Do you all agree when Prince said the 60s, 70s and 80s were the golden ages of music?

He was one heckuva guitar player. He played many instruments. And he’s absolutely right. Why? What era has as many actual hits?
And he’s referring to Motown too, for he grew up on Motown. And besides being surrounded by great songwriters Motown’s musical backbone was having music performed by jazz musicians. Rock can’t claim that. Only Motown can. The great James Jamerson was but one of these jazz musicians who created the music that became Motown. Barry Gordy was no fool. He knew where to find the best musicians for his recordings. The jazz night club. And that’s what Prince is referring to too. Real musicians performing on instruments at a high level. Know your stuff. As a non pro jazz pianist who began on trumpet, migrated to sax and bass, who eventually came to piano, I can relate.

@bdp24, I’m not suggesting there’s no rock guys who played jazz. But not all jazz players had equal talent. Jazz, like Motown, was black music. Jazz was created by blacks, The finest jazz players  were blacks. Bebop, the highest musical form of jazz, was created and played by nearly exclusively blacks. Yes, white musicians were most popular, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, because its mainly an all white population, but what they played was the dance music I.e. the soundtrack of the early 40’s.
Real talk. Jazz was created by blacks, and overtaken by whites after it was seen to be  a money maker because of the youth in the 40’s. And that’s why blacks in the mid 40’s created bebop. For in its time that’s the only way blacks could get a gig! We all know the racial dynamics that existed in the 40’s. Duke Ellington, Count Basie’s were doing a totally separate thing in the 30’s. You had to be a master of your instrument to play bebop.   
I’m sure there were a few white guys who could play some softer jazz. But clearly there are different levels of jazz talent. 

@bdp24, yes and Jamerson’s playing What’s going on while drunk and lying on his back is legendary. But Jamerson was a solid jazz player who played upright bass on a lot of Motown tunes. 
And what I meant was players of Motown actually used syncopated rhythms and jazz phrasing while playing on Motown music. That’s what made Motown music so different. You didn’t hear that type of phrasing on rock albums. I’m a jazz pianist, but there’s no confusion where the music of the jazz greats stands. I’m a huge fan of Dexter Gordon.

But check this out. Who was Prince? He was the son of jazz musicians. He could play everything. He gets my vote for one talented musician!

Okay fellas, I listened to the band’s 1968 and 1969 LPG’s on YouTube. Being a Motown and jazz guy I wasn’t inspired by any of their tunes. And why were they playing previously published hit tunes by other rock artists? I didn’t find any reference to “jazz” artistic accomplishments. Simply classic rock. But hey, everyone’s got a different sense of what defines great music, and great musicians. At least give me some Carol King, who began as a songwriter of countless hits in New York. All simply my opinion.