List of rock and roll performers

This is a list of rock and roll performers.

See also:

• Rock and roll
• Popular music, List of popular music performers
• Country music, List of country music performers

and further links at the bottom of the sections.

Table of contents

1 Predecessors and Precursors (1900 - 1950) 2 Early North American Rock and Roll (1951 - 1963) 3 The "British Invasion" (1963 - 1967) 4 Psychedelia, Progressive Rock and Early Hard Rock (1968 - 1974) 5 Return to Basics: Punk, Metal, Disco and Dance Music and other trends (1975 - 1988) 6 Current (1988 to present) 7 Latino Rock

Predecessors and Precursors (1900 - 1950)

• T-Bone Walker - blues guitarist; "Stormy Monday Blues", "T-Bone Shuffle"
• Ella Fitzgerald - jazz vocalist, known for scat singing; "A Tisket, A Tasket"
• Billie Holiday - jazz vocalist, "Strange Fruit"
• Les Paul - pioneer in the electric guitar
• Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five - innovative pre-rock and roll R&B music; "Saturday Night Fish Fry", "Caldonia"
• Memphis Minnie - blues guitarist
• Robert Johnson - legendary Delta blues guitarist; "Crossroad Blues"
• Stick McGhee & His Buddies - blues guitarist; "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee"
• The Treniers - swing and early rock and roll pioneers; "Rocking on Sunday Night"
• Sarah Vaughan - jazz vocalist; "Tenderly"

See also: List of jazz musicians, List of blues musicians, List of ragtime musicians, List of boogie woogie musicians, List of swing/big band musicians, List of folk musicians, List of gospel musicians

Early North American Rock and Roll (1951 - 1963)

• The Beach Boys - pop surf and early psychedelia band; Pet Sounds, "Good Vibrations"
• Bill Haley & His Comets - key contributor of the rockabilly revolution from R&B to rock and roll; "Rocket 88", "Rock Around the Clock"
• Bo Diddley - popular blues musician; "Bo Diddley"
• Bob. B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans - girl group; "Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah"
• Bobby Darin - teen idol; "Dream Lover", "Mack the Knife"
• Brenda Lee - country musician and teen idol; "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree"
• Bruce & Terry - surf duo; "Hey Little Cobra"
• Buddy Holly - rock and roll musician; "Peggy Sue"
• Carl Perkins - rockabilly pioneer; "Blue Suede Shoes"
• The Chantays - surf band; "Pipeline"
• Chet Atkins - country musician
• Chuck Berry - singer-songwriter, guitarist; "Maybellene", "Johnny B. Goode", "My Ding-a-Ling"
• Connie Francis - singer; "Who's Sorry Now"
• The Crystals - girl group; "He Hit Me (It Felt Like a Kiss)"; "Then He Kissed Me"
• David Allan & the Arrows - soundtrack surf composer; "Blues Theme" from The Wild Angels
• Dick Dale - surf music pioneer; "Let's Go Trippin'"
• Dionne Warwick - soul and R&B singer; "Walk on By", "Message to Michael", "Do You Know the Way to San Jose?"
• Dorsey Burnette - rockabilly singer; "Big Rock Candy Mountain"
• Johnny Burnette - rockabilly singer; "You're Sixteen"
• The Drifters - early rock and roll; "Money Honey"; "I Gotta Get Myself a Woman"
• Eddie Cochran - rockabilly guitar hero; "Summertime Blues"
• Elvis Presley - legendary popularizer of African American rock and roll; "Blue Moon of Kentucky", "Heartbreak Hotel", "Jailhouse Rock", "Are You Lonesome Tonight"
• The Everly Brothers - soul duo; "Wake Up Little Suzie", "Cathy's Clown")
• Fabian (teen idol; "Tiger"
• Fats Domino - popular New Orleans piano player; "The Fat Man", "Ain't That a Shame"
• Gene Pitney - pop singer; "Town Without Pity"
• Gene Vincent - rockabilly musician; "Be-Bop-A-Lula"
• Gladys Knight & the Pips - soul group; "Midnight Train to Georgia", "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
• Hank Ballard - R&B musician; "Work With Me Annie"; "Sexy Ways"
• Hank Williams - honky tonk country legend; "Lovesick Blue", "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry", "Cold Cold Heart", "I'll Never Get Out o This World Alive"
• Ike Turner - influential rock and roll pioneer; "Rocket 88"
• Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats - early R&B group; "Rocket 88"
• Jackie DeShannon - pop-folk singer; "What the World Needs Now"
• Jackie Wilson - legendary soul singer; "Lonely Teardrops", "Baby Workout"
• Jan & Dean - surf and pop doo wop duo; "Surf City", "Baby Talk"
• James Brown - pioneering soul and funk musician; "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "Try Me", "Sex Machine"
• Jerry Lee Lewis - pianist, singer; "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", "Great Balls of Fire"
• Johnny Burnette - rockabilly; "Train Kept A-Rollin'"
• Little Richard - pianist, R&B singer; "Tutti Frutti", "Long Tall Sally", "Good Golly, Miss Molly"
• Lloyd Price - New Orleans R&B; "Lawdy Miss Clawdy", "Stagger Lee"
• Martha & the Vandellas - Motown girl group soul; "Heat Wave", "Dancing in the Street"
• Mr. Gasser & the Weirdos - surf music; Hot Rod Hootenanny
• Paul Anka - pop vocalist; "Lonely Boy", "Diana"
• Pat Boone - pop vocalist; "Tutti Frutti", "Ain't That a Shame"
• Ricky Nelson - an early television teen idol
• The Righteous Brothers - blue-eyed soul, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling", "Little Latin Lupe Lu"
• The Ronettes - girl group, "Be My Baby"
• Ronnie Hawkins - rockabilly performer; "Forty Days", "Mary Lou"
• Ronny & the Daytonas - surf rock; "G.T.O."
• Roy Orbison - legendary soul singer; "Oh, Pretty Woman"
• The Shirelles - girl group, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"; "Dedicated to the One I Love"
• The Supremes - soul girl group; "Stop! In the Name of Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On"
• The Surfaris - surf band; "Wipeout"
• The Temptations - R&B; "My Girl", "I Wish It Would Rain"
• Tommy James & the Shondells - pop-rock; "Crimson and Clover", "Hanky Panky", "I Think We're Alone Now"

