100 Greatest Rock Musicians & Their Hits (60 > 41)

By David Barwinski

Let’s get into the next 20 entries (60 > 41) of 100 Greatest Musicians & Their Hits. 

Introduction and entries for 100 through 61 on the list. 

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60. Fats Domino – Pianist Fats Domino’s collaboration with Dave Bartholomew led to an entirely new sound: a high-spirited fusion of blues, jazz, and R&B.  It would later be given the name “rock and roll.” Fats modestly said, “It wasn’t anything but the same rhythm and blues I’d been playing down in New Orleans.”  Domino’s innovative musicianship, comforting vocals, tender lyrics, and inimitable charm are why Elvis Presley called him, “The real king of rock ‘n’ roll.” Released in 1949, “The Fat Man” is widely recognized as the first rock single. His legacy is incalculable. Hit songs: “Ain’t That a Shame,” “Blue Monday,” “Blueberry Hill,” “The Fat Man,” “I Want to Walk You Home,” “I’m in Love Again,” “I’m Walkin’,” “My Blue Heaven,” “Whole Lotta Lovin’” Best song: “Ain’t That a Shame”

59. The Stooges – Detroiters The Stooges and especially their hit, “Search and Destroy,” created the template for punk rock. While not punk themselves (rather, proto-punk), their raw sound, antagonistic lyrics, and unhinged, combative shows orchestrated the genre, in addition to influencing hard, metal, and alternative rock (esp. grunge). Many bands on this list owe a debt to the “Godfather of Punk” Iggy Pop and his Stooges. Hit songs: “1969,” “1970,” “Down on the Street,” “Gimme Danger,” “I Got a Right,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” “No Fun,” “Search and Destroy,” “T.V. Eye” Best song: “Search and Destroy”

58. Jerry Lee Lewis – Aptly dubbed “The Killer,” Jerry Lee Lewis’s frenzied performances embodied the spirit of rock. (In 1958, a decade before Jimi Hendrix, he set fire to his piano. And continued playing.) “Great Balls of Fire” is an early masterpiece and while he later pivoted to country, his initial output is straight rock. Lewis’s influence was enormous.  Hit songs: “Boogie Woogie Country Man,” “Breathless,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “High School Confidential,” “I’m on Fire,” “Mean Woman Blues,” “What’d I Say,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Wild One” Best song: “Great Balls of Fire”

57. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – Direct from Laurel Canyon, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are noted for their politically charged lyrics and vocal harmonies, serving as the foremost musicians of the late-1960s/early-1970s hippie/folk rock scene with hits like “Woodstock” and “Ohio.”  Famed promoter Bill Graham called them the “American Beatles.”  That’s a real stretch, but they are one of the great supergroups — David Crosby (of The Byrds), Stephen Stills (of Buffalo Springfield), and Graham Nash (of The Hollies), later adding on-again off-again Neil Young (also of Buffalo Springfield). Hit songs: “Carry On,” “Helpless,” “Helplessly Hoping,” “Long Time Gone,” “Ohio,” “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes,” “Just a Song Before I Go,” “Teach Your Children,” “Wooden Ships,” “Woodstock” Best song: “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” Runner-up: “Ohio”

56. Lynyrd Skynyrd – Along with The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) rules Southern rock. “Free Bird,” “Simple Man,” and “Tuesday’s Gone” are ballads done right — clever rather than cloying lyrics and sufficiently forceful guitar. Yes, “Free Bird” is overplayed, but classics are ubiquitous for a reason. Hit songs: “Call Me the Breeze,” “Free Bird,” “Gimme Back My Bullets,” “Gimme Three Steps,” “Saturday Night Special,” “Simple Man,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” “That Smell,” “Tuesday’s Gone,” “What’s Your Name” Best song: “Free Bird” Runner-up: “Sweet Home Alabama”

