Right here goes :-
Vocals – I suggest three working together – Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart – the best vocal in the whole Rock arena), Country Joe McDonald (Crystal clear tones from Country Joe and the Fish) and Grace Slick (The female oomph of Jefferson Airplane) – blimey – I’ve had to leave out Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin – never mind.
Lead guitar – Zoot Horn Rollo (A hero of mine – I still find myself beaming when I think of that Rainbow Concert in what 1973?) – missed out Garcia and Barry Melton but what the hell.
Slide Guitar and rhythm – Robbie Krieger – I love that sound he got with the Doors.
Bass Guitar – Rockette Morton – the pogoing driving force behind Captain Beefheart.
Organ – Ray Manzarek – Such scintillating runs
Drums – Greg Elmore from Quicksilver Messenger Service – great drums on the Bo Diddley numbers (But I’m missing out John French and Robbie Densmore?? – still you have to make choices).
Songwriting – Jim Morrison, Don Van Vliet, Grace Slick
Can’t grumble with your choices, but I’d have to slip Jim Morrison in on poetry and harmonica!!
Also, one James Marshall Hendrix came from Seattle which is on the West Coast…..
I’d also include some of the more modern West Coasters, particularly Adam Duritz(vocals, piano, songwriter) and David Immergluck(guitars, banjo, mandolin) both from Counting Crows (in fact the whole band are excellent), and Roy Harper’s West Coast collaborators Jonathan Wilson and Joanna Newsome
OK – I’d want Jim in somewhere! But I lay claim to Jimi – he’s psuedoBritish in my book and Psychedelia so I wouldn’t put him in even though I’d want to put him everwhere.
Not convinced by Jonathan or Joanna.