See also: List of doo wop musicians, List of R&B musicians, List of girl groups, List of surf rock musicians, List of soul musicians

The "British Invasion" (1963 - 1967)

• The Animals - British blues; Animalism
• The Beatles - psychedelic rock band; Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Abbey Road, The White Album
• Dave Berry - R&B pop; "This Strange Effect"
• The Dave Clark Five - British blues; Coast to Coast
• Gerry & the Pacemakers - mersyebeat; Ferry Cross the Mersey, Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying
• Herman's Hermits - pop merseybeat; "I'm Into Something Good"
• The Kinks (Village Green Preservation Society)
• Marianne Faithfull - blues rock; "As Tears Go By"
• The Moody Blues - psychedelia and early progressive rock; Days of Future Passed, On the Threshold of a Dream
• Peter & Gordon - merseybeat; "A World Without Love"
• The Rolling Stones - long-running blues rock band; Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Exile on Main Street
• The Small Faces - psychedelic mod band; Ogden's Nut Flake, There Are But Four Small Faces
• Van Morrison & Them - folk-rock; Astral Weeks, Moondance
• The Who - mod and rock; Who's Next, The Who Sings My Generation, The Who Sell Out
• The Yardbirds - psychedelic blues rock; Five Live Yardbirds, Roger the Engineer

See also: List of British blues musicians

Psychedelia, Progressive Rock and Early Hard Rock (1968 - 1974)