55. Genesis – Those who only know Genesis from radio favorites like “Land of Confusion” and “Invisible Touch” are in for a surprise when they dig deeper. They are in all but name two bands: the later, pop rock, Phil Collins-led period and the earlier, progressive rock, Peter Gabriel-led period (although prog continued for a while under Collins). The former is very good, the latter is great. Like their peers King Crimson and Yes, expect euphonious, elaborate, looooong tracks. Hit songs: “The Carpet Crawlers,” “The Cinema Show,” “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight,” “Firth of Fifth,” “The Knife,” “Land of Confusion,” “The Musical Box,” “Supper’s Ready,” “That’s All,” “Watcher of the Skies”  Best song: “Supper’s Ready.” Runner-up: “Firth of Fifth”

54. Bo Diddley – With his blues and R&B background, Bo Diddley helped fashion them into the newfangled rock and roll sound and so is regarded as one of the developers of the genre. He created the “Bo Diddley beat,” a standard musical pattern in rock, pop, and hip hop. He also devised reverb (echo) and tremolo (trembling) effects with his unusual rectangular-shaped guitars. And he was funny! Diddley’s self-referential, blustering, conversational vocals was like nothing the music world had seen. Hit songs: “Before You Accuse Me,” “Bo Diddley,” “Bring It to Jerome,” “Diddley Daddy,” “Hey! Bo Diddley,” “I’m a Man,” “Mona (I Need You Baby),” “Pretty Thing,” “Who Do You Love?,” “You Can’t Judge a Book by the Cover”  Best song: “Who Do You Love?”  Runner-up: “I’m a Man”

53. Billy Joel – The blue collar man’s Elton John. Billy Joel has a knack for writing broad, singable lyrics and setting them to catchy jazz/pop rock melodies. Which translates perfectly to his intimate, highly entertaining live shows. Joel frequently betrays his New York roots, an unabashed booster for The Greatest City in the World. Ironically, his best song was written during and about his time in Los Angeles.  Hit songs: “Captain Jack,” “Just the Way You Are,” “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song),” “My Life,” “New York State of Mind,” “Only the Good Die Young,” “Piano Man,” “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant,” “She’s Always a Woman,” “The Stranger,” “Vienna,” “You May Be Right”  Best song: “Piano Man”  Runner-up: “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant”

52. Eagles – Yes, they are one of the biggest selling acts ever, but commercial success does not equate to comparable greatness. (See Kiss, Status Quo at one extreme, The Velvet Underground, Big Star at the other.) Los Angeles soft/country rockers the Eagles are great enough, though. Part of the problem was that they hated each other. Just look at that photo!  Notwithstanding the turmoil, Don Henley is a gifted songwriter and Joe Walsh a gifted guitarist, their vocal harmonies are consistently outstanding, and “Hotel California” is one of the very best songs. Hit songs: “Already Gone,” “Desperado,” “Hotel California,” “I Can’t Tell You Why,” “Life in the Fast Lane,” “Lyin’ Eyes,” “New Kid in Town,” “One of These Nights,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling,” “Take It Easy,” “Take It to the Limit,” “Tequila Sunrise” Best song: “Hotel California”  Runner-up: “Take It Easy”

51. Guns N’ Roses – Guns N’ Roses earned their reputation as “the most dangerous band in the world.” With their debut, landmark album Appetite For Destruction, they broke free from the trappings of the hair metal genre and achieved true greatness. Rose’s voice is among the best in rock and Slash is an impressive guitarist. Hit songs: “Civil War,” “Don’t Cry,” “Estranged,” “Mr. Brownstone,” “Nightrain,” “November Rain,” “Paradise City,” “Patience,” “Rocket Queen,” “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” “Welcome to the Jungle,” “You Could Be Mine” Best song: “Welcome to the Jungle”  Runner-up: “Sweet Child o’ Mine”

