Top Ten Best Classic Hard Rock Artists (1970-1992)

The Top Ten
1 Black Sabbath Black Sabbath were a Heavy Metal band formed in Birmingham, England in 1968 by guitarist and songwriter Tony Iommi, singer John "Ozzy" Osbourne, bassist and main lyricist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward.

The band became mainstream after improving after their debut album got panned. In 1978, Osbourne was fired and replaced with former Rainbow vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Who went to release 2 albums before leaving in 1983, only for Osbourne to return in 1992. ...read more.

Black Sabbath was truly the best Hard Rock if not Classic Rock acts aka foundation of Heavy Metal and would create the heavy based Rock genres that would come to play in the 1980s as It would help the Grunge era in the early 1990s which would shape both Hard Rock and Metal forever. Black Sabbath makes the top pick with their heavy hits such as Iron Man, War Pigs, Paranoid, and Symptom Of The Universe in which invented the heavy based Rock genres.

2 Judas Priest Judas Priest are a British heavy metal band that formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969. They are often referred to as one of the greatest metal bands of all time, and are even commonly called “The Metal Gods”, after one of the songs on their 1980 album “British Steel”.

They are known for several of their hit songs, which include “Painkiller”, “Breaking The Law”, You’ve Got Another Thing Coming”, and “Turbo Lover”.
Their original lineup consisted of Al Atkins (vocals), K.K. Downing (lead/rhythm guitar), Ian Hill (bass), and John Ellis (drums). Atkins never recorded on any Judas Priest releases, but contributed to several songs. ...read more.

Bearing much resemblance to Iron Butterfly, The Animals, and Led Zeppelin while taking on form of Heavy Metal would be no other than Judas Priest which would be one of the most iconic Metal aka Classic Rock bands ever known along side Blue Oyster Cult and Alice Cooper that would later be introduced into greatest Hard Rock bands of the 1970s and would lead to much influenced acts such as Metallica, Pantera, and Alice In Chains that came in the later Classic Rock era aka lead to soon be Modern Rock era or to be known as Alternative/Screamo era.

3 AC/DC AC/DC are a Australian hard rock band, formed in November 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who continued as members until Malcolm's illness and departure in 2014 . They were fronted by Bon Scott until his untimely death due to alcohol poisoning in 1979, after which they hired Brian Johnson to front the band. Commonly referred to as a hard rock or blues rock band.

If any band deserves a spot in this list, It's AC/DC with their original bad boy jail house blues influenced Hard Rock they would break ground in both the 1970s as they would shape the 1980s into what It was and change Rock music history with their mammoth guitar rifts, two strong vocalist, and their golden hits makes them truly stand out in both the Hard Rock and Classic Rock genres. AC/DC is and will always be Hard Rock N' Roll and live on both inside and outside the Hard Rock aka Classic era genres.

4 Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "the Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band".

Starting off underground in the 1970s in dark dingy bars with very little light and were heading on their way to fame in both the 1980s and 1990s, Aerosmith broke into the Classic Rock mainstream as they were known for their heavy blood pumping sound they gave off in Hard Rock love songs which would create a new atmosphere for Post Rock era of the mid 1990s and early 2000s. Aerosmith is truly one of a kind in their own wacky, but fashionable style of Hard Rock which resembled The Rolling Stones.

5 KISS Kiss, often styled as KISS, was an American rock band formed in New York City in 1973. The original members were Paul Stanley (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gene Simmons (vocals, bass guitar), Ace Frehley (lead guitar, vocals), and Peter Criss (drums, vocals).

Known for their face paint and stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid-1970s. Their shock rock-style live performances featured... read more

In an era where Disco and Pop Folk music rayed supreme KISS would change all that with their bad attitude, massive roaring metal guitar rifts, and pop love song related lyrics that would define Rock history as define a new form of Hard Rock that was never heard at the time. KISS would no doubt become a world wide known Hard Rock phenomenon that still exists today in both the young hearts of the old and the Classic Rock loving teenagers of this age.

