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

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 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

THE BLACK CROWES　

At the time of their 1990 debut, the kind of rock ＆ roll the Black Crowes specialized in was sorely out of style. Only Guns N’ Roses came close to approximating a vintage Stones-style raunch, ..more

The Smile　

Tom Waits　

In the 1970s, Tom Waits combined a lyrical focus on desperate, low-life characters with a persona that seemed to embody the same lifestyle, which he sang about in a raspy, gravelly voice. From the ..more

Thunder　

Vocalist Danny Bowes and lead guitarist Luke Morley first played together when they were 15-year-old classmates in London. The two later formed the band Terraplane, and released two albums bu ..more

The Band　

For roughly half a decade, from 1968 through 1975, the Band was one of the most popular and influential rock groups in the world, their music embraced by critics (and, to a somewhat lesser degre ..more

Thin Lizzy　

Despite a huge hit single in the mid-’70s (The Boys Are Back in Town) and becoming a popular act with hard rock/heavy metal fans, Thin Lizzy are still, in the pantheon of ’70s rock ba ..more

TOTO　

Talking Heads　

This eclectic, sometimes eccentric, and highly acclaimed rock band was formed in early ’70s when David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth met at the Rhode Island School of Design. Almost 10 years s ..more

The Bee Gees　

Relying on their top-notch songwriting and impeccable vocals, the Bee Gees were able to craft a long-running career that began in the late ’50s in Australia. Along the way they became a hit-produci ..more

The Cure　

Out of all the bands that emerged in the immediate aftermath of punk rock in the late ’70s, few were as enduring and popular as the Cure. Led through numerous incarnations by guitarist/vocalist R ..more

The Libertines　

The Libertines joined the pop fray of 2002, competing with the likes of the Strokes, Hives, Vines, and Doves with their debut single, What a Waster. The Bernard Butler-produced tra ..more

The Smiths　

The Smiths were the definitive British indie rock band of the ’80s, marking the end of synth-driven new wave and the beginning of the guitar rock that dominated English rock into the ’9 ..more

T.Rex　

The most iconic band of the U.K. glam rock scene of the ’70s, T. Rex were the creation of Marc Bolan, who started out as a cheerfully addled acolyte of psychedelia and folk-rock until he turned ..more

The Black Keys　

It’s too facile to call the Black Keys counterparts of the White Stripes： they share several surface similarities -- their names are color-coded, they hail from the Midwest, they’re guitar-and-d ..more

The Doobie Brothers　

As one of the most popular California pop/rock bands of the ’70s, the Doobie Brothers evolved from a mellow, post-hippie boogie band to a slick, soul-inflected pop band by the end of the decade. Al ..more

Todd Rundgren　

Todd Rundgren’s best-known songs -- the Carole King pastiche I Saw the Light, the ballads Hello, It’s Me and Can We Still Be Friends, and the goofy novelty Bang on the Drum All Day -- su ..more

The Clash　

The Sex Pistols may have been the first British punk rock band, but the Clash were the definitive British punk rockers. Where the Pistols were nihilistic, the Clash were fiery and ideal ..more