50. Elvis Costello – The other Elvis, who looks like Buddy Holly. Influenced by both, he even hired The King’s backing group, TCB Band. English songwriter/singer/guitarist Elvis Costello is a new wave pioneer, providing a crucial link between 1960s pop rock and 1980s alternative rock. He is known for his minimalist sound, sarcastic lyrics, and quirkiness — the glasses, the mod attire, his fondness of parentheses. Hit songs: “Accidents Will Happen,” “Alison,” “(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes,” “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” “I Want You,” “Less Than Zero,” “Man Out of Time,” “Oliver’s Army,” “Pump It Up,” “Radio Radio,” “Watching the Detectives,” “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace Love and Understanding”  Best song: “Alison” Runner-up: “Man Out of Time”

49. Paul Simon – New Yorker Paul Simon’s stellar solo career demonstrated his creativity beyond the folk rock sound of Simon & Garfunkel, as he increasingly incorporated pop and world music into his rock. Simon is one of the all-time great songwriters, who can tell a story like Bob Dylan, as well as a soothing vocalist and skilled guitarist. Hit songs: “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover,” “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes,” “Duncan,” “Graceland,” “Kodachrome,” “Late in the Evening,” “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” “Mother and Child Reunion,” “The Obvious Child,” “Slip Slidin’ Away,” “Still Crazy After All These Years,” “You Can Call Me Al”  Best song: “Kodachrome”  Runner-up: “Still Crazy After All These Years”

48. R.E.M. – While not the first, R.E.M. served as the paradigm for alternative rock bands — complex arrangements, wistful vocals, and introspective lyrics. With Michael Stipe’s melancholic singing and Peter Buck’s jangly guitar, they ruled college radio in the 1980s with hits like “Radio Free Europe” and “Fall on Me,” and went mainstream in the 1990s with megahit “Losing My Religion.” Hit songs: “Drive,” “Everybody Hurts,” “Fall on Me,” “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine),” “Losing My Religion,” “Man on the Moon,” “Nightswimming,” “The One I Love,” “Orange Crush,” “Radio Free Europe,” “The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite,” “What’s the Frequency Kenneth?” Best song: “Losing My Religion” Runner-up: “The One I Love”

47. Paul McCartney – Another solo career by an ex-Beatle, this one by far the most productive. Paul McCartney is a top three songwriter of all time and a master at composing hooks. “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” sound an awful lot like Beatles songs, which makes sense as they were released shortly after the group’s demise.  Next he formed Wings, from which came much of his best “solo” work, although it was undoubtedly his band. Hit songs: “Another Day,” “Band on the Run,” “Here Today,” “Hi Hi Hi,” “Jenny Wren,” “Jet,” “Let ‘Em In,” “Let Me Roll It,” “Live and Let Die,” “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey,” “Venus and Mars/Rock Show”  Best song: “Maybe I’m Amazed”  Runner-up: “Band on the Run”

46. The Yardbirds – English phenoms The Yardbirds counted in their ranks three of the four greatest guitarists ever: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck (although not concurrently). Clapton left when their sound veered too far from the blues. He recommended Page replace him and Page suggested Beck also be brought on board. It was Beck’s experimentation with guitar distortion and feedback that is credited with helping give rise to psychedelic, progressive, hard, metal, and punk rock. And so The Yardbirds were hugely influential. Page would go on to found The New Yardbirds, renamed Led Zeppelin. Hit songs: “Dazed and Confused,” “For Your Love,” “Happenings Ten Years Time Ago,” “Heart Full of Soul,” “I Ain’t Got You,” “I’m a Man,” “My Girl Sloopy,” “Over Under Sideways Down,” “Shapes of Things,” “Smokestack Lightning,” “Train Kept A-Rollin’,” “You’re a Better Man Than I”  Best song: “For Your Love”  Runner-up: “Shapes of Things”