• 13th Floor Elevators, psychedelia
• Aerosmith, early heavy metal
• The Allman Brothers Band, early country rock, jam band
• Aretha Franklin
• Badfinger
• The Band, folk and rock and roll fusion
• Big Brother & the Holding Company
• Black Sabbath, early heavy metal
• Blue Cheer, early heavy metal
• Blue Oyster Cult, early heavy metal
• Bob Dylan, folk music
• Buffalo Springfield
• The Byrds, country rock
• Canned Heat
• Captain Beefheart
• Chic
• Cream
• Creedence Clearwater Revival, country rock
• Crosby, Stills and Nash (and Young)
• David Bowie, glam rock
• Deep Purple
• The Delfonics
• Don McLean
• Donna Summers
• The Doors, hard psychedelia, forerunner of heavy metal
• Dusty Springfield
• The Eagles, country rock
• The Electric Light Orchestra
• The Electric Prunes
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds
• The Faces
• The Flying Burrito Brothers, country rock
• Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention
• Funkadelic, funk
• Genesis, progressive rock
• Gram Parsons, country rock
• The Grateful Dead, psychedelia
• Harry Nilsson
• Hot Tuna
• Humble Pie
• Iron Butterfly, psychedelia, early heavy metal
• James Brown, soul music, early funk
• Janis Joplin
• Japan
• Jefferson Airplane, psychedelia
• The Jesus and Mary Chain
• Jethro Tull
• Jim Croce
• Jimi Hendrix, psychedelia
• Joan Baez
• Johnny Cash, country music
• Joni Mitchell, folk music

• Kansas
• King Crimson, early heavy metal, progressive rock
• Kris Kristofferson
• Labelle
• Led Zeppelin, heavy metal
• Love
• The Meters
• Moby Grape
• The Monkees
• Moving Sidewalks
• Nick Drake
• Nirvana
• The Paul Butterfield Blues Band
• Pink Floyd, progressive rock, pioneer of the concept album
• P.J. Proby
• Roxy Music
• Roy Harper
• Simon & Garfunkel, folk music
• Sly & the Family Stone
• Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
• Steppenwolf
• Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
• Stevie Ray Vaughan
• The Stooges, early punk music
• T. Rex, glam rock
• Terry Reid
• Traffic
• The Velvet Underground
• Bob Marley & the Wailers, reggae
• Willie Nelson
• Yes, progressive rock

See also: List of surf rock musicians, List of psychedelic musicians, List of R&B musicians, List of hard rock musicians,
List of country rock musicians, List of progressive rock musicians, List of soul musicians

Return to Basics: Punk, Metal, Disco and Dance Music and other trends (1975 - 1988)

• 3rd Bass
• AC/DC
• Aerosmith, heavy metal
• Afrika Bambaata, early rap
• Alice Cooper
• The Bangles
• The Bee Gees, disco
• Billy Joel, pop music
• Blondie
• Bob Marley, reggae
• Bon Jovi
• Boomtown Rats
• Bryan Adams
• Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band
• Budgie
• Buju Banton
• Camper Van Beethoven
• Cheap Trick
• The Clash, punk music
• Coolio
• The Cult
• Culture Club, late glam music
• The Damned
• Danzig, heavy metal
• Dave Edmunds
• David Allen Coe
• David Bowie, glam, early electronic music
• Dead Kennedys, punk music
• Dead Milkmen, punk/pop
• Depeche Mode, New Wave
• Donna Summer, disco
• Duran Duran, New Wave
• Elvis Costello
• Elton John
• Eric Clapton
• The Cure, Goth music
• The Fall
• Funkadelic, funk
• Graham Parker
• Guns 'n Roses
• Hank Williams, Jr
• Hüsker Dü, alternative rock
• The Indigo Girls
• The Jam, punk rock
• Jimmy Buffett
• Jimmy Page
• Joe Jackson
• John Paul Jones
• Kool & the Gang, disco
• Kiss, heavy metal
• The Knack
• Kraftwerk
• Labelle, disco, glam
• Meat Loaf
• Metallica, heavy metal
• Midnight Oil
• Minor Threat
• The Misfits
• The Modern Lovers
• Mötley Crüe
• New York Dolls
• Nick Lowe
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Parliament, funk
• Patti Smith
• Peter Tosh, reggae
• The Plasmatics
• Poison
• The Police
• Queen
• The Ramones, punk music
• Rockpile
• The Romantics
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, funk, heavy metal, punk music
• REM
• Rick Springfield
• Rush
• The Sex Pistols, punk music
• The Slits
• The Scorpions
• Sonic Youth
• Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
• Squeeze
• Talking Heads
• Television
• Thin Lizzy, heavy metal
• Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
• Tom Waits
• Triumph
• U2
• UFO
• Uriah Heep
• Van Halen
• Van der Graaf Generator
• The Violent Femmes
• Wham
• Wishbone Ash
• Whitesnake, heavy metal
• X, punk music
• XTC

