Valley's top 10, er, make it 12

AZ Central, September 09, 2004

Sept 9, 2004 12:00AM

Because everybody loves lists, the Rep polled its writers to identify the 10 greatest acts to emerge from the Valley. Some were popular, some were hugely successful, and some were just influential.

They are homegrown, which explains why Glen Campbell isn't in the running.

As with most lists of this variety, this one could stir up controversy. In fact, we struggled with it so much that our top 10 became a top 12.

1 Alice Cooper: '70s shock rocker turned pop-culture icon.

2 Duane Eddy: Influential musician known for his echoing guitar riffs.

3 Gin Blossoms: The dark songwriting of the late Doug Hopkins put this band in the spotlight.

4 Wayne Newton: Vegas tries to pretend Wayne is theirs. But we know better about this product of North High School. So danke schoen, Wayne. Danke schoen.

5 Meat Puppets: Critically adored cult band anchored by the Kirkwood brothers. Kurt Cobain loved them.

6 Marty Robbins: Glendale country singer helped open crossover doors in the '50s.

7 Jimmy Eat World: Emo kings took The Middle to the top of Billboard's rock chart.

8 The Tubes: She's a Beauty was an '80s smash for this adventurous, theatrical band.

9 The Refreshments: Thanks to the King of the Hill theme, this band lives on in syndication.

10 Jodie Foster's Army: Skateboard punkers put the Placebo label on the map.

11 Mike Condello: As the music director on Wallace and Ladmo, Condello influenced countless musicians.

12 Stevie Nicks: Never a big part of the local music scene, but when you are in Fleetwood Mac, you make the list.