The musical genre, much akin to movies and film makers, is as widely varied as one subject can possibly be. Spanning generations as well as styles; ranging from gospel to funk, from rockabilly to soul, music as a whole has changed lives, encompassed eras, and become, to many, as powerful a messenger as religion. Here are fifteen of the most influential musicians of all time.
15. Bill Haley & The Comets (1952)
Bill Haley & His Comets was an American Rock & Roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley’s death in 1981. The band, also known by the names: Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley’s Comets (and several variations thereof), was one of the earliest groups of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of white America and the rest of the world. Bandleader, Bill Haley, had previously been a country and western performer; after recording a country and western-styled version of ‘Rocket 88′, a rhythm and blues song, he changed musical direction to a new sound that eventually came to be called Rock and Roll.
14. The Supremes (1961)
One of Motown’s signature acts, The Supremes were the most successful African American musical act of the ’60s, recording twelve American-Number One Hits between 1964 and 1969.Many of these singles were written and produced by Motown’s main songwriting and production team, ‘Holland-Dozier-Holland’, and the crossover success of the Supremes during the mid-’60s paved the way for future black Soul and R&B acts to gain mainstream audiences and success both in the US and overseas.
13. Queen (1970)
Queen are an English Rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon (joining the following year). Queen rose to prominence during the 1970s and are one of Britain’s most successful bands of the past three decades. The band is noted for their musical diversity, multi-layered arrangements, vocal harmonies and incorporation of ‘Audience Participation’ into their live performances. Their 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best live music performance of all time in a BBC poll.
12. George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic (1978)
George Clinton (born July 22, 1941 is an American Musician and the principal architect of P-Funk. He was the mastermind of the bands ‘Parliament’ and ‘Funkadelic’ during the 1970s and early 1980s, and was a solo funk artist as of 1981. He has been hailed as “The Prime Minister of Funk” as the leader of ‘Parliament’, as well as “The King of Interplanetary Funksmanship”. Though Clinton’s popularity had waned by the mid 1980s, he experienced something of a resurgence in the early 1990s, as many rappers cited him as an influence and began ‘sampling’ his songs. George Clinton is considered to be one of the most sampled musicians ever.
11. Bob Dylan (1941)
Bob Dylan (born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American Singer/Song Writer, Author, Musician, and Poet who has been a major figure in Popular Music for five decades. Much of Dylan’s most celebrated work dates from the 1960s, when he became an informal chronicler and a reluctant purveyor of American unrest. A number of his songs, such as “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They are A’ Changin’” became important anthems of the anti-war and civil-rights movements.
10. Black Sabbath (1968)
Black Sabbath are an English Heavy Metal band from Birmingham. The original band line up of Ozzy Osbourne (vocals), Tony Iommi (guitar), Terence “Geezer” Butler (bass), and Bill Ward.Black Sabbath remain a dominant influence in the heavy metal genre they helped create. VH1′s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock ranks them second, behind Led Zeppelin. The original and best known line-up are frequently credited as the inventors of the heavy metal genre. Black Sabbath have sold over 100 million albums worldwide.
9. Led Zeppelin (1968)
Led Zeppelin were (and are, though without John Bonham, as of 2007) an English Rock Band that formed in September 1968. Led Zeppelin consisted of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first, and most influential, Heavy Metal bands. Their rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres also incorporated: Rockabilly, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Celtic, Latin and Country. The band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in the UK as they preferred to develop the concept of ‘Conceptual Album-Oriented Rock’.
8. Pink Floyd (1964)
Pink Floyd are an English Rock band that initially earned recognition for their Psychedelic music, and, as they evolved, for their progressive rock music. They are known for philosophical lyrics, Sonic Experimentation, innovative Album Cover Art, and elaborate live shows. One of rock music’s most successful acts, the group has sold over 300 million albums worldwide and an estimated 74.5 million albums in the United States alone. The Dark Side of the Moon (1973) spent 741 consecutive weeks on the USA-based Billboard 200 album chart, the longest duration in history. It is also the Fifth Highest-Selling album Globally of all time with more than forty million units sold.
