The 100 Greatest Artists of Rock 'n Roll
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In 1998, VH1 polled music artists and insiders on whom they believe changed and shaped Rock and Roll. After months of voting, the final 100 list was revealed in a five part countdown series hosted by Kevin Bacon. Because of the low presence of women on this list, VH1 responded to complaints of sexism with another five part series on The 100 Greatest Women in Rock and Roll in 1999. This series led to other 100 lists, which in turn prompted the creation of a series entitled The Greatest. The list is as follows:
- 100. Paul Simon
After his split from Art Garfunkel in 1970, he became one of folk music's most influential artists.
Led by George Clinton, this band showed us how to bring the funk.
- 98. Traffic (Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason, Chris Wood)
The British blues rock band crossed several barriers with the help of their songwriting frontman, Steve Winwood.
- 97. Fats Domino
One of early Rock and Roll's great singer-songwriters that made us all find a thrill.
- 96. Lynyrd Skynyrd
With a down home style, this band combined rock music with a country music edge.
- 95. Robert Johnson
The earliest artist on the list and one of the most legendary blues guitarists.
The Motown girl group that infused a pop style into their R&B sound.
- 93. The Four Tops
Yet another Motown group that used their R&B style to make the pop charts dance.
- 92. The Temptations
Smooth and sweet, this Motown group gave R&B its perfectionist style.
With her sweet, velvety voice and her legendary back-up group, they took us on a Midnight train and made us not want to say goodbye.
- 90. Tom Waits
One of the rock's most underrated singer-songwriters.
- 89. Johnny Cash
Country music's Man In Black who knew exactly how to Walk the Line.
Straight from New York City's punk scene, these unlikely rock stars gave rock music with a rebel attitude.
- 87. Santana
A brilliant guitarist whose Black Magic became so Smooth.
- 86. Madonna
The ever-changing pop music queen whose music and flamboyant, sexual and theatrical style were equally controversial.
- 85. Carole King
The ultimate singer-songwriter whose songs wove a Tapestry and made us feel natural.
- 84. T. Rex (Marc Bolan)
A band that combined arena rock and British funk.
- 83. Iggy Pop
One of punk music's ultimate rebel's who danced to the beat of his own drummer.
This band changed the look of music by infusing the visual medium of music video with the electronic dance age.
The ultimate folk-rock band whose name says it all.
- 80. Tina Turner
The woman with the sexiest legs in showbiz made us proud to ask what love had to do with it.
Hard rock's bad boys from Boston whose hits are countless.
- 78. Billy Joel
The Piano Man whose pop songs are liked just the way they are.
- 77. John Coltrane
One of the greatest modern jazz musicians of all time.
- 76. The Bee Gees (Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb)
Brothers in music that went from 1960's pop to the disco dance floor.
- 75. Curtis Mayfield
The funky soul singer-songwriter whose music was so Superfly.
A rebellious band who, with the help of culture icon Andy Warhol, started a punk music revolution.
- 73. Muddy Waters
The great blues artist who inspired so many of rock music's greatest bands.
The folk duo that crossed over to the pop charts with the Sounds of Silence.
- 71. Rod Stewart
This British soul singer gave us a mix of rock, pop and the blues and we still thought he was sexy.
One of the blues' greatest guitarists.
- 69. The Pretenders (Chrissie Hynde, James Honeyman-Scott, Pete Farndon, Martin Chambers, Robbie McIntosh, Malcolm Foster)
With frontwoman Chrissie Hynde, this band infused pop, blues, punk and rock all in one.
Another down home band that perfected their own style of blues-rock.
- 67. KISS (Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss)
Complete with kabuki make-up, this band took hard rock to a new level.
Another band that infused the visual medium with an alternative dance music and punk attitude.
- 65. James Taylor
Pop's sensitive soul is one of folk music's greatest singer-songwriters.
- 64. Frank Zappa
The original Mother of Invention whose style was all his own.
- 63. Sting
The former Police frontman set out on his own and found new Fields of Gold.
- 62. Paul McCartney
The former Beatle spread his Wings and made us all amazed.
Another one of Motown's smooth groups whose frontman was as integral in the writing of their hits as in the performing.
With the mix of funk and disco, this band inspired countless of today's hip-hop artists.
- 59. Bo Diddley
One of the great blues musicians that definitely knows.
- 58. Sam Cooke
One of the most distinctive voices in pop music, his velvety style was completely unmatched.
This 1970's band blended jazz, rock, funk, R&B & pop together.
- 56. The Kinks (Ray Davies, Dave Davies)
Part of the British Invasion, this band, with their tempestuous dramas, helped lead rock and roll to new heights.
A band that helped to bridge the gap between the socially and spiritually conscious folk music and the fresh sounding hybrid pop music.
- 54. The Grateful Dead (Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Ron "Pigpen" McKernan, Keith Godchaux, Donna Godchaux, Brent Mydland, Vince Welnick)
From the heart of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district, this band created a psychadelic phase of rock music whose rebellious spirit lives on in today's music.
- 53. Peter Gabriel
Combining pop music with a world flavor, this artist created a Genesis in our eyes.
- 52. Cream (Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce)
One of rock's great supergroups that combined blues-rock with a psychadelic strange brew.
- 51. B.B. King
The King of the blues who, with the help of Lucille, the thrill will never be gone.
