The Velvet Underground　

Few rock groups can claim to have broken so much new territory, and maintain such consistent brilliance on record, as the Velvet Underground during their brief lifespan. It was the group’s lot to b ..more

Van Morrison　

Equal parts blue-eyed soul shouter and wild-eyed poet-sorcerer, Van Morrison is among popular music’s true innovators, a restless seeker whose incantatory vocals and alchemical fusion of R＆B, jazz, ..more

Van Der Graaf Generator　

An eye-opening trip to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury during the summer of 1967 inspired British-born drummer Chris Judge Smith to compose a list of possible names for the rock group he wished to f ..more

Wham　

Wham! sparked something of a pop revival in the mid-’80s and could arguably be held responsible for sparking off the boy band trend of the ’90s. They were unashamedly pop, to the point of ..more

Loren Allred　

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

Lords Of Black　

Rory Gallagher　

For a career that was cut short by illness and a premature death, guitarist, singer, and songwriter Rory Gallagher sure accomplished a lot in the blues music world. Although Gallagher didn’t ..more

Robin Trower　

Throughout his long and winding solo career, guitarist Robin Trower has had to endure countless comparisons to Jimi Hendrix due to his uncanny ability to channel Hendrix’s bluesy/psychedelic, ..more

Robert Fripp / Brian Eno　

Robert Palmer　

The career of blue-eyed soul singer Robert Palmer was a study in style versus substance. While the performer’s earliest work won praise for its skillful assimilation of rock, R＆B, and {\re ..more

Rod Stewart / Jools Holland　

Rod Stewart　

Rod Stewart now finds more fun in pop standards than in blondes. His 2002 collection of American pop standards, ’It Had To Be You … The Great American Songbook’ received positive reactions from a rang ..more

Roger Waters　

Roger Waters was a primary creative force in Pink Floyd from 1965 to 1983. He first met Syd Barrett, who would become the band’s lead singer and guitarist, during his school days when both at ..more

Roxy Music　

Evolving from the late-’60s art-rock movement, Roxy Music had a fascination with fashion, glamour, cinema, pop art, and the avant-garde, which separated the band from their contemporaries. ..more

Lenny Kravitz　

There may have been other retro rock acts before him, but Lenny Kravitz was one of the first to not be pigeonholed to a single style as he touched upon such genres as soul, funk, {\regga ..more

Lynyrd Skynyrd　

Lynyrd Skynyrd was the definitive Southern rock band, fusing the overdriven power of blues-rock with a rebellious Southern image and a hard rock swagger. Skynyrd never relied on the jaz ..more

Lady Gaga　

Glamorously gaudy, a self-made postmodern diva stitched together from elements of Madonna, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga was the first true millennial superstar. Mastering th ..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

Leon Russell　

The ultimate rock ＆ roll session man, Leon Russell’s long and storied career included collaborations with a virtual who’s who of music icons spanning from Jerry Lee Lewis to Phil Spector to { ..more