7. The Grateful Dead (1965)
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of Rock, Folk, Bluegrass, and Gospel among many others—and for live performances of long Musical Improv. In particular, the band, as one of the first to do so, frequently made use of “long jams”—whereby Jerry Garcia (lead vocals) would spend lengthy periods engaging in rock lead guitar solos that evoked various “depth moods.” Other bands utilized long improvisational jams, but “The Dead” took it to extremes. “Their music,” Lenny Kaye wrote, “touches on ground that most other groups don’t even know exists”.
6. KISS (1971)
KISS is an American Rock Band formed in 1971. Easily identified by their trademark face paint and stage outfits, KISS rose to prominence in the mid-’70′s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which, as the most prominent band to do so, featured fire-breathing, blood spitting, smoking guitars, and pyrotechnics. Kiss has been awarded 24 ‘Gold Albums’ to date. The group’s worldwide sales exceed 95 million albums. The original lineup of Gene Simmons (bass and vocals), Paul Stanley (rhythm guitar and vocals), Ace Frehely (lead guitar and vocals) and Peter Criss (drums and vocals) is the most successful and identifiable.
5. The Sex Pistols (1975)
Sex Pistols are an English Punk Rock Band that formed in London in 1975. The band originally comprised vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook, and bassist Glen Matlock (later replaced by Sid Vicious). Although their initial career lasted only three years and produced only four singles and one studio album, the Sex Pistols have been described by the BBC as “the definitive English punk rock band.” The Pistols are widely credited with initiating the punk movement in the UK and creating the first generation gap within Rock & Roll.
4. Elvis Presley (1935-1977)
Elvis Aaron Presley (1935-1977), was an American Singer, Musician and Actor. He is a ‘cultural icon’ often known as “The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”, or simply “The King”. Presley began his career as one of the first performers of Rockabilly (an up-tempo fusion of country and Rhythm and Blues with a strong ‘Back Beat’ His novel versions of existing songs, mixing ‘black’ and ‘white’ sounds, made him popular—and controversial—as did his uninhibited stage and television performances. He recorded songs in the Rock & Roll genre, with tracks like “Hound Dog” and “Jail House Rock”, later embodying the style. Presley had a versatile voice and had unusually wide success encompassing other genres, including gospel, blues, ballads and pop. To date, he is the only performer to have been inducted into four music Halls of Fame.
3. Nirvana (1988)
Nirvana was an American Rock Band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen (near Seattle), Washington in 1988. Nirvana went through a succession of drummers, with the longest-lasting being Dave Grohl, who joined the band in 1990.With the lead single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” from their extremely influential 1991 album Nevermind. Nirvana entered into the mainstream, bringing along with it a subgenre of alternative rock called ‘Grunge’, instantly recognizable by its flannel-and-denim jeans dress as well as its near ‘Emo’ appearance and style.
2. The Rolling Stones (1962)
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock Band formed in London in 1962. The band has released 55 albums of original work and compilations, and have had 32 U.K & U.S top-10 singles. They have sold more than 200 million albums worldwide. 1971′s Sticky Fingers began a string of eight consecutive studio albums at number one in the United States. In 1989 the Rolling Stones were inducted into the American ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’ and in 2004 they were ranked number 4 in Rolling Stone magazine’s ’100 Greatest Artists of all Time’. Their latest album was released in 2005 and accompanied by the band’s highest grossing tour, which lasted into late summer 2007. The Bigger Bang tour had been declared the highest-grossing tour of all time, earning $437 million and landing them in the Guiness Book of World Records.
1. The Beatles (1960)
The Beatles were an English Rock Band from Liverpool, England whose members were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. They are one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed bands in the history of popular music.
In the UK, The Beatles released more than 40 different singles, albums, and EP’s that reached number one. This commercial success was repeated in many other countries: their record company, EMI, estimated that by 1985 they had sold over one billion discs and tapes worldwide. The Beatles are the best-selling Musical Act of all time in the US. according to the RIAA. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Beatles #1 on its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. According to that same magazine, their innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still evident today.
Contributor: StewWriter
I’m not playing the race card or anything because I happen to be a white guy but including only one black group or musician on this list is just not right. Think about all the white musicians that were influenced by black artists. Elvis Presley included.
I.E. Robert Johnson lol…I mean come on people…get your music FACTS on point
ik really tho,, what about James Brown, Aretha Franklin, or MJ? This is really biased.
Great list! I agree with just about all the choices AND spots
Great list!
Excellent list. At first I was skeptical about introducing new list writers in, Stew, but I must admit, you do a good job following in the footsteps of THE MAN HIMSELF Jamie.