45. Rush – Rush was a Toronto-based hard/progressive rock trio featuring bassist and high-pitched vocalist Geddy Lee (top 10 bassist), notable guitarist Alex Lifeson, and one of the great drummers Neil Peart (top five drummer). As is typical with progressive bands, their sound is marked by unusual time signatures, protracted instrumentals, and perceptive lyrics.  Rush also produced many radio-friendly songs, including their two best. Hit songs: “2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx,” “Closer to the Heart,” “Fly by Night,” “Freewill,” “La Villa Strangiato,” “Limelight,” “Red Barchetta,” “The Spirit of Radio,” “Subdivisions,” “Tom Sawyer,” “Working Man,” “Xanadu,” “YYZ” Best song: “Tom Sawyer” Runner-up: “Limelight”

44. Deep Purple – Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, Deep Purple are part of the “Unholy Trinity,” England’s godfathers of hard rock and heavy metal. Master guitarist Ritchie Blackmore plays probably the most famous guitar riff in history on “Smoke on the Water” and lightning-quick solos on “Highway Star” and “Burn.” Ian Gillan (later David Coverdale) has one of the great voices, Roger Glover is a capable bassist, Ian Paice is a monster on the drums, and organist Jon Lord united rock and classical. Hit songs: “Black Night,” “Burn,” “Child in Time,” “Fireball,” “Highway Star,” “Hush,” “Into the Fire,” “Lazy,” “Smoke on the Water,” “Soldier of Fortune,” “Space Truckin’,” “Speed King,” “Woman from Tokyo” Best song: “Smoke on the Water” Runner-up: “Highway Star”

43. The Clash – What distinguishes English band The Clash from their counterparts the Ramones and the Sex Pistols is their versatility and songwriting. Beyond punk, they were active in rockabilly, garage, and new wave. They also mingled rock with R&B, reggae, and funk, and occasionally shifted entirely into these genres, somewhat hurting their ranking.  Frontman/angry young man Joe Strummer and lead guitarist Mick Jones wrote anti-establishment lyrics — the essence of punk.  Hit songs: “Career Opportunities,” “Clampdown,” “Complete Control,” “Death or Glory,” “I Fought the Law,” “London Calling,” “Lost in the Supermarket,” “Rock the Casbah,” “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” “Straight to Hell,” “Train in Vain,” “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais,” “White Riot” Best song: “London Calling” Runner-up: “(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais”

42. The Police – Led by songwriter, singer and bassist Sting and founder and drummer Stewart Copeland, The Police integrated rock with jazz, pop, and reggae. Similar to their contemporaries Blondie across the pond, but with a more accessible sound and incisive lyrics. With a string of hits, there was maybe no bigger band in the world in the late-1970s and early-1980s. Hit songs: “Can’t Stand Losing You,” “De Do Do Do De Da Da Da,” “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Invisible Sun,” “King of Pain,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Roxanne,” “So Lonely,” “Spirits in the Material World,” “Synchronicity II,” “Walking on the Moon,” “Wrapped Around Your Finger” Best song: “Message in a Bottle”  Runner-up: “Roxanne”

41. Metallica – As the name suggests, Metallica is a metal band. From Los Angeles and San Francisco, their sound is heavy and fast (thrash metal) but also melodic, and James Hetfield/Lars Ulrich can write. Kirk Hammett is a well-regarded lead guitarist, Hetfield a suitably throaty singer and undervalued rhythm guitarist, Ulrich a deft drummer, and Cliff Burton was a forceful bassist. Hit songs: “…And Justice for All,” “Battery,” “Blackened,” “Creeping Death,” “Enter Sandman,” “Fade to Black,” “For Whom the Bell Tolls,” “Harvester of Sorrow,” “Master of Puppets,” “Nothing Else Matters,” “One,” “Orion,” “The Unforgiven,” “Welcome Home (Sanitarium)” Best song: “One”  Runner-up: “Master of Puppets”

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~ Stay tuned for the next 20 (40 > 21) ~ 

COMING SOON