Joe Bonamassa once proclaimed the Wauwatosa native to be "the best guitar player in the world today." Koch has lived up to that high praise, with a dazzling blend of blues, country, jazz and funk across 17 albums, four DVDs and multiple bands and other recordings. RELATED: Paul Cebar talks about his career and his latest band Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound 46. Listen to: The delightfully funky "Didn't Leave Me No Ladder" hasn't lost a single drop of its swagger a quarter-century after its release. With the R&B Cadets, Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans and Paul Cebar Tomorrow Sound, Cebar specializes in a style all his own that draws inspiration from around the world, from New Orleans and Memphis, to Jamaica and Cuba. There's good reason Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos and Nick Lowe are such big fans of Cebar - and have been known to jam with him when they come to Milwaukee. Listen to: The quietly epic instrumental "Wind Spirit," led by Miller's majestic flute, from his 2006 album "The Spirit of Survival." 47.
The following year, he was playing Native American flute on Vanessa Williams' version of the Oscar-winning "Colors of the Wind" for the Disney film "Pocahontas." He's collected three Grammys since then, toured with Eddie Vedder and Arlo Guthrie, and has a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Native American Music Awards and Association. Bill Millerīorn on the Stockbridge-Munsee reservation in northern Wisconsin, Miller's big break came when Tori Amos selected him as the opening act for her "Under the Pink" tour in 1994. He also plays acoustic guitar on the recording. Listen to: The dreamy "Sacrifice" on Miller's platinum-selling 1977 "Book of Dreams" album, which Cooke co-wrote. He also established the Pacific Northwest Blues in the Schools program in the Seattle area. The Wausau native only lasted a year in that band, but he continued to work with Miller on stage and in the studio, and with Miller's Chicago-born, Racine-raised keyboardist Ben Sidran. When Steve Miller formed his band in 1966 in San Francisco, friend and fellow Wisconsin native James "Curley" Cooke was part of the original lineup on guitar.
RELATED: Following 'Sweet but Psycho' success, Ava Max ready to conquer the pop world with debut album 'Heaven & Hell' 49. Listen to: "Sweet But Psycho," that aforementioned Hot 100 smash that recalled prime Lady Gaga, and helped usher in the current upbeat pop music era. But the budding pop star has already earned gold, platinum and diamond certifications for her singles in several countries around the world, and is the first Milwaukee native since Steve Miller to have a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It's true that Ava Max's career is just getting started she released her debut full-length album, "Heaven & Hell," last fall.
Check out the listening suggestions for refreshers on why they matter. And note: It focuses exclusively on people and bands born in Wisconsin - leaving out, for instance, former Madison resident and "Funky Drummer" Clyde Stubblefield, or longtime Milwaukee soul man and "Disco Lady" writer Harvey Scales, who was born in Arkansas.īut their collective legacy shows the mark Wisconsin has made on the music we listened to, and still listen to. The list, and its rankings, are up for debate.