Oh, come on. Why is KISS, Nirvana and The ***** Pistols in front of Zeppelin, Floyd and Dylan?
I 100% agree with you
Because KISS, Nirvana, and The ***** Pistols really kicked off their genres of music, whereas Zeppelin, Floyd and Dylan merely expounded on them. Though I do think Pink Floyd should be a leeeeetle higher.
But KISS, Nirvana and the ***** Pistols suck…
The fact that they don’t suit your personal tastes do not detract from their impact in the world of music.
Bill Haley & The Comets???? Who????
What? No Harry Potter and the magical meat wands?
What about Michael Jackson?
He was an amazing artist and hugely successful but he doesn’t compare to these guys
great list. i knew beatles was gonna be top but i think the supremes should be higher based on there influence in society.
Oh come on, Jimi Hendrix should be on this list. He probably did more to redefine how we view the guitar more than any musician has with any other instrument.
Who’s Bob Dylan?
You're *****ting me, right?
The Beatles, Elvis, Dylan, Hendrix, Zeppelin should be the top 5.
Here’s what I think:
I’m astounded KISS is on the list, not to mention surprised at how high they are ranked. If you want influential for anthem rock, I think you have to say it’s Quiet Riot for getting it onto the map in the first place. And really, how many semi-theatrical anthem-rock bands do you see in KISS’s mold? GWAR?
No love for hip-hop? Eric B. and Rakim, Run DMC, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Beastie Boys, Wu-Tang, NWA, Young MC (the last one is a joke)?
Without Jimi Hendrix, you don’t have Zep or George Clinton. Without Chuck Berry, you don’t have Jimi Hendrix. Without Muddy Waters, you don’t have Chuck Berry. Without Robert Johnson, you don’t have Muddy Waters. So I guess the final question is this: Where’s Robert Johnson (or anyone I just listed off for that matter)?
I feel David Bowie deserves a place on the list somewhere at the very least.
The ***** Pistols could be on the list, but they really shouldn’t be that high. Where’s the footprint they left today? Modern “punk” references Blink 182 and Greenday. The two bands I just mention cite The Ramones as their primary influence. I could make the same argument for influential English punk band for The Clash.
Bob Dylan is far too low on the list.
If we’re also talking about general musicians, we also have to note other non-pop generas like classical (Andres Segovia, Franz Liszt, Glenn Gould, Yo Yo Ma), Jazz (Miles Davis, Glenn Miller, Hoagy Carmichael, Jelly Roll Morton, Scott Joplin, Django Reinhardt), blues (B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Robert Johnson, Son House, Leadbelly, Albert King, T-Bone Walker).
actually, Green Days primary influence is the Clash, they state them first in multiple interviews. the Ramones are in there somewhere though.
g c: Go write your own list then. No wait, go kill yourself. Yeah thats better.
have you ever heard of classical music? Appart from that, great list.
KISS eats ***** and swallows *****.
I have to say, although I’m shocked that ABBA did not make the list – considering that, next to Queen, the fact of the matter is that they were the most harmonically and compositionally inventive group. This list is clearly related only to non-classical music and should be declared as such.
As much as I enjoy non-classical music – the truth of the matter is that none of these musicians can do anything but bow to the greatness of the likes of Palestrina, Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner and the likes. There is no question that these artists are great in their own rights, but none of this music would exist had it not been for the great composers of the past. To state for the record, as well, that it is arguable (and there are many musicologists, pianists, conductors and jazz musicians who agree and debate this constantly) that Beethoven is the inventor of “Jazz.” We know that Jazz has it’s roots in African music along with older American influences (ragtime for example), but Beethoven (the one who was deaf most of his life and therefore the most inventive and original composer of all time) in the 3rd variation of the 2nd movement of the Piano Sonata 32 in C, Opus 111, is the first example of what can be defined as “jazz.” The swung rhythms, syncopations, and harmonic progressions are all extremely advanced for that period of time and certainly would fit modern tastes over the tastes of the 1820′s Viennese public. Just wanted to lay out this very interesting fact for all those music lovers out there.
Unfortunately I think this list is incomplete and perhaps lists need to be prepared to discuss individual genres of music, rather than attempt to be all encompassing, which is practically impossible.
