Rock or rock music is a genre of popular music that developed in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s. Musically, rock is centered around the use of the electric guitar, usually accompanied by electric bass and drums and almost always by a voice that makes each band unique.
There are countless bands that have played and continue to offer rock in their songs and performances. But what were the rumors that more than all the others went down in history?
Bruce Springsteen
The Boss, as he has always been nicknamed, could not fail to have an excellent role in this ranking. American singer-songwriter and guitarist, Bruce is considered a true rock icon.
He became famous above all for his engaging and very long live performances, reaching the peak of popularity between the second half of the seventies and the following decade. He is recognized by many as one of the most representative rock musicians in the history of music.
His most successful albums include Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town, The River and Born in the USA . . All these are emblematic works of his poetics aimed at telling – with the immediacy of rock music – the everyday life of the “last” of America, in the wake of the tradition of the so-called ” storytellers “. In fact, they offer an insight into the greatness and contradictions of US society.
In more than forty years of career he has sold 65 million records in his country and, according to some estimates, around 120 million worldwide.
Mick Jagger
How can we not name this great artist? Frontman and longtime member of Rolling Stones , he is considered one of the greatest personalities in rock music of all time. Jagger has always been very present within the group, except for a short solo break, but his style and his sound can be similar to that of his band.
From the legacy of rock ‘n roll, Rolling Stones have taken a lot, contributing to its evolution. In fact, they have revisited this genre in a harder key with lewd rhythms, aggressive singing and constant references to sex and drugs.
For their being transgressive they were called the ” ugly, dirty and bad ” and opposed to the more reassuring Beatles. Although this contrast was often created by the Rolling Stones themselves who behaved in a deliberately antithetical way to the Beatles (with whom they always had an excellent relationship of esteem and friendship).
The Rolling Stones constitute a milestone in the evolution of 20th century rock music , having given voice to the discontent and consequently to the protest of entire generations.
Freddie Mercury
Eclectic and irreverent, he is undoubtedly one of the best rock artists of the last century and beyond. Certainly remembered for his vocal talent and his exuberant personality on stage, he is considered one of the most celebrated and influential artists in the history of rock.
Impossible to mention Mercury without mentioning his Queen, a band known as one of the most important of the international music scene, of which he was the founder. And Freddie is universally recognized as one of the best frontman in the history of music , he with his band has sold about 300 million records.
Freddie Mercury is often remembered for his live performances, usually held in stadiums. In concerts he managed to make the audience interact with his theatricality, regardless of the size of the event. Mercury wanted each performance of his band to be a unique and original show, bringing it closer to a play, thanks also to his skills in improvisation. All this enabled him to create a close bond with the public.
In 2008, the US magazine Rolling Stone ranked him 18th in the ranking of the best one hundred singers of all time. While the following year Classic Rock ranked him first among rock voices.
Jim Morrison
Handsome and gloomy, who died prematurely, with a universally recognized talent, Jim Morrison enters this mini ranking by right.
He was the charismatic leader and frontman of the American band The Doors , from 1965 to 1971. Riding the cultural revolution of the 1960s, he was one of the greatest psychedelic rock singers.
He was defined as an impetuous ” prophet of freedom ” and cursed poet , remembered as one of the most seductive figures in the history of music and one of the greatest symbols of youthful restlessness.
The Doors were a world apart . Their sound had darkly seductive and exotic sounds that combined spirituality, poetry, psychedelia and a jumble of different musical styles due to the very particular and whimsical characteristics of its components.
In 2008, Morrison was ranked 47th on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Best Singers. While the following year he was placed in 22nd place in the ranking of the “50 Greatest Singers of Rock” compiled by the British magazine Classic Rock.
Joe Cocker
One of the most beautiful voices that England can boast among its artists. Unmistakable and enveloping, he is especially known for his reinterpretations of already famous songs and for his live performances . As well as for the virtuous use of falsettone combined with a scratchy and deep voice. He also entered by right in the ranking drawn up by Rolling Stone of the 100 best singers.
Woodstock was one of the stepping stones that dedicated him to rock music: With a little help from my friends, and the world of rock was never the same. This song, his cover of this song went down in history, launching it to the top of the UK charts.
But there is no lack of success in the States, in fact his live version of The Letter of the Box Tops is the first hit that reaches the Top Ten USA. And it does not end there, in fact in the seventies Cocker returns thanks to the exciting single You’re So Beautiful (written by Billy Preston), which reached number five on the US charts.
