Nov 07 2022
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Top 20 Best Classic Rock Bands Of All Time

By David Presley
Top 20 Best Classic Rock Bands Of All Time

Best-Classic-Rock-Bands-Of-All-Time-2

We list some of the best Classic rock bands of all time. Many of these rock bands have pioneered rock and roll to become one of the most popular music genres out there. Their massive influence on the course of rock music cannot be overstated. From the 60s, through the 70s and up to the 80s and 90s, these rockers have displayed their skill and creativity with biting anthems as well as mammoth power ballads, creating an impressive string of hits. Their achievements include selling multiple records and albums, winning various awards including Grammy awards and Brit awards. Most of them have also been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame.

1. Queen

Queen is an English rock band originally consisting of four members: vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, bass guitarist John Deacon, and drummer Roger Taylor. The band formed in London in 1970 after May and Taylor’s former band Smile split after having released an album and single. Freddie replaced lead vocalist Tim Staffell, after the latter’s departure from the original trio. Through his legendary theatrical performances, Queen became one of the most popular bands in the world in the mid-’70s, topping the charts in England and regularly cracking the Billboard 200 Top Ten with albums like 1975’s A Night at the Opera, 1976’s A Day at the Races, and 1977’s News of the World. In 1990, Queen received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. They’ve sold over 250 million records, making them one of the world’s best-selling music artists. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, and in 2018 they were presented the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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2. The Beatles

The Beatles were a highly influential English rock ‘n’ roll band from Liverpool. They are the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful rock music band in music history. The innovative music and style of band members John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr helped to define the 1960s, and they continue to be well regarded for their artistic achievements and their huge commercial success. They gained popularity in the United Kingdom after their first hit, “Love Me Do”, in late 1962. They acquired the nickname “the Fab Four” as Beatlemania grew in Britain over the following year, and by early 1964 they had become international stars, leading the “British Invasion” of the United States music market. The Beatles are the best-selling music act of all time, with estimated sales of 600 million units worldwide. In 2004 and 2011, the group topped Rolling Stone’s lists of the greatest artists in history.

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3. AC/DC

AC/DC is an Australian hard rock band formed in Sydney, Australia in November 1973 by brothers Angus and Malcolm Young. Although the band are considered pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal, its members have always classified their music as “rock ‘n’ roll”. AC/DC underwent several line-up changes before releasing their first album, 1975’s High Voltage. Membership subsequently stabilized around the Young brothers, singer Bon Scott, drummer Phil Rudd, and bassist Mark Evans. Evans was fired from the band in 1977 and replaced by Cliff Williams, who has appeared on every AC/DC album since 1978’s Powerage. In February 1980, Scott died of acute alcohol poisoning after a night of heavy drinking. AC/DC have sold more than 200 million records worldwide, including 75 million albums in the United States, making them the ninth-highest-selling artist in the United States and the 16th-best-selling artist worldwide.

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4. Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses is an American hard rock band founded in Los Angeles, California in 1985. Axl Rose and guitarist Izzy Stradlin, who had been in a band together called Hollywood Rose, teamed up with some members of L.A. Guns to start a new group. Over the next few years, the band’s 1987 debut album, Appetite for Destruction, sold in huge numbers, with “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Paradise City” both reaching Billboard’s Top Ten. Stemming from the LA rock underground, the ugly lyrics matched the sleaze of the music–driven by heavy blues licks–covering misogyny, violence, city life, sex, liquor, and hard drugs. The band’s hedonism and rebelliousness drew comparisons to the early Rolling Stones and earned them the nickname “the most dangerous band in the world”.