Not bad, but Kiss doesn’t belong in the top 15. They did very little besides letting everyone know that you can get very far in the industry on just image rather than talent. And Michael Jackson should definitely be in the top 5, and Neil Young somewhere in the top ten.
You gotta love the music lists to annoy people
KKing: I like KISS enough, but I’d have to agree. They kinda did revolutionize the whole big-hair and shocking style thing though.
brodog: There’s a yo momma joke in the making here, but even I’m not that cruel.
Jimi Hendrix… that’s all i can say
Jibil: if you read the about page you will see that I studied classical music at a postgraduate level – so yes – I have heard of classical music and have given over many lists to the subject – and there are many more to come! try http://listverse.com/lists for some of those lists. if you have a particularly good classical list do send it in – I am always keen to expose people to more classical stuff. And welcome to the site
not a bad list, however yes, Hendrix should definitely be on here, as should Johnny Cash. When Bob Dylan was asked who was his greatest influence, he said it was Johnny. Also, Willie Nelson has had a huge influence on the music industry, both in pop and country. he’s wrote more successful songs than any other writer.
it’s impossible to write a “best of music” list that everyone can agree on, as it all really comes down to personal taste.
screw you guys, im goin home…
*”haduken”s RajeshRao home for him*
xdarkhor*****: Agreed. For example, while agree Bill Haley and the Comets were very influential, I can’t stand to listen to them for more than five minutes at a time. Or Earth, Wind, and Fire, along the same lines. And frankly, there are more genres with their own “influential” people in them than would be plausible to post without “WARNING: INCREDIBLY LONG LIST AHEAD” nametag. And even then people would probably still, as my mother put once put it, ***** like a stripey cat.
Johnny Cash should be on here instead of KISS.
My only disagreement with this list is with Queen. Queen is one the most talented bands ever and are still hugely popular today. But I don’t think they were really that influential as far as pushing music in a new directions or redefining a genera.
What, no Velvet Underground? Didn’t everyone who bought one of their albums start a band?
How can this be the most influential musicians of all time when you are only covering two generations of music?
Jamie is stirring the pot again i see!
what no Vanilla ICE? the king of rap!
Oh, I LUV Queen! Saw them in concert twice–during their Day at the Races tour, and again during their News of the World tour. No new genera, but still–no synthesizers!
I love Queen too, I’m a bit surprised they’re not higher on the list, considering they influenced some very notable people such as Nirvana, Guns and Roses, Metallica, Lady Ga Ga, the Foo Fighters, and Def Leppard. In my opinion, Queen’s always in some way or another underrated.
i see two huge omissions…
where are the beach boys? the fusion of amazing harmonies, excellent instrumentation and pushing boundaries with their success, not just cranking out what everyone expects.
where is anything from the hip-hop/rap genre? eric b. and rakim, grandmaster flash, n.w.a…if we are talking about influence, you really missed the boat, stewie.
c’mon, you’ve got 6 different bands from the u.k. during the 60′s to early 70′s. how can they ALL be influential in the same place at the same time?
are you just sucking up to the brits that are on here?
Blogball: I could make such a hugely heated debate out of that one comment that would end up with a comment list longer than the Steven King List could ever dream up possible. That said I think I will refrain
Wow, this is a really ambitious list — sure to provoke twits like me with very strong opinions regarding popular music.
To wit:
For the love of all that is holy, can we go back in time and prevent you from putting the Grateful Dead on this list?!?!? It would not be enough for that entry to simply be removed at this time; the fact that they were mentioned, EVER, as being influential, will keep me up tonight in a cold sweat.
And Pink Floyd sucked (mostly) after Syd left…
Great list, though. I would have liked to see Chuck Berry and/or Bo Diddley on here — Bo Diddley put the “rock” in “rock and roll”…
Awesome, awesome, AWESOME list StewWriter. I don’t necessarily agree with some of your selections, but this seriously made my night. I LOVE Rock music and I have great respect for anyone else who shares my appreciation. Just one question… where’s Janis?!
good list…..agree with just about everything execept dylan should be atleast in the number 2 spot…and velvet underground should be on here somewhere….and KISS? really? KISS?
also…..Bob Dylan’s biggest influence was Woody Guthrie, not Johnny Cash
Come on, man, kiss? They are just the red headed step child of Alice Cooper. He’s the one who started the idea of stage shows/concerts and was the first to use heavy make-up
I’m sure ol Bobby Dylan had a myriad of influences. Woody Guthrie is a huge one. I’ve also read on numerous occasions that he wanted to be “the next Elvis.” Given that, Johnny Cash was probably an influence as well. I think he also studied guitar with Andres Segovia as well. Talk about influences huh?
