Bill Haley and The Comets were considered the pioneers of Rock 'n' Roll music, releasing their first single in 1954. Firsts for this group include first Rock 'n' roll song to enter American charts, first record released to sell 1,000,000 copies in UK and Germany, first American rock band to tour Europe, and first group to appear in a Rock 'n' Roll musical movie.
The Sex Pistols brought Punk Rock to the forefront of the music industry. Outrageous behavior both on and off stage made them household names and their influence on popular music was considerable. No other group has made such an impact in so short a time.
Cream recorded the world's first platinum double album and sold 35,000,000 albums in under 3 years. In Ginger Baker (drums) and Eric Clapton (guitar), it was claimed the group included two of the best musicians in the UK. The band achieved "super-group" status.
Bob Marley & The Wailers made Jamaican music known throughout the world. Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae and the Rastafarian movement became synonymous with the group, Marley writing much of the group's material. Time Magazine labeled the group's Exodus album as the best album of the 20th century. Bob Marley is considered the Third World's first rock superstar.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience front man is considered to be the best electric guitarist of all time. The band's recordings often pushed new technologies to the limit, introducing untried electronic variations. As a finale to the group's stage show, Hendrix would sometimes set fire to and smash his guitar, throwing pieces to the audience.
Led Zeppelin, the ultimate anti-genre band, are credited with being the source for Heavy Metal and Hard Rock. During the mid 1970s, the group became the world's number-one rock band, outselling all others and setting attendance records verified in The Guinness Book of World Records.
The Who started performing in the 1960s and are still performing 50 years on, having sold 100,000,000 records. Their fourth album, "Tommy" predominately written by group guitarist Pete Townshend, was the first musical work to be termed a "Rock Opera," and was later turned into a stage show and film.
Queen released 18 top-selling albums and sold over 150,000,000 records. Their single "Bohemian Rhapsody" is the biggest-selling British single of all time as recognized by The Guinness Book of Records. Also recognized is the fact that Queen albums have spent 1,322 weeks in the UK album charts, another record.
The Rolling Stones were formed in 1962 and still perform with three of the original 1963 members, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Charlie Watts. Over 200,000,000 albums have been sold. The Jagger, Richards combination has written hit songs not only for the Stones, but many other artists.
The Beatles are the biggest selling band in the history of popular music. The John Lennon, Paul McCartney songwriting duo penned 27 number-1 songs, making them one of the most influential songwriting partnerships of the 20th century. In the US, they have sold more albums than any other artist. In the UK, they have had more number-ones and have held the top spot longer than any other artists.