6 Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne was born on December 3, 1948. He is also known as ''The Prince of Darkness''. Ozzy is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of the band Black Sabbath. Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath in 1979 and has since had a successful solo career, releasing 11 studio albums.

Black Sabbath was one of the most unstoppable Hard Rock acts of the 1970s till the end of the decade which would lead to one of the most rememberable shocking moments in Hard Rock history when Ozzy got kicked from Black Sabbath and we usher into a an era of Ozzy Osbourne and DIO which evolved both Hard Rock and Metal to a new level. Ozzy Osbourne was known for his hits Crazy Train, Mr. Crowley, Bark At The Moon, and Shot In The Dark which melded a new form of Hard Rock and Metal sound that will live on through history.

7 Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin was an English hard rock band formed in London in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The group consisted of Robert Plant (Vocal), Jimmy Page (Guitar), John Paul Jones (Bass, Keyboard) and John Bonham (Drums) and was very much the child of Jimmy Page who even financed their first tour. He had tasted some previous success with The [original] Yardbirds and was friendly with some big names in rock. Page states it was Keith Moon of The Who that claimed the band could only go down, like a lead balloon -- thus prompting the iconic name of Led Zeppelin. The band's heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors ...read more.

WHY ISN'T THIS NUMBER 1?!? ARE YOU TELLING ME OZZY OSBOURNE MANAGED TO GET HIGHER THAN ROBERT PLANT! WHAT ON GODS GREEN EARTH WERE THE VOTERS THINKING?!? THIS IS Led Zeppelin! NOTHING ELSE COMES CLOSE! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT EVEN A SINGLE PERSON WOULD VOTE FOR ANYTHING OTHER THAN Led Zeppelin! Ok, other than BS, who else made it into the top 3? Judas Priest and Aerosmith. Heh. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?

I can't believe that this wasn't even on the list and I had to add it.

What the?! Zeppelin must be big 3!

8 Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles formed in 1985. The classic lineup, as signed to Geffen Records in 1986, consisted of vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Steven Adler. Apart from hard rock they are also associated with heavy metal. ...read more.

In an era of Pop, Rap, and New Wave on the rise, There would come a match that would change the statistics in the music industry and that was Guns N' Roses with their talented guitar soloist Slash, 70s Punk influenced attitude, and epically long meaningful love songs Guns N' Roses would hit the Pop chart along side Whitesnake and Bon Jovi. Guns N' Roses may also be considered one of the last bands to be considered Classic Rock.

9 Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots is an alternative rock band formed in San Diego, CA in 1989.

The band currently consists of brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo (guitarist and bassist, respectively), and Eric Kretz (drummer). Their main vocalist from their formation up to 2013 was Scott Weiland. He was fired in 2013 and for a short time was replaced by Linkin Park vocalist Chester Bennington, who left to focus on Linkin Park in 2015. Scott Weiland was found dead on his tour bus in Minnesota before his band The Wildabouts was set to play.

The bands original sound was characterized as grunge, and further releases showed a turn towards psychedelic rock and classic rock. ...read more.

As Glam Rock and Hair Metal was going extinct, there was going to be a new talent that would mix the new with the old and there's no other than Stone Temple Pilots with their 70s Punk influenced guitar rifts, drums, and good vocal talent singer Scott Weiland that helped the band progress into Hard Rock Hall Of Fame. Nirvana also takes in with this spot since both are very talented and deserve massive credit in their help to reinvent the Hard Rock genre.

10 Metallica Metallica is an American Heavy/Thrash Metal band formed in 1981. The original lineup was James Hetfield (Vocalist and Rhythm guitarist), Dave Mustaine (Lead Guitar), Lars Ulrich (Drums), Ron McGovney (Bassist). The group came into mainstream from their Self-Titled album and the hit single "Enter Sandman".

With their first two albums, Kill 'Em All and Ride The Lightning reaching underground success, their third effort, Master of Puppets has since become one of the most important heavy metal albums ever, as it became the first thrash metal album to be certified platinum. The title track has since become the band's most played song live. ...read more.

