Judy Garland

The website complex.com has come up with a ranking of the 50 states "based on their contribution to popular music." For each state, complex.com lists "artists born there" and "bands formed there."

Minnesota is ranked No. 10, with New York first, California second, Louisiana third, Georgia fourth and Tennessee fifth.

You can debate all you want about the order. In fact, Dave Bry of complex.com – one of three guys who helped compile the list and alerted me to it – suggested he might rank Minnesota higher himself. But what you can't debate is the inadequate research of the complex.com staff.

Here is whom complex.com cites in their Minnesota write-up:

Artists Who Were Born There: Bob Dylan, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Paul Westerberg, Prince, Slug


Bands Formed There: Atmosphere, Eyedea & Abilities, Hüsker Dü, Low, Information Society, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, The Time, Vanity 6

That's all. Really?

Here is a quickie list of some acts that were overlooked:

Not mentioned in born here: Andrews Sisters (right), Judy Garland, Rock Hall of Famer Eddie Cochran (above, right), Gary Puckett,

Not mentioned in Bands Formed Here: Koerner Ray & Glover, Trashmen, Castaways, Vixen, the Suburbs, Lipps, Inc. ("Funkytown" was bigger than all of Information Society's singles combined), the Jets, Babes in Toyland (lead singer Kat Bjelland is listed under born in Oregon); Sounds of Blackness, Mint Condition, Semisonic, Next, Bad Plus, Doomtree, Owl City.

Here is the link to complex.com's rankings:

http://www.complex.com/music/2013/10/states-musical-ranking/

The Trashmen doing "Surfin' Bird" on "American Bandstand":