See also: List of forerunners of punk music, List of musicians in the first wave of punk music,
List of musicians in the second wave of punk music, List of heavy metal musicians, List of progressive rock musicians,
List of alternative rock musicians, List of folk musicians, List of funk musicians, List of soul musicians

Current (1988 to present)

• 10,000 Maniacs
• Alan Jackson
• Alanis Morissette
• Alice In Chains
• Anthrax
• Backstreet Boys
• Bad Brains
• Bad Religion
• The Beastie Boys, rap
• Beck
• Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals
• Björk
• Black Star
• Blink 182
• The Bloodhound Gang
• Blues Traveler
• Blur
• The Breeders
• Britney Spears
• Canibus
• Celine Dion
• Christina Aguilera
• Clint Black
• Coolio
• The D4
• D'Angelo, soul music
• Daft Punk
• Dave Matthews Band
• The Datsuns
• De La Soul, rap
• DMX
• Dr. Dre, rap
• Echo & the Bunnymen
• Energy Orchard
• Everon
• The Faint
• Faith Hill
• Fatboy Slim
• Foo Fighters
• Fountains Of Wayne
• Franz Ferdinand
• The Fugees, rap
• Garth Brooks
• The Geto Boys
• Goldfinger, punk
• Green Day
• Guru
• Hazerfan
• Hole
• Ice Cube, rap
• Ice T, rap
• Ja Rule
• Jay-Z, rap
• Joan Osborne
• Kid Rock, rap-rock
• Korn
• Lauryn Hill, rap, R&B, soul music
• Lil Bow Wow
• Lil Kym
• Lil Wayne
• Limp Bizkit, rap-rock
• Living Colour
• Lords of Acid
• M.C. Hammer
• Manic Street Preachers
• Marky Mark & the Funky Bunch
• Mariah Carey
• Mase
• Master P
• The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones, ska
• Moby
• The Mooney Suzuki
• Morissey
• Mos Def, rap
• MxPx, punk
• Nas, rap
• The New Kids on the Block
• Nine Inch Nails
• Nirvana (grunge music)
• NOFX
• NWA, rap
• Oasis
• The Offspring
• Outkast, rap
• P. Diddy
• Paul Oakenfold
• Pearl Jam, grunge music
• Pennywise
• Phish
• Pixies, alternative rock
• PJ Harvey
• Placebo
• Portishead
• Primus
• The Prodigy
• Public Enemy, rap
• Radiohead
• Rammstein
• Rancid, punk music
• Red Hot Chili Peppers, funk, heavy metal
• Rusted Root
• RZA
• Sarah MacLachlan
• Scarface
• Sepultura
• Shania Twain
• Sinead O'Connor
• Sleater-Kinney
• The Smiths
• Snoop Doggy Dogg, rap
• the Spice Girls
• Soundgarden, grunge music
• Skin Games
• Stereolab
• The Stone Roses
• Stone Temple Pilots
• The Strokes
• Sublime
• Superchunk
• System of a Down
• Suzanne Vega
• The Offspring
• Tool
• Tori Amos
• A Tribe Called Quest, rap
• Tupak Shakur, rap
• Underworld
• The Vandals
• The Verve
• Weezer
• The White Stripes
• Will Smith
• The Wu-Tang Clan, rap

See also: List of heavy metal musicians, List of rappers, List of Britpop musicians, List of jam bands,
List of alternative rock musicians, List of electronic musicians, List of musicians in the second wave of punk music

Latino Rock

• Alejandra Guzman
• Big Pun
• Cypress Hill
• Enrique Guzman
• Fey
• Fiel A La Vega
• Gloria Estefan
• La Ley
• Los Chicos
• Magneto
• Mana
• Mecano
• Melody
• Menudo
• Miguel Bose
• Paulina Rubio
• Pilar Montenegro
• Ricky Martin
• Santana
• Selena
• Sepultura
• Shakira
• South Park Mexican
• Yuri