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These are the most influential bands and solo artists in rock music from 1960 to today.
To Vote for Joan Jett or Another Nominee Go To RockinTown.com Hall of Fame. In every pre-fab Rock outfit there is usually some glimmer of talent. The Runaways, created by producer Kim Foley, to be the female version of the Ramones, featured both Lita Ford and Joan Jett. Despite being big in Japan and recording…
To Vote for Judas Priest or Another Nominee Go To RockinTown.com Hall of Fame. After Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and especially Alice Cooper, it seemed as though Rock had gone as far as it could. Wrong! Heavy Metal went further, faster and harder, often with violent or satanic imagery. Beginning in ’73 Judas Priest featured…
Corey Taylor, the Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman, released his debut solo album, “CMFT,” in ’20. The album contained ““Black Eyes Blue,” which had a two-week run at #1 on Billboard‘s Mainstream Rock Songs chart. “CMFT,” which went to #44 on the Billboard 200 (#6 on the Top Rock Albums survey) was a departure from Taylor’s previous work. Taylor’s…
Metallica have garnered over 11.5 billion streams on Spotify, and they average more than 5.8 million streams per day. Two songs, “Enter Sandman” and “Nothing Else Matters” have crossed the one-billion streams mark. Both are on the multi-platinum (16x) “Metallica” set released in ’91. #10. Wherever I May Roam A 12-string bass was only used for…
Numerous bands, with their best days long behind them, set aside long-standing disputes and regroup to record and tour. It offers a chance to perform again and score a paycheck. Usually, these efforts garner some attention and enthusiasm but very little in the way of headlines. An exception happened in September of ’24. Jane’s Addiction…
No one in Rock was more consistently influential than David Bowie. He effectively adopted (and discarded) images (Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane & The Thin White Duke) and styles creating an incredible and varied body of work. Here is the list of Great Songs: #10. Space Oddity It was first released on July 11th, 1969, as the…
Supergroup #12 or Asia came about when Carl Palmer (formerly of ELP), Steve Howe (of Yes fame), John Wetton (King Crimson alum) and Geoff Downes joined forces. By the early ‘80s, the supergroup concept was a bit shop worn but these Art-Rockers managed four memorable songs. Two are on their self-titled debut (“Only Time Will…
Early Aerosmith got slammed for being a second-rate Rolling Stones. Singer Steve Tyler possessed more than a passing resemblance to Mick Jagger. It wasn’t his fault. Jagger just got to the look first. Guitarist Joe Perry was pegged as a Keith Richards knock-off. (Of course, Richards was once dismissed as a Chuck Berry knock-off.) But…
The Genesis story covers three distinctly different periods: Genesis with Peter Gabriel, then the post-Gabriel Genesis and finally the ‘80s Phil Collins led incarnation with remaining members Mike Rutherford and Tony Banks. Genesis (Original Version) Under Peter Gabriel’s leadership, Genesis was Prog Rock to the extreme. Given Gabriel’s use of masks and props the band…
“The Clash… the only band that matters.” The importance of The Clash cannot be overstated. They were a lightning rod for the Punk movement preaching revolutionary politics. While they often appeared to be chasing the Sex Pistols, they were far more successful artistically and far more influential politically. They also showed considerable musical range (including…