I know  .  It was a joke.

I'm not sure I agree with this.  Dave Matthews Band may not tour Europe (not a lot of US artists do to the level they do in the States), but this isn't an automatic disqualifier.  They are a band of very good musicians, who also have worldwide popularity.  You don't sell 30 million albums (49th all time in album sales) without having some success outside the US.

I also disagree with your assesment of "virtuostic players" like Satriani.  To classify their music as poor because they get caught up in their technique is a pretty narrow minded point of view.  While it may not be your cup of tea and doesn't subscribe to your particular experience within the music industry, it certainly isn't poorly written or played.  Is Joe Satriani or Yngwie Malmsteen going to sell 40 million albums? No, probably not, but that certainly doesn't discredit their music or their contribution to the industry.  

As for virtuostic type bands with popularity, I would have to say that Phish is a band that qualifies.  The players are much more skilled than most players on the scene, and that includes session playeres.  True, they only sell 500,000 or so copies of their studio releases, but this is a band that lives and dies for the live experience.  There aren't a lot of bands out there today playing to crowds of 70,000 without any type of real marketing, or mention in most trade magazines.  Those of you who were like me, turned off by the fan base of this group, please, do yourself a favor and listen to some of their live releases, ie "A Live One" or "Hampton Comes Alive".  The level of talent in this band is tremendous, and they are obviouslt popular, since they are in the Top Ten in Pollmaster every year they tour.
 

 

I've visited this thread fairly regularly to see if I can think of any additions. I've pretty much failed ... certainly in the category of "in the last 5 years."

The only four I could come up with, that the public (in my case represented by my wife) would recognise as "great musicians", are:

- Phil Collins
- Grover Washington
- George Benson
- Carlos Santana

Well, I still say DMB qualifies.  As for Phish, I think selling out arenas and constantly posting in the top 10 in concert gfrosses year in and year out is pretty widely known.  Factor in their final concert was simulcast to over 100 theaters nationwide and globally on XM Radio, attended by 70,000 people,  and covered by NPR, MSNBC, CNN and a host of other news outlets (which really adds no credibility in my eyes, but is a testament to how well known they are) I would say they are pretty widely known.  As KevinD stated, its all been done with limited airplay or traditional marketing techniques.  And I don't think anyone who really listens to the music can say that those guys are not great musicians.