It’s our biggest poll so far and it’s also been the one with the greatest number of surprises. Turn the page and find out who you voted as prog’s 100 greatest musicians of all time.

We asked. You voted. In your thousands. Almost 80,000 of you to be precise, by far and away the biggest reader vote this magazine has ever undertaken. So the past month has been a heady whirlwind of names, numbers, quotes, frayed tempers, late nights and bleary-eyed mornings - don’t ever let anyone tell you that compiling one of these issues is “easy”.

But, thank you all for your votes. Around 50,000 of you voted for your favourite Yes songs in Prog 107 so we can see how important these lists are to all of you and the very fact those numbers keep increasing is a hugely positive sign.

Perhaps out of all the polls that Prog has conducted in the 11 or so years since we’ve been going, this one’s thrown up the biggest number of surprises. Of course, all polls are subjective and there are so many factors that come into play beyond simple popularity: sentimentality, who mobilised their fanbase best, favouritism and beyond.

The other thing with polls is if you agree with them, they’re great. If you don’t, well, it’s an outrage, isn’t it? Personally I’d have thought some artists would have been higher, and within some bands, certain members polled higher than I thought they might. On the flip side, it was good to see a healthy number of younger artists mixed in with the legends of the 70s.

For us here at the magazine, these polls aren’t just fun (and a lot of hard work), they offer us a guide as to how our readers feel about the genre. It also gives an insight into who’s buying Prog. The appearance of some of the genre’s young and technically gifted musicians suggests a healthy younger section of readers. The Top 10 itself obviously features many musicians you’d expect, but there are enough surprises too to hint that the stranglehold of the 70s, while still strong, could be opening up to allow a more healthy swathe of musicians into the spotlight.

One thing that remains unhealthy, however, is the fact that no female musicians featured in the Top 100. In its original form, progressive music might have tended to be the domain of the white male, both as musician and fan, but that was 50 years ago, and we now live in a diverse and multicultural world. Modern progressive music reflects that and I’d like to think this magazine does too. However, these results suggest that some are still lagging behind. We speak to Rosalie Cunningham about this on page 35.

But these are the votes for the best prog musicians (singers get their shout next time, before anyone has a moan), exactly as they came in from you guys. Once again, a massive thank you to everyone who voted. Enjoy the poll and what the musicians have to say. We’re looking forward to reading your thoughts about the poll.

For our exclusive Top 100 playlist visit http://bit.ly/100_playlist

Jerry Ewing EDITOR

Compiled by: Mark Blake, Malcolm Dome, Dave Everley, Jerry Ewing, Matt Frost, Rob Hughes, Dom Lawson, Dave Ling, David Mead, Milton Mermikedes, Grant Moon, Kris Needs, Chuck Parker, Chris Roberts, Steve Rosen, Terri Saccone, Nick Shilton, Sid Smith, David West, Jon Wiederhorn, Stuart Williams, Holly Wright, Henry Yates

Thanks to the following magazines: Bassist, Bass Guitar Magazine, Classic Rock, Guitarist, Guitar Techniques, Guitar World, Rhythm

