Top Ten Most Mysterious Music Artists

1. Buckethead

   

   Brian Patrick Carroll, known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who has released over 300 studio albums. He is recognized for his unique style and stage persona, which includes wearing a KFC bucket on his head and a white mask. Buckethead has worked across... read more

   He wears KFC buckets, does robot dances, releases an album every week (he currently has 190 albums in his catalog), and is a guitar genius - that's all we know about him.

   Now has 309 albums. We still don't know what he looks like.

2. Syd Barrett

   

   Roger Keith Barrett was an English musician, composer, singer, songwriter, and painter. He was a founding member of the band Pink Floyd and served as their original lead singer, guitarist, and principal songwriter. Barrett is also credited with naming the band and was influential in the early psychedelic... read more

   Since most of what is known about Barrett (beyond the most literal parts of his music career) comes from his bandmates recollecting 20+ years in the past and his sister, who doesn't often go out of her way to be put in the spotlight, there is a lot of vagueness and even contradictions around him.

   Something notable, though rarely discussed, is the abandoned sessions for a third solo album (one seemingly more R&B-focused) recorded in 1974. Bootlegs of these sessions are available.

   The most attractive, charismatic singer did have a dark side to his life. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" was written about him, as well as many other songs.

3. Robert Johnson

   

   Robert Leroy Johnson was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a powerful combination of expressive singing, skilled guitar work, and original songwriting that has deeply influenced later generations of musicians. Johnson died in 1938 at the... read more

   This man is the stuff legends are made of. Before pursuing a career in music, he disappeared from his hometown only to come back a week or two later with a guitar. People who knew him said that he wasn't really that good before his disappearance, so they think he made a deal with the devil to increase his musical talents (and because his lyrics discuss the matter).

   But that's not all. He died at the young age of 27, cause of death unknown. Many believe it was poisoning. Only two confirmed photos of him exist, and he has three different graves in three different states, all with the same birthdate and death date.

   Another musician who died at the age of 27.

   He always wanted to play guitar and the blues but wasn't very good. One night he went away and came back changed. According to his friends, he seemed to have acquired mastery of the guitar overnight. When they asked what he had done, he said he met the devil at a crossroads in Mississippi. The devil had tuned the strings of his guitar and given Johnson talent in exchange for his soul. He also wrote a song called Me and the Devil.

4. Peter Lennodo

   

   Peter Lennodo is a British musician. He is also a composer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the vocalist, lead guitarist and main songwriter of the rock band The Arcana.

   I know absolutely nothing about him, but his music is great.

5. Ghost

   

   Ghost is a Swedish heavy metal band that was formed in Linköping in 2008. The band features five masked instrumentalists known as the Nameless Ghouls and a lead character known as Papa Emeritus. Each album cycle introduces a new iteration of Papa Emeritus, though all are portrayed by frontman Tobias... read more

   I'm glad to see Ghost up here. They have a gimmick that mocks the Roman Catholic Church, with the singer being a satanic anti-pope. Their music is amazing and has lots of satanism in it. All the members' identities are secret.

   Everything about the band, including the band members' names, is unknown. Their music is quite weird too.

6. Prince

   

   Prince Rogers Nelson (June 7, 1958 - April 21, 2016) was an American musician, widely regarded as one of the most popular and influential artists of the 1980s. He was known for his eclectic musical style, flamboyant stage presence, and mastery of multiple instruments. Some of his most iconic songs include... read more

   One of the most private and insane musicians who thinks "mysterious" is a good character trait.

7. The Residents

   

   The Residents are an American art collective best known for avant-garde music and multimedia works. Since their first official release, Meet the Residents, the group has released over sixty albums, numerous music videos and short films, three CD-ROM projects, and ten DVDs.... read more

8. Ritchie Blackmore

   

   Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter best known for his work with the hard rock and heavy metal bands Deep Purple and Rainbow.

   In 2004, Guitar World ranked him number 16 on its list of the "100 Greatest Metal Guitarists of All Time," and in 2011, Rolling Stone... read more

   He just proves this title in Rainbow when they play Gates of Babylon.

9. Jimmy Page

   

   James Patrick Page is an English musician, songwriter, and record producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of Led Zeppelin. He's widely regarded for his innovative guitar techniques, production work, and influence across rock music genres. After Led Zeppelin disbanded... read more

   His interest in the occult and Aleister Crowley (the occultist who created the religion of Thelema) and his soundtrack for the "Lucifer Rising" movie make Jimmy Page always seem a little strange.