Can't believe Metallica so low on the list

The Contenders
11 Scorpions Scorpions are a German rock band formed in 1965 in Hanover by Rudolf Schenker. Since the band's inception, its musical style has ranged from hard rock to heavy metal.

Starting off small in the 1970s and going mainstream in the 1980s was a band that defined the term Hard Rock Ballad in every way imaginable with their slow, but heavy and rough sad songs such as Holiday, Winds Of Change, and Send Me An Angel along side bearing resemblance to both Judas Priest and Queen they became one of the greatest Hard Rock acts of the 1980s.

12 Blue Oyster Cult Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band from Long Island, New York, whose most successful work includes the hard rock and heavy metal songs "(Don't Fear) The Reaper", "Godzilla" and "Burnin' for You".
13 Queen Queen are an English rock band formed in London in 1970. The original lineup was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar, vocals). Before forming into Queen, Brian May and Roger Taylor had played together in a band named Smile. Freddie Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He then joined the band in 1970, suggested "Queen" as a new band name, and adopted his familiar stage name. John Deacon was also recruited to complete the line-up. ...read more.

QUEEN is the greatest band ever to grace the Earth! EVER!

The best rock band of all time.

14 Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop, folk, and ballads.

Lenny Kravitz... Known as one of the greatest African Americans to be in the rock genre along side Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, Thin Lizzy, and Prince. He has broken into mainstream in the early 90s when he released It Ain't Over Till It's Over and Always On The Run. People also loved him because of his musical resemblance to Jimi Hendrix and Aerosmith. He is defiantly considered to be the best in both Hard Rock and Pop Rock and is even known today as the greatest African American to sing and play electric guitar in the Hard Rock genre.

Voting for him as I believe he's often overlooked and underrated, though I wouldn't put him as #1

15 The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore.

I really wouldn't include them, since they're not really "hard rock" per se, and they weren't active for very long during the indicated time period. However they are fabulous and may be my favourite band.

I never thought The Doors were Hard Rock, but now I think they deserve a spot on here at #11.

Jim Morrison died in 1971, and rock singers have been trying to copy him ever since.

16 Van Halen Van Halen was an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. From 1974 until 1985, the band consisted of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen, and bassist Michael Anthony.
17 Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although their musical approach changed over the years. Originally formed as a progressive rock band, the band shifted to a heavier sound in 1970. Deep Purple, ...read more.
18 Crazy Horse

Neil Young's band in 1970, it is pretty obvious that Nirvana and many other bands were heavily influenced by their sound.

This image is of "Crazy Horse". The native American leader.

19 Ted Nugent Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and far right activist. Nugent initially gained fame as the lead guitarist of the Amboy Dukes, a band formed in 1963 that played psychedelic rock and hard rock.

This guy's a jerk.

20 Motorhead Motörhead were an English heavy metal band formed in June 1975 by bassist, singer, and songwriter Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister, who was the sole constant member; guitarist and songwriter Larry Wallis; and drummer Lucas Fox. The band's harsh vocals and fast paced tempos helped inspire speed metal and thrash metal.
21 Rainbow Rainbow are a British rock band led by guitarist Ritchie Blackmore from 1975 to 1984 and 1993 to 1997. They were originally established with Ronnie James Dio as the lead singer and lyricist. Rainbow were ranked No. 90 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. The band has sold over 28 million albums worldwide. The band's early work primarily featured mystical lyrics with a neoclassical metal style.

Can't believe this wasn't on the list yet!

22 Band of Gypsies

This was the last band Jimi Hendrix was part of before he died in September of 1970, so he makes it into the qualifying period for this list. Any "hard rock" band with Jimi Hendrix as leader deserves to be number one.

23 Black Oak Arkansas
24 Alice Cooper Alice Cooper is an American singer, songwriter, musician and occasional actor whose career spans over five decades.
25 Creedence Clearwater Revival Creedence Clearwater Revival, often shortened to Creedence and abbreviated as CCR, was an American rock band active in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
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