THE TOP 200

200. RAY HEARNE

199. ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF

198. GARY GREEN

197. PETER BAUMANN

196. THEO TRAVIS

195. ERIC STEWART

194. ACLE KAHNEY

193. BRYAN BELLER

192. TON SCHERPENZEEL

191. PIP PYLE

190. JOHN JOWITT

189. RYO OKUMOTO

188. JOHN GOODSALL

187. TROY DONOCKLEY

186. MARTIN AXENROT

185. MARTÍN MÉNDEZ

184. GUY EVANS

183. DAVE SWARBRICK

182. DAN BRIGGS

181. GRAHAM GOULDMAN

180. MICK POINTER

179. BERT JANSCH

178. DAVID SANCIOUS

177. PETER JONES

176. ROBERT REED

175. MICHAEL DUNFORD

174. AMOS WILLIAMS

173. MATT STEVENS

172. JAY POSTONES

171. HUGH HOPPER

170. COLIN BASS

169. ANDY WARD

168. LOL CREME

167. JAKI LIEBEZEIT

166. JON CAMP

165. ANDY TILLISON

164. DEE PALMER

163. ALAN MORSE

162. JERRY GOODMAN

161. KEVIN GODLEY

160. WOOLLY WOLSTENHOLME

159. PIERRE MOERLEN

158. JOHN LEES

157. JOHN YOUNG

156. DIEGO TEJEDA

155. MIKE RATLEDGE

154. CHRISTOPHER FRANKE

153. FRANCIS DUNNERY

152. JEM GODFREY

151. HUGH BANTON

150. PERCY JONES

149. DAVID JACKSON

148. JON HISEMAN

147. DAVE KILMINSTER

146. ADAM WAKEMAN

145. CRAIG BLUNDELL

144. BRUCE SOORD

143. ADAM HOLZMAN

142. PYE HASTINGS

141. LEE POMEROY

140. FREDRIK ÅKESSON

139. CLIVE BUNKER

138. OLIVER WAKEMAN

137. HOLGER CZUKAY

136. DAVE PEGG

135. MARTÍN LÓPEZ

134. DAVID CROSS

133. JOHN GLASSCOCK

132. DAVE SINCLAIR

131. VINCENT CAVANAGH

130. WENDY CARLOS

129. MARTIN ORFORD

128. TREY GUNN

127. JOHN WEATHERS

126. GEOFFREY RICHARDSON

125. JONAS REINGOLD

124. MIKE HOLMES

123. RICK DAVIES

122. LENNY WHITE

121. JAKKO JAKSZYK

120. DANIEL CAVANAGH

119. NICK BARRETT

118. TOM BRISLIN

117. GRAEME EDGE

116. PETER BANKS

115. TAL WILKENFELD

114. DAVE BROCK

113. NICK D’VIRGILIO

112. RICHARD HENSHALL

111. ROBERT JOHN GODFREY

110. CHRISTIAN VANDER

109. JOHN MITCHELL

108. RAY THOMAS

107. TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN

106. PETER BARDENS

105. CLIVE NOLAN

104. MICHAEL GILES

103. RACHEL FLOWERS

102. RICHARD SINCLAIR

101. MISHA MANSOOR

100 ERIC WOOLFSON

Alan Parsons’ partner in The Alan Parsons Project, Woolfson was a gifted songwriter and musician whose songs propelled the Project into the charts. He began his career writing songs for Marianne Faithfull and also worked with pre-10cc members. It wasn’t just his songwriting, but also his business acumen (he’d managed Carl Douglas of Kung Fu Fighting fame) that helped propel the Project to greater fortune.

Listen to: Time

99 DAEVID ALLEN

The mystical guru behind all things Gong. Allen was a member of Canterbury originators The Wilde Flowers before an enforced stay in France due to visa issues led to him forming Gong. He remained at the helm of Gong until 1975 when a version led by drummer Pierre Moerlon went off on a jazz fusion trip, but helmed the band largely from 1980 until his death in 2015.

Listen to: Other Side Of The Sky

98 BARRIEMORE BARLOW

Drummer Barlow joined Jethro Tull in 1971 as a replacement for Clive Bunker and remained until 1980, appearing on the bulk of the band’s classic recordings. He was also one of the few drummers considered as a possible replacement for John Bonham in Led Zeppelin. These days he runs a studio in Oxfordshire and has moved into management.

Listen to: Conundrum

97 MARK KELLY

Irish-born Mark Kelly joined Marillion from the Essex-based neo-prog rockers Chemical Alice in 1981 and his flowing keyboards have been a mainstay of the band’s sound ever since. It was Kelly who pushed the idea of the band asking their fanbase to fund the recording of Anoraknophobia in 2001, thus pretty much inventing the now-familiar crowdfunding model. Kelly will release his first solo album later this year (see page 14 for more).

Listen to: Amelia

96 IAN MOSLEY

Mosley has been Marillion’s drummer since 1984. Prior to that he’d worked with Gordon Giltrap and Steve Hackett, the latter once describing him as “a phenomenal drummer”. He’s also worked on a jazz project with Roy Castle’s son Ben and played with fellow band mate Pete Trewavas on the Edison’s Children project.

Listen to: Assassing

95 STEVE MILLER

Elder brother of the late Hatfield & The North/National Health guitarist Phil Miller, Steve Miller is best known as the keyboard player for Caravan from 1971-2, appearing on the band’s 1972 album Waterloo Lily. He also worked with Phil, Judy Dyble and Lol Coxill in DC & The MBs and also in Canterbury band, Delivery. Miller passed away in 1998.

Listen to: Songs And Signs

94 PAT MASTELOTTO

As a session drummer, Mastelotto worked with the likes of Martin Briley, The Pointer Sisters and Kenny Loggins before forming AOR outfit Mr Mister, who would go on to have huge success with singles like Kyrie and Broken Wings. He’s been a member of King Crimson since 1994, as well as drummer for Stick Men and O.R.k..

Listen to: The Hell Hounds Of Krim (Live In Vienna, 2017)

FUTURE OWNS