People
142 people
Hubs
Hub · 1926
Chuck Berry
Vocals · Guitar
Chess guitarist and songwriter; duck-walk stage and double-stop riffs on early rock radio.
Hub · 1935
Elvis Presley
Vocals · Guitar
Sun and RCA vocalist; 1950s rock & roll and TV-era pop crossover.
Hub · 1942
Brian Wilson
Vocals · Bass · Keys · Production · Songwriting
Beach Boys songwriter/producer; Pet Sounds studio-as-instrument pillar.
Hub · 1942
Jimi Hendrix
Vocals · Guitar
Experience guitarist and frontman; feedback, wah, and studio layering on late-1960s sides.
Hub · 1942
John Cale
Viola · Bass · Keys · Production · Vocals
Velvet Underground viola/bass/arrangement; later producer/arranger for other artists’ breakthrough LPs.
Hub · 1942
Lou Reed
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting
Velvet Underground vocals/guitar; deadpan street reportage. Major solo run after 1970.
Hub · 1942
Paul McCartney
Vocals · Bass · Guitar
Beatles bassist/songwriter who continued with Wings (1971–81) after the Beatles ended.
Hub · 1942
Ronnie James Dio
Vocals
Rainbow then Black Sabbath vocalist; operatic mid-range who arrived at Sabbath already proven.
Hub · 1943
Keith Richards
Guitar · Vocals
Rolling Stones rhythm/lead guitar; open-G and five-string approaches on many 1970s tracks.
Hub · 1943
Mick Jagger
Vocals
Rolling Stones frontman; lead vocal and lyric focus from the London R&B clubs onward.
Hub · 1943
Roger Waters
Bass · Vocals
Pink Floyd bassist and primary lyric writer through The Wall era.
Hub · 1944
Jimmy Page
Guitar · Producer
Session guitarist who led the Yardbirds’ late era then founded Led Zeppelin as guitarist-producer.
Hub · 1944
Ray Davies
Vocals · Rhythm Guitar · Songwriting
The Kinks songwriter/vocals pillar; British social vignette and power-chord You Really Got Me origin.
Hub · 1945
Eric Clapton
Guitar · Vocals
Yardbirds then Cream guitarist; early career defines the British blues-to-hard-rock solo pipeline.
Hub · 1945
Ian Gillan
Vocals
Deep Purple Mark II scream; brief Black Sabbath vocal on Born Again (1983).
Hub · 1945
Lemmy Kilmister
Bass · Vocals
Motörhead bass/vocals; Rickenbacker-through-Marshall roar. Earlier Hawkwind tenure.
Hub · 1945
Pete Townshend
Guitar · Vocals
Who guitarist and principal songwriter; power chords, windmill stroke, rock-opera form.
Hub · 1945
Ritchie Blackmore
Guitar
Deep Purple Mark II guitar; exits 1975 to Rainbow with neoclassical leads.
Hub · 1945
Roger Glover
Bass
Deep Purple Mark II bass; later Rainbow bass/producer before Purple reunions.
Hub · 1946
Bon Scott
Vocals · Songwriting
AC/DC vocalist 1974–80; Highway to Hell-era bark. Death forces the Johnson-era reboot.
Hub · 1946
David Gilmour
Guitar · Vocals
Pink Floyd guitarist from 1968; sustain lead tone and shared vocals after Barrett.
Hub · 1946
John Paul Jones
Bass · Keys · Arranger
Led Zeppelin bassist/keyboardist/arranger; later resurfaced with Grohl and Homme in Them Crooked Vultures.
Hub · 1946
Robert Fripp
Guitar
King Crimson’s constant guitarist-composer across radical lineup reformations since 1968.
Hub · 1947
Brian Johnson
Vocals · Songwriting
AC/DC vocalist from 1980; Back in Black relaunches the Young brothers’ method at global FM scale.
Hub · 1947
Sammy Hagar
Vocals · Guitar
Van Halen vocalist from 1985; 5150-era keyed choruses and stadium radio.
Hub · 1948
Ozzy Osbourne
Vocals
Black Sabbath’s original vocalist; solo career after 1979 firing, with later Sabbath reunions.
