Beatles　

So much has been said and written about the Beatles -- and their story is so mythic in its sweep -- that it’s difficult to summarize their career without restating cliches that have already been di ..more

Taylor Swift　

Taylor Swift is that rarest of pop phenomena： a superstar who managed to completely cross over from country to the mainstream. Other singers performed similar moves -- notably, Dolly Parton and ..more

The Rolling Stones　

By the time the Rolling Stones began calling themselves the World’s Greatest Rock ＆ Roll Band in the late ’60s, they had already staked out an impressive claim on the title. As the self-consciously ..more

Now　

Billy Joel　

Although Billy Joel never was a critic’s favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the ’70s. Joel’s music consistently demonstrates an aff ..more

Pink Floyd　

Some bands turn into shorthand for a certain sound or style, and Pink Floyd belongs among that elite group. The very name connotes something specific： an elastic, echoing, mind-bending sound that e ..more

Bruce Springsteen　

In the decades following his emergence on the national scene in 1975, Bruce Springsteen proved to be that rarity among popular musicians, an artist who maintained his status as a frontline recordin ..more

David Bowie　

The cliche about David Bowie is that he was a musical chameleon, adapting himself according to fashion and trends. While such a criticism is too glib, there’s no denying that Bowie demonstrated ..more

U.F.O.　

Vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker formed the British space metal outfit UFO in 1969. Originally known as Hocus Pocus, the group, ..more

Paul McCartney and Wings　

Following his second solo album, Ram, in 1971, ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and his wife, Linda, formed Wings, which was intended to be a full-fledged recording and touring band. Denny La ..more

Bob Dylan　

Bob Dylan’s influence on popular music is incalculable. As a songwriter, he pioneered several different schools of pop songwriting, from confessional singer/songwriter to winding, hallucinatory, st ..more

Peter Gabriel　

As the leader of Genesis in the early ’70s, Peter Gabriel helped move progressive rock to new levels of theatricality. He was no less ambitious as a solo artist, but he was more subtle in his me ..more

Ariana Grande　

A television star turned pop diva, Ariana Grande emerged in the mid-2010s as an heir to the throne of Mariah Carey. Blessed with powerful vocals that belied her petite frame, Grande had great ..more

Genesis　

Genesis started life as a progressive rock band, in the manner of Yes and King Crimson, before a series of membership changes brought about a transformation in their sound, into one of the mo ..more

Led Zeppelin　

With a slew of recent reissues, live albums and DVDs celebrating the 35th anniversary of the band, Led Zeppelin is proving that its legacy lives on today. Here we look at the path of one of the greate ..more

The Who　

Few rock ＆ roll bands were riddled with as many contradictions as the Who. All four members had wildly different personalities, as their notorious live performances demonstrated： Keith Moon fell ..more

Deep Purple　

Deep Purple survived a seemingly endless series of lineup changes and a dramatic mid-career shift from grandiose progressive rock to ear-shattering heavy metal to emerge as a true institution of th ..more

Yes　

Far and away the longest lasting and the most successful of the ’70s progressive rock groups, Yes proved to be one of the lingering success stories from that musical genre. The band, founded in 196 ..more

Jimi Hendrix　

In his brief four-year reign as a superstar, Jimi Hendrix expanded the vocabulary of the electric rock guitar more than anyone before or since. Hendrix was a master at coaxing all manner of u ..more

Eric Clapton　

By the time Eric Clapton launched his solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album in mid-1970, he was long established as one of the world’s major rock stars due to his group affili ..more