10. Marilyn Manson

    

    Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), better known by his stage name Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician, songwriter, actor, painter, multimedia artist, author, and former music journalist. He is the lead singer and only constant member of the band Marilyn Manson, which he formed in 1989.... read more

    The name, the makeup, the music videos, the lyrics, it's all just bizarre.

The Newcomers
11. ?

    Boards of Canada

    
12. ?

    Bobbie Gentry

The Contenders

13. Marshmello

    

    Christopher Comstock, professionally known as Marshmello, is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He rose to fame with hit singles such as Alone, Silence, and Friends. His signature helmet has become a cultural icon, and his productions span genres like future bass, trap, and pop.

14. Daft Punk

    

    Daft Punk was a French electronic music duo composed of Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter. They were known for their innovative approach to electronic music, blending house, funk, and techno elements. Daft Punk achieved international fame with hits like Around the World, One More Time,... read more

15. Glenn Danzig

    

    Glenn Danzig is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Lodi, New Jersey. He is the founder of the bands Misfits, Samhain and Danzig. He owns the Evilive record label as well as Verotik, an adult-oriented comic book publishing company.

    He's a singer with a very rare type of voice - baritenor (baritone voice with tenor range).

    His interest in the occult and sex/eroticism comes through in his songs, creating "frighteningly intense images of doom" and "darkly seductive" themes (e.g., "How The Gods Kill," "The One").

    Danzig became a student of Jerry Poteet, a world-renowned martial artist in Jeet Kune Do, and earned a teaching degree in the discipline.

    His lower back tattoo features the logo for the Devilman manga.

    His large book collection includes subjects like the occult, religious history, horror, comic books, true murder cases, and New World Order-related conspiracies.

    He started his own company to produce "crazy, violent, erotic comics" (an adult-oriented comic book company called Verotik).

    Though sometimes portrayed as a Satanist by the media, Danzig has denied this in several interviews, elaborating, "I embrace both my light and dark side... I definitely believe in a yin and yang, good and evil. My religion is a patchwork of whatever is real to me."

16. Jim Morrison

    

    James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 - July 3, 1971) was an American singer, songwriter, and poet best remembered as the lead vocalist and lyricist of The Doors. He became a counterculture icon of the 1960s, known for his flamboyant stage presence and poetic lyrics. Morrison died in Paris... read more

17. Dave Vanian

    

18. Per "Dead" Ohlin

    

    Per Yngve Ohlin, better known by his stage name Dead, was a Swedish black and death metal vocalist best known for his work with the Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. He died by suicide in 1991. Former bandmate Euronymous took photographs of the scene, and one of the images was used as the cover art... read more

    Should be higher. He was a depressed guy who cut himself during Mayhem concerts because he wanted to make everyone escape.

19. Lana Del Rey

    

    Lana Del Rey is a California-based singer and songwriter who currently lives in Malibu, California. She was born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant on June 21, 1985, in Manhattan, New York, to Robert England Grant Jr. and Patricia Ann Hill. She was raised in Lake Placid and has two younger siblings, Caroline... read more

    So beautiful and famous, and yet people don't know a thing about her. She makes controversial statements about death, feminism, and alcohol. She is a shy person but has a tenacious persona. Nobody is ever sure of her real intentions.

    "She just stabs my soul all the time and makes me just want to cry. I love how mysterious she is as well. And I love that she just puts a record out and that's it." - Adele

20. Bob Dylan

    

    Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, author, and artist who has been an influential figure in popular music and culture for more than five decades. He gained fame in the 1960s with songs that became anthems for the civil rights and anti-war movements. In 2016, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in... read more

21. Freddie Mercury

    

    Freddie Mercury was a Zanzibari‑born British singer of Indian descent, songwriter, and record producer, best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the rock band Queen. He achieved fame for his flamboyant stage persona and remarkable four-octave vocal range.... read more

    He was very flamboyant on stage but very shy in his private life.

    Anything mysterious about this guy starts with his name.

22. Nick Blinko

    

23. Anna-Varney Cantodea

    Anna is transgender and the leader of Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows. She stays isolated from public life and refuses to perform "in front of humans." Anna's music is just as eerie as her persona.

24. Bruce Moreland

25. 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 sales promotion officer and a housewife... read more

26. Michael Jackson

    

    Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009) was an American singer, dancer, and songwriter. He passed away from cardiac arrest caused by acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication, which was ruled a homicide. Jackson is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures... read more

27. Electus

    I'm genuinely curious to find out more about this genius of music. Where does his incredible talent and ability to outdo himself come from? What inspires him to create these deep and haunting pieces?