Hub · 1948
Robert Plant
Vocals
Led Zeppelin vocalist; high-register hard-rock voice who continued solo and collaborative work after 1980.
Hub · 1948
Stevie Nicks
Vocals · Songwriting
Fleetwood Mac vocalist from 1975; shawl-era harmonies and Rumours co-writes.
Hub · 1948
Tony Iommi
Guitar · Songwriting
Black Sabbath guitarist; downtuned power-chord riff grammar that metal later treats as default.
Hub · 1949
Geezer Butler
Bass · Lyrics
Black Sabbath bassist and primary lyricist; occult/war themes under Iommi riffs.
Hub · 1949
Mark Knopfler
Guitar · Vocals · Songwriting
Dire Straits guitar/vocals pillar; pickless fingerstyle on Strat/Tele as the band’s identity.
Hub · 1950
Tina Weymouth
Bass · Vocals
Talking Heads bassist; melodic funk lines; Tom Tom Club with Chris Frantz.
Hub · 1951
Rob Halford
Vocals
Judas Priest vocalist; operatic highs and leather-studs metal frontman image.
Hub · 1951
Sting
Vocals · Bass · Songwriting
The Police bassist/vocalist; later solo pop/jazz-leaning career after the trio ends.
Hub · 1952
Joe Strummer
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting
The Clash vocals/guitar; punk urgency plus reggae/rockabilly range on London Calling–era records.
Hub · 1953
Kim Gordon
Bass · Vocals · Guitar
Sonic Youth bassist/vocalist; spoken/sung delivery inside noise-indie forms.
Hub · 1954
David Lee Roth
Vocals
Van Halen frontman 1974–85 (and later returns); carnival bark opposite Eddie’s precision.
Hub · 1956
Bernard Sumner
Guitar · Vocals · Synths
Joy Division guitarist who became New Order’s singer and steered the band toward synth/club forms.
Hub · 1956
Ian Curtis
Vocals · Lyrics
Joy Division vocalist; baritone delivery and epilepsy-era stage intensity, 1976–80 only.
Hub · 1956
John Lydon
Vocals
Johnny Rotten in Sex Pistols; later Public Image Ltd—sneer as method across logos.
Hub · 1956
Peter Hook
Bass
Joy Division/New Order bassist; high melodic basslines that often lead the harmony.
Hub · 1958
Bruce Dickinson
Vocals
Joined Maiden 1981; operatic mid-range locks Beast-era global peak.
Hub · 1959
Pat Smear
Guitar
Germs guitarist; Nirvana In Utero–tour second guitar; Foo Fighters rhythm guitar.
Hub · 1959
Robert Smith
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting
The Cure’s continuous frontman; chorus/delay guitar and goth-pop voice as brand.
Hub · 1960
Michael Stipe
Vocals · Lyrics
R.E.M. vocals; mumbled early college-rock delivery scaled to Out of Time / Automatic mass-alt clarity.
Hub · 1961
Dave Mustaine
Vocals · Guitar
Early Metallica guitarist, then Megadeth founder; 1983 firing as lifelong interview hook.
Hub · 1961
Kim Deal
Bass · Vocals
Pixies bassist/harmony; Gigantic co-lead; later The Breeders.
Hub · 1961
Martin Gore
Guitar · Keys · Vocals
Depeche Mode principal songwriter; guitar, keys, and backing vocals.
Hub · 1962
Flea
Bass
Red Hot Chili Peppers bass; slap/pop funk-punk low end as the band’s constant engine.
Hub · 1962
Matt Cameron
Drums
Soundgarden drummer; Pearl Jam drummer from 1998 — Seattle’s longest shared-kit bridge.
Hub · 1963
James Hetfield
Vocals · Rhythm Guitar · Songwriting
Metallica vocals/rhythm-guitar pillar; downpicked riff engine and barked verse as thrash mass grammar.
Hub · 1963
Johnny Marr
Guitar · Songwriting
The Smiths guitarist; Rickenbacker/jangle layering as 1980s UK indie default.
Hub · 1964
Chris Cornell
Vocals · Guitar
Soundgarden frontman; four-octave hard-rock scream inside grunge.