- 50. R.E.M. (Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Bill Berry)
The alternative style of this band started hitting the college circuit in the late 1980's to grow into one of the most successful pop-rock acts of the 1990's.
- 49. Roy Orbison
With his dark glasses and falsetto voice, this pioneer of rock and roll inspired many others with chart topping hits.
- 48. Van Halen (David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Michael Anthony, Alex Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, Gary Cherone)
Though their frontmans constantly change, this influential hard rock band released album after album with total attitude.
Although leader John Fogerty was from the San Francisco Bay Area, his band infused rockabilly style into their music that became known as swamp blues.
Three of rock's outsiders joined forces to form a trio that spoke to a generation with music.
Punk music's ultimate rebels who yelled out for anarchy.
- 44. The Jackson 5
The family of brothers that sang together and gave Motown some of its greatest hits from the 1970's.
Infusing classic rock and roll with a folk music soul, this artist, with the help of his many bandmates, released albums that inspired several bands of today.
- 42. Nirvana (Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear)
The Seattle band clouted in tragedy created the grunge rock style and gave voice to Generation X.
- 41. Janis Joplin
Unlike any before or after her, her voice wailed into the 1960's with a hippie style and an R&B soul.
- 40. Michael Jackson
Leaving his brothers behind, the youngest Jackson defines the 1980's to become the King of Pop sparked with controversy.
- 39. Miles Davis
One of the most influential jazz musicians who infused the blues and rock into his legendary style.
- 38. Elvis Costello
As part of the new wave scene, this artists infused the classic rock and roll style into is unconventional sound.
- 37. Al Green
The Reverend whose sweet, soul sound let us romance, dance and stay together.
- 36. Little Richard
Rock and roll's wild man who infused gospel with a pop flavor and changed music forever.
- 35. Otis Redding
An R&B legend with a great soul voice that passionately delivered pop's great songs.
- 34. Buddy Holly
One of rock music's great tragedies had a style all his own and sound that was unlike anything before or after.
- 33. Queen (Freddie Mercury, Brian May, John Deacon, Roger Taylor)
A band with a dramatic flair and a hard rock edge led by the ultimate frontman, Freddie Mercury.
- 32. Joni Mitchell
A folk music Songbird whose music makes her one of rock music's great storytellers.
The band that combined the electronic age and a punk attitude.
- 30. Neil Young
Combining all facets of blues, country, folk and rock, this singer-songwriter became not only a rebel but a true poet.
- 29. U2 (Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr.)
The rockers from Ireland whose music speaks volumes on both the concert stage and the world political stage.
The ultimate funk band that, while from different backgrounds, made ua all feel like family.
The Boss, who charged his way through music with the style of a poet and the attitude of classic rock and roll.
- 26. Chuck Berry
With his duckwalk and legendary guitar skills, he made us roll over and be good.
- 25. Van Morrison
The consumate musician whose songs influenced the pop-rock charts.
- 24. Bob Marley
The ultimate wailer who brought reggae into the mainstream with heart and soul.
The most successful rock band of the 1970's used their musician skills and poetic style to inspire millions.
Rock's most tempestuous band with all their dramas and break-ups became one of the most successful groups of the 1970's.
- 21. Aretha Franklin
The undisputed Queen of Soul let her voice do the talking and commanded Respect.
Led by wild frontman Jim Morrison, this band broke on through the 1960's like a lit fire.
With a mellow, epic sound, this band let their music flow through fans like a hot lava lamp.
- 18. Prince
The Artist who challenges conventions and whose theatricality bounds his infusion of R&B, rock and pop.
- 17. Elton John
He's the Rocket Man whose flamboyant style is as stamped in music history as his memorable pop songs.
- 16. John Lennon
The former member of The Beatles imagined and became a controversial figure in music and politics.
- 15. Eric Clapton
After being in several different bands, rock's guitar GOD has and will always be one of music's true legends.
- 14. Marvin Gaye
Motown's sensitive soul who sang several different styles of R&B and pop to show us What's Going On.
The sounds of California pop and fun in the sun was this band's path to chart topping success.
- 12. Ray Charles
One of R&B's greatest treasures whose music was a cornerstone of combining rock, pop, soul and even country.
- 11. Stevie Wonder
Motown's lil' wonder gave an inspiring career that has lasted now for five decades.
- 10. The Police (Sting, Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland)
Inspired by everything from punk music to reggae, these three men joined forces to give the 1980's a sound unlike any other.
With a howl from Roger Daltrey and a strong riff from Pete Townshend, these rebels of their generation helped lead rock and roll into the world of hard rock.
The undisputed King of Rock and Roll whose style was unmatched in any genre.
- 7. David Bowie
The chameleon of pop music whose soulful sound and flair for the theatrical inspired countless of today's artists.
- 6. James Brown
The Godfather of Soul made us all feel good.
- 5. Bob Dylan
Rock's great poet whose songs lent a voice to a whole generation.
This band became the transistion between classic rock and roll and heavy metal.
- 3. Jimi Hendrix
Rock's guitar legend whose R&B infused soul and hippie style were a compliment to the 1960's counterculture.
- 2. The Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Bill Wyman, Charlie Watts, Mick Taylor, Ron Wood)
Rock's ultimate bad boys who made us satisfied.
The boys from Liverpool who cemented the British Invasion in music and led a rock music Revolution.
