sombr　

Soft Machine　

Soft Machine were never a commercial enterprise and indeed still remain unknown even to many listeners who came of age during the late ’60s and early ’70s, when the group was at its peak. In their ..more

Soft Cell　

Art students Marc Almond and Dave Ball formed Soft Cell, a synth pop duo famed for its uniquely sleazy electronic sound, in Leeds, England in 1980. Originally, vocalist Almond and synth pl ..more

Sonic Youth　

Sonic Youth were one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the ’80s. Where contemporaries R.E.M. and Husker Du were fairly conventional in terms of song structu ..more

SODOM　

This German black metal band’s early lineup consisted of Tom Angelripper (bass/vocals), Aggressor (guitar/vocals), and Chris Witchhunter Dudek (drums). They were heavily influenced by thras ..more

Sex Pistols　

The Sex Pistols may have only been together for two years in the late ’70s, but they changed the face of popular music. Through their raw, nihilistic singles and violent performances, the band revo ..more

Supertramp　

Supertramp followed an unusual path to commercial success in the 1970s, fusing the stylistic ambition and instrumental dexterity of progressive rock with the wit and tuneful melodies of British pop ..more

Suzi Quatro　

Suzi Quatro was hardly the first Tough Girl in rock ＆ roll -- there were plenty of precursors, from Wanda Jackson and the Shangri-Las to Grace Slick and Janis Joplin -- but Quatro co ..more

Siouxsie & The Banshees　

Siouxsie and the Banshees were among the longest-lived and most successful acts to emerge from the London punk community; over the course of a career that lasted two decades, they evolved from an a ..more

Slowdive　

Commonly identified as shoegaze, Slowdive nonetheless exhibited a broader set of inspirations -- one that spanned four decades, including folk-rock, dub, and ambient techno -- than the majority of ..more

Slayer　

Slayer were one of the most distinctive, influential, and extreme thrash metal bands of the 1980s. Their graphic lyrics dealt with everything from death and dismemberment to war and the horrors of ..more

Sleep Token　

Slash　

As the lead guitarist for Guns N’ Roses, Slash established himself as one of hard rock’s finest and most soulful soloists during the late ’80s, technically adept yet always firmly grounded in th ..more

Small Faces　

Small Faces were the best English band never to hit it big in America. Outside Europe, all anybody remembers them for is their sole hit, Itchycoo Park, which was hardly representative of their {\ ..more

The Smashing Pumpkins　

Of all the major alternative rock bands of the early ’90s, the Smashing Pumpkins were the group least influenced by traditional underground rock. Lead guitarist/songwriter Billy Corgan fas ..more

Snail Mail　

Story Of The Year　

Story of the Year took root in the late ’90s under a different name, Big Blue Monkey, in St. Louis, Missouri. At the time of its inception, the band’s sound was much heavier (similar to the De ..more

Stryper　

Heavy metal has been associated with ol’ Beelzebub ever since its inception, but a few acts took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard-rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in ..more

Status Quo　

Status Quo are one of Britain’s longest-lived bands, staying together for over six decades. During much of that time, the band was only successful in the U.K., where it racked up a string of Top Te ..more

Stevie Nicks　

Famed for her mystical chanteuse image, singer/songwriter Stevie Nicks enjoyed phenomenal success not only as a solo artist but also as a key member of Fleetwood Mac. Stephanie Lynn Nicks was ..more