mitchell, musician and composer
  9. Johannes Linstead, nouveau flamenco / world guitarist
  10. Ofra Harnoy, cellist
  11. Jesse Cook, nouveau flamenco / world guitarist
  12. Burton Cummings, singer, musician and songwriter
  13. Gordon Lightfoot, singer, musician and songwriter
  14. Giorgia Fumanti, crossover soprano
  15. Patrizia, crossover soprano
  16. Isabel Bayrakdarian, soprano
  17. Rachel Gauk, classical guitarist
  18. Angela Hewitt, classical pianist
 Singer/songwriter Loreena McKennitt

THE MODERN DAY MUSICAL GENIUS

Artists who have amazing skills at creating and arranging music:

  • Rolf Lovland, the extraordinary composer and musician in Secret Garden
  • Michael Conway Baker, heartfelt Canadian classical composer
  • Paul Schwartz, the mastermind of the Aria and State of Grace album series
  • David Lanz, the wonderful heartfelt pianist and composer
  • Loreena McKennitt, the incredible singer, musician and songwriter
  • Will Ackerman, the brilliant producer, arranger and musician
  • Vangelis, the greatest pioneer of electronic music
 Rolf Lovland

MY FAVOURITE DRUMMERS
  1. Danny Seraphine (Chicago, CTA)
  2. Mike Botts (Bread)
  3. Gordon Marshall (Moody Blues)
  4. Doug Clifford (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
  5. Graeme Edge (Moody Blues)
  6. Garry Peterson (Guess Who)
 Drummer Danny Seraphine


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