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5. Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac is a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac was founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the lineup. The band released a self-titled debut album in 1968. The album reached number four on the UK charts. They later released the singles ‘Black Magic Woman’ and ‘Need Your Love So Bad’. The band released their second album ‘Mr.Wonderful’ the following year. Following the release of their second album the band added the guitarist, Danny Kirwan to their line-up. Shortly after the band released their first number one single in the UK, ‘Albatross’. In 1998 the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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6. Bon Jovi

Bon Jovi is a hard rock band from Sayreville, New Jersey. Fronted by lead singer and namesake Jon Bon Jovi, the group originally achieved large-scale success in the 80s. Over the past 25 years, the band has sold over 120 million albums worldwide, 34 million of those sales being in the U.S. alone, making them one of the most successful modern groups of all time. They are famous for tracks such as ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’, ‘Always’ and ‘It’s My Life’. In 2018 the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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7. The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock band whose music propelled them to the heights of popularity during the “British Invasion” in the early 1960s. They went on to become the longest-lived major rock band in history, and one of the most successful.  As the self-consciously dangerous alternative to the bouncy Merseybeat of the Beatles in the British Invasion, the Stones had pioneered the gritty, hard-driving blues-based rock & roll that came to define hard rock. The band has won three Grammy Awards and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004.

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8. Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) was an American roots rock band that gained popularity in the late 1960s and early 70s with a string of successful songs from multiple albums released from 1968-70. The group consisted of singer, lead guitarist, and songwriter John Fogerty; rhythm guitarist Tom Fogerty; bass player Stu Cook; and drummer Doug Clifford. Their musical style encompassed rock and roll and the so-called swamp-rock genre, of which they were a leading example. Hit singles such as “Suzie Q,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Up Around the Bend,” and “Proud Mary” established CCR as one of the top rock groups of the late 1960s. The band broke up in 1972.

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9. Aerosmith

Aerosmith is an American rock group famous for being one of America’s greatest rock and roll bands. The band was formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1970, and consists of Steven Tyler on vocals and keyboard, guitarist Joe Perry, bassist Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer and guitarist Brad Whitford. Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop rock, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many subsequent rock artists. Aerosmith have achieved twenty-one Top 40 hits on the US Hot 100, nine number-one Mainstream Rock hits, and have also won four Grammy Awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

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10. The Eagles

The Eagles were an American rock band that started in Los Angeles in 1971. Their early sound was a combination of country music and Surf rock. Their first album, released in 1972, sold over a million copies. They also captured the shifting zeitgeist of the ’70s, riding the country-rock hippie hangover at the end of the ’60s until it reached the slick, expensive, and expansive pop/rock of Southern California in the late ’70s. With five No. 1 singles, six Grammy Awards, five American Music Awards, and six No. 1 albums, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s. The Eagles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

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11. Led Zeppelin

Initially called the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin was formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page, the final lead guitarist for the legendary British blues band the Yardbirds. Bassist and keyboard player Jones, like Page, was a veteran studio musician; vocalist Plant and drummer Bonham came from little-known provincial bands. Zeppelin ushered in the era of album rock — they refused to release singles off their albums, even when they were garnering massive radio play — and of arena rock, playing ever-larger stadiums as their ticket sales skyrocketed. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. The band is also considered “as influential” during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.

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12. Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd started in 1965 with the members Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright. Some of the members of the Pink Floyd band started out in previous other bands such as Sigma 6, The Meggadeaths, and The screaming Abdabs all formed in 1964. Gaining a following as a psychedelic band, they were distinguished for their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows, and became a leading band of the progressive rock genre. They are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history. Pink Floyd were inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005.

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13. Journey

Journey is an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1973 by former members of Santana, Frumious Bandersnatch, and the Steve Miller Band. Guitarist Neal Schon is their only constant member. The band first began as a progressive rock band and later evolved their sound to include more pop sounds mixed in with their original rock sound. Journey’s greatest commercial success came in the late 1970s through the early 1980s with a series of power ballads and songs such as “Don’t Stop Believin'”, “Any Way You Want It”, “Faithfully”, “Open Arms”, “Separate Ways”, and “Wheel in the Sky”. Although, the band had been highly successful, they also regularly faced criticism, often around being overly commercial. Journey has sold over 48 million albums in the US, making them the 25th best-selling band. Their worldwide sales have reached over 100 million records globally, making them one of the world’s best-selling bands of all time. Journey was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the class of 2017.

