LONDON (AP) - The Beatles have finally been dethroned. The quartet that revolutionized modern music when they twanged their way out of a Liverpool cellar in 1962 were pushed out as the world's top pop group yesterday by the British fans who put them up there in the first place.
Named as the new leaders of the pop world were Led Zeppelin, a four-man British rock band that has made only three LP records in Britain. The Beatles were second.
The world's new top female singer was Canadian folk artist Joni Mitchell, whose delicate songs - sometimes played on a dulcimer - have made her a sensation in Britain. Janis Joplin, last year's winner, was third. Joan Baez came ninth.
The upheaval in the pop scene was the result of an annual poll by the Melody Maker, Britain's leading musical newspaper. Thousands of readers of the weekly musical sheet - who have voted the Beatles into first place for the past eight years - cast ballots in the polls.
In Britain, the poll is regarded as the official Who's Who and Who's Where of pop.
The poll was scattered with names that even the most devout fans had never heard of a year ago; such as Mungo Jerry and Soft Machine.
Names like Frank Sinatra were nowhere in sight.
The Melody Maker itself declared: "Shattering...the walls of the pop establishment have crumbled...the new wave has finally taken over."
America's Bob Dylan was again named best male singer, followed by Canadian Leonard Cohen.
Printed from the official Joni Mitchell website. Permanent link: https://jonimitchell.com/library/view.cfm?id=3854
Copyright protected material on this website is used in accordance with 'Fair Use', for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis, and will be removed at the request of the copyright owner(s). Please read 'Notice and Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright Infringement' at JoniMitchell.com/legal.cfm