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Best known for her powerful mezzo-soprano voice, Janis Joplin was one of the most successful rock stars of her era. Before dying at the age of 27, she achieved so much that Rolling Stone magazine included her in its 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list in 2004 and 100 Greatest Singers of All Time list in 2008.
British rock and pop singer and songwriter, Rod Stewart has sold over 250 million records worldwide and is counted among the best-selling music artists of all time. During his extensive career that spans almost six decades, he has won numerous awards and accolades. He was mentioned on the "Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists" list in 2008.
English singer-songwriter and actor David Bowie is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Dubbed "The Greatest Rock Star Ever" by Rolling Stone magazine, he rose to international prominence in the 1970s with his innovative style of music. Deeply dedicated to his profession, he remained musically active until his death in 2016.
Regarded as one of the most popular and influential rock musicians of the 1990s and 2000s, Dave Grohl is best known for his association with the famous rock band Nirvana, for which he was the drummer. Also a singer-songwriter, Dave Grohl was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014.
Four-time Grammy-winning rock artist Pat Benatar left her job as a teller to step into the music industry and is best known for her chartbusting tracks Hit Me with Your Best Shot, Fire and Ice, and Love Is a Battlefield. She has platinum albums in both the U.S. and Canada.
Patti Smith is an American singer-songwriter. Referred to as the punk poet laureate, Smith became an influential figure of the punk rock movement with the release of her album Horses. Many world-renowned musicians, such as Madonna and Michael Stipe, have cited Smith as their inspiration. Even actresses like Ellen Page and Maria Doyle Kennedy have called Smith a major influence.
Lemmy was an English musician who founded the popular rock band Motörhead. The only continuous member of Motörhead, Lemmy served as the band's lead singer, primary songwriter, and bassist. Renowned for his gravelly voice, which was counted among the most recognizable voices in rock, Lemmy is also remembered for his military-influenced fashion sense and his signature friendly mutton chops.
Jim Croce was an American rock and folk singer-songwriter. At the peak of his popularity, Jim Croce died in a plane crash at age 30. Many of his works were released posthumously and achieved popularity. Jim Croce's music has been used in many popular films, such as The Hangover Part II, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Hobbs & Shaw.
Jeff Lynne is an English multi-instrumentalist, record producer, singer, and songwriter. He is credited with co-founding the popular rock band Electric Light Orchestra. He is also credited with popularizing the band with his leadership skills following the exit of co-founder Roy Wood in 1972. In the 2020 Birthday Honours, Lynne was appointed OBE for services to music.
Bryan Holland, or Dexter Holland, formed the rock band The Offspring, of which he is also the lead singer and guitarist. A virologist, too, he also attained a PhD in molecular biology from USC. He is also a certified pilot and works for charitable causes such as AIDS awareness.
Marianne Faithfull is an English singer, actress, and songwriter. Faithfull emerged as one of the most prominent female music artists during the 1960s when the United States was happily embracing the British Invasion. However, her professional achievements were overshadowed by heroin addiction, homelessness, and an eating disorder in the 1970s. Nevertheless, Marianne Faithfull staged a comeback and became successful.
Canadian singer and The Band member Rick Danko initially performed as a rhythm guitarist and bassist for The Hawks. Part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Danko struggled with drug addiction and was once even arrested in Japan for smuggling drugs. He died in his sleep after a performance.
Known to his fans as The Mouth of the South, Jimmy Hart is a popular wrestling manage who works for WWE. As a teenager, he had joined the 60s’ band The Gentrys, which released the Billboard-charting track Keep on Dancing. He has also been the man behind many wrestlers’ entrance themes.
Brody Armstrong is an Australian singer-songwriter and musician. She had a tumultuous childhood marred by abuse and violence. She sought solace in music and began her career as a teenager. As a young woman, she was part of many bands with which she released numerous hit albums and singles. She also has a successful career as a soloist.
Burton Cummings is a Canadian musician and singer-songwriter. He was the frontman of the rock band The Guess Who from 1966 to 1975. He also enjoyed a highly successful solo career and has been cited as one of the most influential performers in Canadian rock music. He was named an officer of the Order of Canada, in 2009.
Best known for her Grammy-winning and Billboard-charting single Black Velvet, written in memory of Elvis Presley, Alannah Myles is the daughter of legendary Canadian broadcaster William Douglas Byles. She was later seen in Eurovision and also sang the Canadian national anthem at Toronto All-Star Game in 1991.
Declan McKenna went from being a high-school drop-out to winning the 2017 BBC Music Introducing Artist of the Year Award. He gained fame with his chartbusting debut single, Brazil, which criticized the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. He has also participated in major music festivals, such as Coachella and Glastonbury.
Born into a musical family, Ari Up began experimenting with punk music early in her life. At fourteen, she co-founded post-punk band, The Slits, releasing their debut album Cut in 1979 and her first full-length solo album, Dread More Dan Dead, in 2005. Known for her wild hair and odd stage outfits, she died at forty-eight after battling breast cancer.
Damo Suzuki is a Japanese musician best known for his association with the German experimental rock band Can where he was the lead singer from 1970 to 1973. Suzuki, who has been living in Germany since the 1970s, is an exponent of a genre of experimental rock called Krautrock, which was developed in the 1960s and 1970s in West Germany.
Sakis Rouvas was not just a musical prodigy, having started his ballet lessons as a child, but also a national-level pole-vaulter. He later quit sports to focus on music and soared to fame with hit Greek tracks such as S'eho eroteftei and Hilia milia. He was the highest-scoring third-placed contestant on Eurovision.
Rita Lee is a Brazilian singer, writer, and composer. Lee achieved popularity as a member of the famous band, Os Mutantes. Over the years, she has become a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, having sold over 60 million albums and participating in animal rights campaigns. Rita Lee published her self-titled autobiography in 2017, the best-selling non-fiction book of the year.