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14. Dire Straits

Dire Straits were a British rock band who emerged during the post-punk era of the late 1970s, active between 1977 and 1995. Comprising Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), his younger brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals), and Pick Withers (drums and percussion), and managed by Ed Bicknell, Dire Straits played a more bluesy style, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk rock which was at the forefront at the time. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. As their career progressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. These two musical revolutions from the mid-’80s helped make Dire Straits’ sixth album, Brothers in Arms, an international blockbuster. Despite the band’s international success, they couldn’t sustain their stardom, waiting a full six years to deliver a follow-up to Brothers in Arms, by which time their audience had shrunk significantly. The band disbanded for good in 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. Dire Straits have sold over 120 million units worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists.

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15. Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd is a Southern Rock band, formed in Jacksonville, Florida, USA in 1964. The band became prominent in the Southern United States in 1973, and rose to worldwide recognition before three members and one road crew member died in an airplane crash in 1977. The band reformed in 1987 for a reunion tour with lead singer Ronnie Van Zant’s younger brother Johnny as the frontman. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Lynyrd Skynyrd No. 95 on their list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 13, 2006.

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16. Kiss

Kiss (often stylized as KIϟϟ) is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973 by Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. KISS was born out of the ashes of Wicked Lester. Although ‘Heavy Metal’ didn’t exist when the band was formed in 1972 it can be said that they invented a big part of the sound and style which now belong to Heavy Metal. The band is known for its elaborate stage shows, loud music, and extravagant costumes. Kiss is regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of all time, as well as one of the bestselling bands of all time, claiming to have sold more than 100 million records worldwide, including 21 million RIAA-certified albums.

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17. Black Sabbath

Black Sabbath was an English heavy metal band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. In the early 70s, they were the first to pair heavily distorted, sonically dissonant blues rock at slow speeds with lyrics about drugs, mental pain and abominations of war, thus giving birth to generations of metal bands that followed in their wake. Their name itself taken from a notorious horror film, they are often credited with creating the Heavy Metal genre as well as the doom metal subgenre. Black Sabbath officially disbanded in March 2017. They have also won two Grammy Awards for Best Metal Performance, and in 2019 the band were presented a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

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18. Scorpions

Scorpions is a rock band from Hannover, Germany that was formed in 1965. Known best for their 1984 anthem “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and the 1990 ballad “Wind of Change,” the German rockers the Scorpions have sold over 22 million records, making them one of the most successful rock bands to ever come out of Continental Europe. One of their most recognized hits is “Wind of Change” (from Crazy World), a symbolic anthem of the political changes in Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s and the fall of the Berlin Wall, and it remains as one of the best-selling singles in the world with over 14 million copies.

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19. Electric Light Orchestra

Electric Light Orchestra is a symphonic rock band which formed in Birmingham, England in 1970. The band was formed by Jeff Lynne (vocals, guitar, multiple instruments), Roy Wood (multiple instruments, vocals), Richard Tandy (keyboards, vocals) and Bev Bevan (drums). They incorporated the sounds of string ensembles, vocoders and dub echos into rock songs, thereby creating a very sophisticated studio version of rock.  With their 1973 album ELO II, the band hit the Top Ten with their grandiose cover of the Chuck Berry chestnut “Roll Over Beethoven”; the record was also their first American hit, with 1974’s Eldorado yielding their first U.S. Top Ten, the lovely “Can’t Get It Out of My Head.” Despite Electric Light Orchestra’s commercial success, the band remained relatively faceless; the lineup changed constantly, with sole mainstays Lynne and Bevan preferring to let their elaborate stage shows and omnipresent spaceship imagery instead serve as the group’s public persona. In 2017, the key members of ELO (Wood, Lynne, Bevan and Tandy) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

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20. The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an iconic American rock band, frequently cited as one of the most influential and commercially successful groups in the history of popular music due to their intricate vocal harmonies, studio experiments, and novel approaches to pop songwriting. Rooted in doo-wop and rock and roll, their early string of vocal surf hits defined the ’60s California Sound. They have recorded dozens of Top 40 hits (including four US #1 singles), many best-selling albums, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

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Honorable mentions

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