Hub · 1964
Tom Morello
Guitar
Rage Against the Machine guitar; toggle/kill-switch and FX as DJ-like leads over hard-rock riffs.
Hub · 1965
Slash
Guitar
GnR lead guitar; Les Paul midrange on Appetite; left mid-90s, returned 2016.
Hub · 1965
Trent Reznor
Vocals · Guitar · Keys · Production · Songwriting
Nine Inch Nails as industrial hub: one-person studio project scaled to touring band.
Hub · 1967
Kurt Cobain
Vocals · Guitar
Nirvana singer-guitarist; quiet-loud songwriting center of the 1990–94 trio.
Hub · 1967
Noel Gallagher
Guitar · Vocals · Songwriter
Oasis chief songwriter/guitarist; later Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds after the classic lineup ended.
Hub · 1968
Damon Albarn
Vocals · Keys · Songwriting
Blur frontman; also builds Gorillaz outside the four-piece logo.
Hub · 1968
Thom Yorke
Vocals · Guitar · Keys
Radiohead singer-writer; also solo and Atoms for Peace projects beside a stable five-piece.
Hub · 1969
Dave Grohl
Drums · Vocals · Guitar
Nirvana drummer (1990–94) who became Foo Fighters frontman and later drummed in Them Crooked Vultures.
Hub · 1971
Dolores O'Riordan
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting
The Cranberries vocals; yodel-tinged alto and Irish indie-pop hooks on 90s alt radio.
Hub · 1972
Billie Joe Armstrong
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting
Green Day vocals/guitar; East Bay power-chord pop-punk scaled from Kerplunk DIY to Dookie/American Idiot mass.
Hub · 1972
Liam Gallagher
Vocals
Oasis lead vocalist; sneering mid-range delivery; later Beady Eye and solo work.
Hub · 1973
Josh Homme
Guitar · Vocals
Queens of the Stone Age founder; desert-rock riff writer who convened Them Crooked Vultures.
Hub · 1975
Jack White
Vocals · Guitar · Piano · Production
White Stripes vocals/guitar; garage-blues minimalism. Later Raconteurs, Dead Weather, solo.
Everyone
· 1939
Ray Manzarek
Keyboards · Bass (keyboard)
The Doors keyboardist; left-hand bass + organ replaced a bassist onstage.
· 1941
Charlie Watts
Drums
Rolling Stones drummer from 1963; jazz-informed pocket behind the guitars.
· 1941
Jon Lord
Keyboards
Deep Purple Hammond player; organ equal to guitar in Mark II mix.
· 1942
Andy Summers
Guitar
The Police guitarist; chorus/delay chord color instead of metal leads.
· 1942
Brian Jones
Guitar · Multi-instrument
Early Rolling Stones multi-instrumentalist; slide, sitar, and other colors on mid-1960s sides.
· 1943
Jim Morrison
Vocals · Lyrics
The Doors vocalist; baritone croon and spoken sections over Manzarek organ.
· 1943
Richard Wright
Keys · Vocals
Pink Floyd keyboardist; pads, electric piano, and harmony vocals across the classic albums.
· 1944
John Entwistle
Bass
Who bassist; loud, lead-like bass lines under Townshend’s chords.
· 1944
Nick Mason
Drums
Pink Floyd drummer from the start; only constant member across all studio eras.
· 1944
Roger Daltrey
Vocals
Who lead vocalist; shout and sustained belt across singles and rock-opera roles.
· 1946
Freddie Mercury
Vocals · Piano · Songwriting
Queen’s lead vocalist and pianist; multi-register writing from glam hard rock to disco-tinged pop.
· 1946
Keith Moon
Drums
Who drummer; tom-heavy fills and unstable pulse on 1960s–70s records.
· 1946
Syd Barrett
Guitar · Vocals
Pink Floyd founder; guitar and vocals on Piper-era material before leaving in 1968.
· 1947
Brian May
Guitar · Vocals · Songwriting
Queen guitarist; Red Special + AC30 layered harmony leads define the band’s guitar choir.
· 1947
David Bowie
Vocals · Guitar · Keys · Songwriting
Solo artist node: Ziggy glam, Berlin trilogy, Let’s Dance production shifts.
