The Top 50 Classic Rock Bands (2024)

What does it take to be one of the top 50 classic rock bands in history? We crunched the data by examining a combination of their sales numbers, airplay stats, how successful their live performances were, and the state of their enduring legacy.

of 50

The Beatles

As you might have suspected, The Beatles top our list as the No. 1 classic rock band. With record sales estimated at more than a billion worldwide, arguably no other band has had a greater influence on the course of rock music and music history in general.

Essential album: "Revolver"

of 50

Pink Floyd

At the vanguard of the progressive rock movement, Pink Floyd has sold more than 200 million albums since 1967. They were one of the first bands to use light shows and fireworks in their live performances.

Essential album: "Wish You Were Here"

of 50

The Who

The Who were innovative both musically and culturally, especially in terms of fashion. A British band, they were known for wearing the Union Jack on their clothing. The Who also made it onto Rolling Stone magazine's"50Moments That Changed the History of Rock 'n' Roll" for smashing a guitar at their Railway Hotel performance in 1964.

Essential album: "Who's Next"

of 50

Rolling Stones

The original "bad boys" of rock and roll, theStones are among the most durable of our classic rock bands, recording and touring with few breaks since they began in 1961. Despite the fanfare that has always surrounded them, their genius can't be denied. Their reinterpretation of classic American blues, rock, country, folk, andR&B has resulted in some of the most exciting music in rock and roll.

Essential album: "Sticky Fingers"

of 50

Led Zeppelin

This British band also pushed the envelope of what was possible with the blues, using it to create some of the "heaviest" music in the genre. Their classic song "Stairway To Heaven" is believed to have received more radio airplay than any other song in history, even though it was never released as a single.

Essential album: "Led Zeppelin IV"

of 50

Eagles

TheEagles are another of rock's longest-lasting acts. In August 2018, their 1976 greatest hits album edged out Michael Jackson's "Thriller" as the biggest-selling album of all time, with over 38 million copies sold.

Essential album: "Eagles: Their Greatest Hits"

of 50

Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead is one of San Francisco's first "flower power" bands, and they virtually invented the jam band concept.Indeed, their fan following is still nearly as strong today as it was when the group disbanded in 1995.

Essential album: "Anthem of the Sun"

of 50

Jefferson Airplane

Pioneers of the psychedelic rock genre, Jefferson Airplane was the vanguard of '60s and '70s counter-culture. "White Rabbit" was probably one of the first songs to deal with drug use.

Essential album: "After Bathing at Baxter's"

of 50

The Doors

Despite a short life and limited discography, they became one of the most popular and influential classic rock bands. Jim Morrisonis still considered to have been one of the most charismatic lead singers in rock and roll.

Essential album: "The Doors"

of 50

Moody Blues

With the exception of a few years in the mid-'70s, this progressive psychedelicgroup has toured and recorded since 1964. They are known for their long, operatic tunes, like "Nights in White Satin" and "Tuesday Afternoon."

Essential album: "Days of Future Passed"

of 50

Fleetwood Mac

Fleetwood Mac is perhaps the quintessential 1970s California rock band.Their highly personal1977 "Rumours"album is still among the top 10 best-selling albums ever released.

Essential album: "Rumours"

of 50

AC/DC

For those about to rock: AC/DC ismost likely a huge influence. This pioneering hard rock group has sold an estimated 100 million albums worldwide.

Essential album: "Back in Black"

Boston

Founder Tom Scholz formed this classic rock band while still at MIT and it shows. Boston's progressive, synth-based sound is both slick and exciting.When their first album was released in 1976, it was the highest-grossing debut album ever seen up until that time.

Essential album: "Boston"

of 50

Cream

Creamexisted for less than three years but staked its place as one of rock's first power trios. Its popularity endures to this day, thanks to classics like "White Room."

Essential album: "Wheels of Fire"

of 50

Def Leppard

Futuristic-sounding guitars, turbo-charged drumming, and power vocals have kept Def Leppard near the top of the all-time best-selling album lists for a quarter of a century.