Blogball: I agree with you about the race thing. Where are the black people? The Supremes are great, but I think it’s kind of offensive that Elvis is listed, but not those who influenced him. Almost all of these artists were influenced by black artists.
Michael Jackson should be on here somewhere.
And no way in HELL should Nirvana be before Elvis.
what no frank zappa, stevie ray vaughn, ray charles, the who, bb king, i could name so many.. jimi hendrix…
is this list based on how influential these musicians were on other musicians? or how influential they were on society?
if its music, then this list is excellent. if its for society and people, then what about rage against the machine?
I would argue that Miles Davis and The Clash definitely need to be on this list.
Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry too.
My parent’s names are Buddy and Holly. True story. Great list btw.
Some of you guys are confusing “most influential” with “first to influence”, big difference. Run DMC really should be up there though, hey…maybe they can replace KISS!
Top 3 should be in the order of 1. Beatles, 2. Elvis, 3. Rolling Stones
This is a tough list to pull off. Do you put Dylan or Woodie Guthrie, Nirvana or the Pixies, the band that made it popular or the innovator?
Omissions, in my opinion:
Buddy Holly – invented the current R&R line up, over dubbing, etc. Paul McCartney owns his publishing rights and was heavily influenced, as was Dylan.
Velvet Underground – ask 3/4 of rock bands and they’ll cite the VU as a major influence.
The Pixies – Cobain said Smells Like Teen Spirit is as close to a Pixies Song as you can get without paying royalties.
Bo Diddley – delivered baby R&R from Momma Blues.
Chuck Berry – Stones, Beatles, Elvis, everyone since borrowed from him. Introduced diction to R&B.
Little Richard – Gee, who wasn’t influenced by this guy? David Bowie, Otis Redding, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, John Fogerty, Dick Dale, Bob Seger, Jimi Hendrix all cite him as a primary influence.
Queen, Kiss, The Dead, Black Sabbath? Are you just screwing with us? Kiss was just a pedestrian version of the NY Dolls. Queen is great band, who have they influenced? The Dead, who have they influenced other than Phish, and who cares about Phish? Sabbath is great, but you already have Led Zeppelin who defined metal until it became very gay and lame.
This is probably one of my top 3 favorite lists. Great Job
Pixies and Velvet Underground should be on this list!!!! Most (good) modern rock bands will suggest one if not both as influences.
As stated below Kurt C. was influenced by the pixies. Nirvana leader Kurt Cobain was clear that without the Pixies, there never would have been a Smells Like Teen Spirit. So i guess they should be more influential then Nirvana.
Elvis, Queen, Nirvana, and Led Zepp, I LOVE YOU! I really like the list, my only beef is there is not one representative of country music! One of the following would have been grand: Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Sr., Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, I could go on! That aside I still agree with most of it.
I gotta agree that the omission of Buddy Holly is HUGE. With the things he pretty much invented, (i.e. overdubbing) and when MOST of he guys ON the list credit him as an influence, I gotta think he’s pretty influential. There’s a reaseon they called it “The Day The Music Died.”
Terrible list. Just terrible.
I dont mean to hate, and I agree with some of those spots (3). But, may I ask, where is the Jazz? The Classical?
This just seems to be a list of very popular artists as the years go by. In which case, where is the rap?
You even write Most Influencial of “All Time”. All Time! Pay tribute to at least one classical composer that forever changed the face of music. Like Bach, with his Well-Tempered Clavier, the very first time someone bothered to write 2 pieces for every key in music. Or Beethoven who at the time was claimed to destroy music! Or at least pay tribute to a Jazz musician like John Coltrane, his ability alone changed the face of music since the standard to perform jazz became so high. Same with Jaco Pastorius. Cmon… not even Louis Armstrong?
What he said. And it’s been said before: you guys are limiting yourself to one or two generations. Kiss is on your list, Bach isn’t . I don’t get it.
Definitely should have Velvet Underground on here. They pretty much jump-started the whole punk rock movement with their attitude and lyrical content.