· 1947
Glenn Tipton
Guitar · Songwriting
Judas Priest twin-guitar lead; harmony leads with K.K. Downing.
· 1948
Johnny Ramone
Guitar
Ramones guitar; Mosrite downstrokes, policy of no leads.
· 1949
Cliff Williams
Bass
AC/DC bassist from 1977; pocket playing under the Young brothers’ grind.
· 1949
Lindsey Buckingham
Guitar · Vocals · Producer
Fleetwood Mac guitarist/arranger; fingerpicked acoustics and studio polish on Rumours.
· 1949
Roger Taylor
Drums · Vocals · Songwriting
Queen drummer and high harmony voice; co-writer on several hits.
· 1951
Dee Dee Ramone
Bass · Songwriting
Ramones bassist; 1-2-3-4 count-ins and early lyric drafts.
· 1951
Joey Ramone
Vocals
Ramones lead vocal; deadpan delivery over downstroke walls.
· 1951
John Deacon
Bass · Songwriting
Queen bassist from 1971; writer of bass-led hits including Another One Bites the Dust.
· 1952
David Byrne
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting
Talking Heads frontman; angular guitar, nervous baritone, Eno-era polyrhythm vocals.
· 1952
Neil Peart
Drums · Lyrics
Rush drummer/lyricist from 1974; large kit, odd meters, sci-fi/humanist lyrics.
· 1952
Stewart Copeland
Drums · Percussion
The Police drummer; reggae hi-hat grammar and octoban color inside trio pop-rock.
· 1953
Alex Lifeson
Guitar
Rush guitarist; chorus/echo arpeggios and hard-rock power chords inside prog forms.
· 1953
Alex Van Halen
Drums
Van Halen drummer; double-bass power and ride-bell accents behind Eddie’s riffs.
· 1953
Geddy Lee
Bass · Vocals · Keyboards
Rush bassist/singer; Rickenbacker/Fender tone, high tenor, Moog foot-pedals live.
· 1953
Malcolm Young
Guitar · Songwriting
AC/DC rhythm guitarist; right-hand eighth-note grind as the band’s engine until 2014.
· 1954
Michael Anthony
Bass · Vocals
Van Halen bassist; high harmony blend in the classic chorus stack.
· 1954
Phil Rudd
Drums
AC/DC drummer on classic pocket takes; multiple exits and returns.
· 1955
Angus Young
Guitar · Songwriting
AC/DC lead guitarist; school-uniform stage image and pentatonic leads over Malcolm’s grind.
· 1955
Eddie Van Halen
Guitar · Keyboards
Van Halen guitarist; tapping, harmonics, and brown-sound midrange as 1978 guitar-hero standard.
· 1955
Steve Jones
Guitar
Sex Pistols guitarist; brickwall power chords on the 1976–77 singles.
· 1956
Glen Matlock
Bass · Songwriting
Sex Pistols bassist 1975–77; early writing credit before Sid Vicious replaces him.
· 1956
Paul Cook
Drums
Sex Pistols drummer; straight eighths as UK punk kit default.
· 1956
Steve Harris
Bass · Songwriting
Iron Maiden founder; eighth-note gallop bass as NWOBHM rhythm DNA.
· 1957
Sid Vicious
Bass
Sex Pistols bassist 1977–78; symbol more than technician—Matlock’s exit makes the swap a media event.
· 1958
Paul Di'Anno
Vocals
Early Maiden vocal; street bark on Iron Maiden and Killers.
· 1958
Thurston Moore
Guitar · Vocals
Sonic Youth guitarist; alternate tunings and prepared-guitar noise as composition.
· 1959
Morrissey
Vocals · Lyrics
The Smiths vocalist; literary first-person lyric over Marr’s jangle.
· 1960
Kim Thayil
Guitar
Soundgarden guitarist; drop tunings, odd meters, Sabbath-weight riffs inside grunge.
· 1960
Simon Gallup
Bass
The Cure bassist on classic cold and Disintegration-era records; intermittent exits.
· 1961
Bilinda Butcher
Guitar · Vocals
MBV guitar/vocals; soft blend with Shields low in the Loveless mix.