Essential album: "Hysteria"

of 50

The Byrds

Considered to be among the pioneers of folk rock, thepopularity of The Byrds in the mid-60s rivaled that of The Beatles.

Essential album: "The Byrds' Greatest Hits"

of 50

Aerosmith

Originally written off as Rolling Stones imitators, this classic rock band has staked their claim in music history. For over 30 years, Aerosmith has consistently produced multi-million-dollar-selling albums.

Essential album: "Toys in the Attic"

of 50

Santana

This groundbreaking Latin rock group timed the release of its first album to coincide with a highly successful performance at Woodstock in 1969. They're still going strong over five decades later.

Essential Album: "Abraxas"

of 50

Blood Sweat & Tears

Essentially a small orchestra, this classic rock band established a milestone in rock history with its large horn section and jazz-blues orientation.

Essential album: "Blood Sweat & Tears"

of 50

Van Halen

One of the most innovative and influentialheavymetalgroups of the late '70s and early '80s, the group personified stadium-style rock. Larger-than-life original lead singer, David Lee Roth, had one of the best voices in the business, and the other group members are considered rock pioneers as well.

Essential album: "1984"

of 50

ZZ Top

The self-proclaimed "little ol' band from Texas" was one of the earliest influences inSouthern rock, and continues to be so many decades later.

Essential album: "The Best of ZZ Top"

of 50

Genesis

With worldwide albums sales of about 150 million since 1969, Genesis was instrumental for not only putting progressive rock in the mainstream but also for keeping it there.

Essential album: "Platinum Collection"

of 50

Allman Brothers

The success of their unique fusion of hard rock, blues, jazz, and classical music has secured this classic rock band's immortality.

Essential album: "Eat A Peach"

of 50

Journey

Journey'sjazz-flavored brand of rock and roll has been a fixture in the rock scene since 1973. They are also responsible for what is arguably one of the most inspirational songs in the genre, "Don't Stop Believin'".

Essential album: "Greatest Hits"

of 50

Traffic

Formed by singer Steve Winwood, Traffic had far greater success with albums than with singles, and thrived despite numerous personnel changes and long breaks.

Essential album: "John Barleycorn Must Die"

of 50

Jethro Tull

Using a flute as a lead instrument and writing songs heavily influenced by classical music, Jethro Tull created a sound unlike any other classic rock band.

Essential album: "Very Best of Jethro Tull"

of 50

Foreigner

A group of backup players got together in 1976 and formed a band that became a longtimearena rockand radio airplay favorite.

Essential album: "Complete Greatest Hits"

of 50

The Kinks

This English classic rock band smartly maintained their popularity throughout the '60s and '70s by adjusting their lyrical themes and musical styles as public tasteschanged.

Essential album: "Ultimate Collection"

of 50

Blue Öyster Cult

Formed in the mid-60s, thismetaland/psychedelic rockband had a long string of successful albums throughout the '70s and '80s.

Essential album: "The Essential Oyster Cult"

of 50

Buffalo Springfield

Although the group existed for less than two years, they were considered a significant force in mid-1960s rock. They also launched the careers of members Neil Young, Stephen Stills, Jim Messina, and Richie Furay.

Essential album: "Retrospective"

of 50

Queen

Much more than just a glitter rock band, Queen will forever be included in "best of" lists due in large part to lead singer Freddy Mercury's phenomenal vocals.The group remains second only to The Beatles in album sales in the U.K.

Essential album: "Platinum Collection"

of 50

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

More than any other classic rock band of their time, CSNY endeared themselves to a generation of youth with their lyrics and eclectic variety of musical styles.

Essential album: "Deja Vu"

of 50

Styx

After failing to break through as a progressive rock band, this group is credited with originating the more mainstreamarena rocksound.

Essential album: "Gold"

of 50

Creedence Clearwater Revival

They broke at the height of theBritish Invasion to become the leading American rock band of the era. Their songs about war and political corruption resonated with Vietnam-era youth, and they remain powerful symbols of musical protest.

Essential album: "Chronicle"

of 50

Deep Purple

They shuffled personnel and musical styles until they became one of the most successful classic rock bands on the concert and recording circuit. Many critics consider their heavy, grinding sound to be a major influence on the grunge rock movement.

