Most Iconic Rock and Roll Musicians

Over the past half century, the genre which we call rock has spawned many iconic individuals. Here are just a few.
The Top Ten
1 Freddie Mercury Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara, 5th September 1946 - 24th November 1991) was a Zanzibari-born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter and record producer, known as the lead vocalist and songwriter of the British rock band Queen. He also became known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave ...read more.

Lots of jealous posters here. Freddie was the greatest rock singer/performer of all time.

Good but not great, he does not merit being among or ahead of the real legends.

"Good but not great" - are you serious? LOL
he was and is the greatest singer of all time
you need to clean out your ears

Certainly one of the greatest frontmen. His voice is golden too, in case you didn't notice.

2 Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to both great success and initial controversy. ...read more.

The start of modern music begins here.

He was King of rock and roll

He started the fire.

The king of Rock.

3 John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (9 October 1940 - 8 December 1980) was an English singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a co-founder of the Beatles, the most commercially successful band in the history of popular music. He was assassinated by Mark David Chapman on December 8, 1980 at age 40. Lennon was characterised by the rebellious nature and acerbic wit in his music, writing and drawings, on film, and in interviews. His songwriting partnership with Paul McCartney remains the most successful in history.

I think it's fair that he's on the second place after Elvis Presley. After all he's the one who said " Before Elvis there was nothing ".

Well, he certainly had the most unusual death. Such a travesty.

4 David Bowie David Robert Jones, known professionally as David Bowie (January 8, 1947 - January 10, 2016) was an English singer born in London, the son of a fundraiser and a waitress. He is credited for his experimental and creative musical discography which has won praise and accolades for many critics and fans. The man who the world knew as David Bowie was an actor, a painter, a philosopher, and many other things. But first and foremost, and what he was known for most, he was a rock star, covering every genre from psychedelic folk to industrial. His influence on fashion, music, and pop culture in general remains as his legacy--along, of course, with his unforgettable music.

Nobody personified the glamorous, flamboyant nature of rock and roll like Bowie. He ch-ch-ch-ch-changed the genre forever.

5 Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English singer, songwriter, and actor, best known as the lead vocalist and a co-founder of the Rolling Stones.

I think he's about the ugliest chap to walk the earth (those lips! ) but he's got one of the most recognizable voices in the genre.

6 Jim Morrison James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American singer, songwriter, and poet best remembered as the lead singer of the Doors.

Jim had it all--swagger, sex appeal, charisma, and an untimely death. He lit the fire of an entire generation.

To this day, every "frontman" is essentially copying Jim Morrison, right down to his leather pants.

7 Kurt Cobain Kurt Cobain was born February 20, 1967, in Aberdeen, Washington. In 1987, he started the grunge band Nirvana, which became one of the most successful bands ever. He was a talented yet troubled grunge performer. Kurt Cobain became a rock legend in the 1990s with his band. He committed suicide at his Seattle home in 1994.

Kurt was a sloppy guitarist and he couldn't stand the limelight (it ended up killing him), but he singlehandedly killed hair metal. For that, humanity owes him a huge debt.

The Real LAST Rock Icon

8 Jimi Hendrix Jimi Hendrix (born November 27, 1942 - September 18, 1970) was an American rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music". Hendrix is consistently ranked on lists of musicians who died too soon.

Simply the greatest guitarist ever. Even if he set his guitar on fire.

9 Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. With John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, he gained worldwide fame with the rock band the Beatles, one of the most popular and influential groups in the history of pop and rock ...read more.
10 Buddy Holly Buddy Holly, born Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959) was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was a rising star when a tragic plane crash struck him down at age 22.

During his short career, Holly wrote, recorded, and produced his own material. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock-and-roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. Holly was a major influence on later popular music artists, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, and Elton John. ...read more.

I don't think he invented the rock band as we know it. There were plenty of groups before him who had singer, bass player, lead and rhythm guitarists and drummer, but he invented certainly the singer-songwriter rock band. His music were also inventive in rock music. He used chords in music that weren't conventional [ the typical conventional 3 chords, 12 bars before him ] that were used later on in much of the sixties rock.

Buddy Holly also pioneered the concept of artists writing and arranging their own material; a very important step in allowing the genre to innovate and evolve quickly.

Invented the rock band as we know it. And his music isn't too shabby either. He was taken from us too soon.

The Contenders
11 Axl Rose William Bruce Rose Jr., better known as 'Axl Rose', is an American singer born on February 6, 1962, in Lafayette, Indiana. He Is the founder and lead singer of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses. He is a celebrated but controversial figure in the world of rock.
12 Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
13 Keith Moon Keith John Moon was an English drummer for the rock band the Who. He was noted for his unique style and his eccentric, often self-destructive behaviour. His drumming continues to be praised by critics and musicians.

We can almost concider him as the inventor of a new kind of drummingstyle in rock music. Some said that he was the only drummer possible for " The Who " and that he would be a bad drummer for every other conventional rockgroup. I doubt about that statement but it's for sure that he was one of a kind and a very unique drummer.

Bit of an animal, to be honest.

14 Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. He died on 18 March 2017.

The Original poet of rock and roll.

The father of Rock and Roll.

15 Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman, known by his stage name, Little Richard, was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He is widely regarded to be one of the most influential rock musicians of all time.

The architect of Rock and Roll.

16 Slash Saul Hudson, known professionally as Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
17 Iggy Pop James Newell Osterberg, Jr., known professionally as Iggy Pop, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor.
18 Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is an English singer, pianist and composer. Collaborating with lyricist Bernie Taupin since 1967 on more than 30 albums, John has sold over 300 million records, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He has ...read more.
19 Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner, Jr. was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, arranger, talent scout, and record producer.

Actually he just played the piano on that record as a session man. " Rocket 88 " is by Jackie Preston on the SUN label. It's concidered by many as rhythm and blues and not really rock and roll. Many people still concider the first rock and roll record ( as myself ) " That's allright,mama / Blue moon of Kentucky " by Elvis Presley as the first rock and roll record ( technically it's rockabilly, the primitive form of rock and roll )

Sorry, you're right. It's Jackie Brentson and his Delta cats ( I made a typing mistake ). But on the sessions of " Rocket 88 ", Ike Turner is playing the piano. So, I can't concider the song an Ike Turner song and for that matter " the one who made the first Rock and Roll record ". Like you said it's certainly arguable to concider this as Rock and Roll.

You must mean "Jackie Brentson", who was the lead singer of Ike Turner's band, the "Kings of Rhythm", who were the actual group that made the recording. Since Brentson had the writing credit, his fictional "Delta Cats" were on the label. It is certainly arguable if this is RnR or not.

He was a huge jerk, but made the very first Rock and Roll record, "Rocket 88", long before he met Tina.

20 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 ...read more.
21 Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi, Jr., better known by his stage name Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, philanthropist, and actor, best known as the founder and frontman of the hair band Bon Jovi from, which was founded by Jon and his pianist, David Bryan, in 1983. He is famous for his band's hit songs “Livin’ on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," and "Wanted Dead or Alive" which were all released in 1986, on the album Slippery When Wet. Jon was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey on March 2, 1962.
22 Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner, better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American musician, songwriter, actor, painter, multimedia artist, author, and former music journalist.
23 Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel, known as Bo Diddley, was an American singer, guitarist, songwriter and music producer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll.
24 Pink Alecia Beth Moore known professionally as P!NK, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress.
25 Sister Rosetta Tharpe
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