· 1962
Axl Rose
Vocals
Guns N' Roses frontman; scream-to-piano range on Appetite and Illusion.
· 1962
Dave Gahan
Vocals
Depeche Mode lead vocalist from the Basildon lineup onward.
· 1962
Izzy Stradlin
Guitar · Songwriting
GnR rhythm guitar/songwriter on Appetite; exits 1991 before Illusion peak strain.
· 1962
Marty Friedman
Guitar
Megadeth lead guitar on Rust in Peace–era technical peak.
· 1963
Jarvis Cocker
Vocals · Guitar
Pulp frontman; class-detail lyrics and spoken-sung delivery on Different Class–era sides.
· 1963
Kevin Shields
Guitar · Vocals · Production
MBV guitar/producer; tremolo-arm blur and Loveless studio method.
· 1964
Dave Ellefson
Bass
Megadeth co-founder bassist; Peace Sells intro figure and long on/off tenure.
· 1964
Duff McKagan
Bass
GnR bassist; punk-rooted pocket on Appetite; exits mid-90s, returns 2016.
· 1964
Eddie Vedder
Vocals · Guitar
Pearl Jam frontman; baritone on Ten-era Alive and Jeremy.
· 1964
Jimmy Chamberlin
Drums
Smashing Pumpkins drummer; jazz-trained kit under alt-rock walls of guitar.
· 1964
Maynard James Keenan
Vocals
Tool vocalist; also A Perfect Circle and Puscifer.
· 1965
Adam Jones
Guitar
Tool guitarist; riff architecture and stop-start figures on the long-form tracks.
· 1965
Black Francis
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting
Pixies frontman (Charles Thompson); scream-quiet dynamics and surreal lyric.
· 1965
Steven Adler
Drums
Guns N’ Roses drummer on Appetite; swing feel, exits ~1990.
· 1966
Jerry Cantrell
Guitar · Vocals
Alice in Chains guitarist and songwriter; harmony vocals with Staley, then the post-2006 front line with DuVall.
· 1966
Mike McCready
Guitar
Pearl Jam lead guitar; blues-rock solos on Alive and Even Flow.
· 1966
Stone Gossard
Guitar · Songwriting
Pearl Jam rhythm guitar; Mother Love Bone / Green River DNA into Ten.
· 1967
Billy Corgan
Vocals · Guitar · Songwriting · Production
Smashing Pumpkins leader; wall-of-guitar production and alt-radio hooks.
· 1967
Tim "Ripper" Owens
Vocals
Judas Priest vocalist 1996–2003 (Jugulator / Demolition) between Halford eras.
· 1969
Graham Coxon
Guitar · Vocals
Blur guitar; noise/feedback anti-virtuoso chops; exits before Think Tank.
· 1972
Alex Kapranos
Vocals · Guitar
Franz Ferdinand frontman; angular guitar and danceable post-punk singles.
· 1974
Daniel Kessler
Guitar
Interpol guitarist; delay and arpeggio figures on the early albums.
· 1975
Jónsi
Vocals · Guitar
Sigur Rós vocalist and guitarist; falsetto and bowed-guitar texture.
· 1978
Carl Barât
Vocals · Guitar
Libertines co-frontman; twin-vocal garage with Pete Doherty.
· 1978
Julian Casablancas
Vocals
Strokes vocalist; clipped NYC delivery on Is This It–era singles.
· 1978
Paul Banks
Vocals · Bass · Guitar
Interpol vocalist and multi-instrumentalist; Turn On the Bright Lights–era baritone.
· 1979
Pete Doherty
Vocals · Guitar
Libertines co-frontman; also Babyshambles.
· 1982
Caleb Followill
Vocals · Guitar
Kings of Leon frontman; gravel vocal from Youth & Young Manhood onward.
· 1986
Alex Turner
Vocals · Guitar
Arctic Monkeys frontman; Sheffield lyric detail and guitar from Whatever People Say onward.
· 1986
Kevin Parker
Multi-instrumentalist · Vocals · Production
Tame Impala writer/producer; multi-tracked psych-pop recorded largely alone, then toured with a band.
· 1995
Grian Chatten
Vocals
Fontaines D.C. vocalist; spoken-sung delivery over post-punk guitar.