Essential album: "Very Best Of"

of 50

Steve Miller Band

This group paid their dues as a backup band before becoming one of the most popular groups of the '70s.

Essential album: "Young Hearts"

of 50

Guess Who

One of Canada's most popular rock bands evolved from playing soft rock to hard rock, starting in the early '60s and through the mid-'70s.

Essential album: "Anthology"

of 50

Dave Clark Five

Beatlemania helped propel this British classic rock band to great popularity in America. They distinguished themselves with a slew of hits, including "Glad All Over" and "Everybody Get Together."

Essential album: "30 Greatest Hits"

of 50

Steppenwolf

This Canadian heavy metalband is credited with creating the bike rock sub-genre thanks to their song "Born to Be Wild," which was featured in the iconic 1969film "Easy Rider."

Essential album: "All Time Greatest Hits"

of 50

Yes

Considered the quintessential progressive rock band, Yes has enjoyed decades of success in spite of more than the usual number of major personnel changes.

Essential album: "The Very Best of Yes"

of 50

Doobie Brothers

They aren't actually brothers, but they have parlayed a distinctive hard rock andsouthern rockblend into a lengthy 30-plus-year career.

Essential album: "Best of the Doobies"

of 50

Chicago

Formed in 1967, Chicago became one of the most successful orchestral rock groups in the world. Their distinctive horn-based sound still attracts audiences today.

Essential album: "Only the Beginning"

of 50

Kiss

Mix hard rockwith over-the-top appearances and stage antics and you get the fathers of glitter punk. Kiss remains amajor influence on kids everywhere who dream of rock and roll stardom.

Essential album: "Gold"

of 50

Blondie

Emerging from the earlypunkrockscene, Blondie ultimately expanded their stylistic approach to include disco, new wave, and hip-hop.

Essential album: "Parallel Lines"

of 50

Rush

With one of the most recognizable sounds in rock and roll, Rush was also known for their fantastic live shows. With 20 studio albums, they remain required listening for fans interested in hearing what uncompromising music sounds like.

Essential album: "Permanent Waves"

of 50

Sex Pistols

Their short life as a rebellious and proudly controversialpunkband was out of proportion to the huge influence they had on pop culture.

Essential album: "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols"

of 50

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Described byAll Music Guideas "the definitive Southern rockband," Lynyrd Skynyrd reunited 10 years after the deaths of three original members in a 1977 plane crash and still perform today.

Essential album: "Skynyrd's Innyrds"

of 50

The Police

The Police distinguished themselves by achieving mainstream success playing experimental rock. Lead singer Sting went on to become one of the most popular solo artists of all time.

Essential album: "Every Breath You Take: The Classics"

of 50

Grand Funk Railroad

Grand Funk Railroad achieved the greatest commercial success of any American classic rock band in the '60s and early '70s. Although they last put out an album in 1983, they still tour.

Essential album: "We're an American Band"

of 50

Black Sabbath

One of the most successful hard rock groups to ever come out of England, Black Sabbath is credited as the first heavy metalband. They are considered an influence on a variety of musical genres, including punk and grunge.

Essential album: "We Sold Our Soul For Rock and Roll"

The Top 50 Classic Rock Bands (2024)

The Beatles

Pink Floyd

The Who

Rolling Stones

Led Zeppelin

Eagles

Grateful Dead

Jefferson Airplane

The Doors

Moody Blues

Fleetwood Mac

AC/DC

Boston

Cream

Def Leppard

The Byrds

Aerosmith

Santana

Blood Sweat & Tears

Van Halen

ZZ Top

Genesis

Allman Brothers

Journey

Traffic

Jethro Tull

Foreigner

The Kinks

Blue Öyster Cult

Buffalo Springfield

Queen

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young

Styx

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Deep Purple

Steve Miller Band

Guess Who

Dave Clark Five

Steppenwolf

Yes

Doobie Brothers

Chicago

Kiss

Blondie

Rush

Sex Pistols

Lynyrd Skynyrd

The Police

Grand Funk Railroad

Black Sabbath

References