ROCK

Creedence Clearwater Revival

    This American band was born in 1959. John Fogerty, the guitarist and lead singer, Doug Clifford, the drummer, and Stu Cook, the bass guitarist, met at Portola Junior High School in El Cerrito, California, playing instrumental songs and calling themselves The Blue Velvets.

    Tom Fogerty joined the band in 1964, the roles were finally established. In 1967, Saul Zaentz bought Fantasy Records and offered the band a chance to record a full-length album on the condition that they change their name.

    Their lyrics talked about Southern United States iconography including Vietnam War and the Mississippi River. Their musical influence can be heard in many genres, including southern rock, grunge and blues.

The Doors

They were a blues rock band formed in 1965 in a university of Los Angeles by their lead singer Jim Morrison and the keyboardist Ray Manzarek. In mid 1965, John Densmore, the drummer, and Robby Krieger, the guitarist, joined the band and its name was changed to The Doors, from the title of Aldous Huxley's book The Doors of Perception.

They released their self-titled debut album in 1967, Morrinson’s lyrics and their unique and controversial style made them influential in the decade.  Their success raised and their lyrics became deeper through the decade. They had problems because of Morrison’s stage persona until he was found dead in his bathtub in 1971, the reason is still unknown.

The band replaced Jim by another vocalist, releasing two other albums until they disbanded in 1973.

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix is considered one of the most influential and greatest guitarists of the 20th century. He was born in Washington in 1942 and started to play the guitar at the age of 15. Years later he worked with several musicians, including Little Richard

    In 1966 he moved to the UK and worked with some other artists until in 1967 he created a group called The Jimi Hendrix Experience with Noel Redding and Mitch Mitchell. Within months, they won several awards and fame. His music and work in this group is considered his best achievement and has became one of the greatest and influential rock music .

    After several important albums and tours like acting in Woodstock and having problems with drugs and alcohol, he was found almost dead in London, and some hours later, he was pronounced dead by a doctor. He had taken too many sedans.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Chili Peppers is a band formed in 1983, with a psychedelic and punk rock style is nowadays a very famous group because of its different rock style. It was formed by Anthony Kiedis, singer, and Flea, bass guitarist. After a diverse timeline and many different musicians that have been in this group, now Chad Smith, the drummer, and the guitarist Josh Klinghoffer are the two other formers of this group.

Bruce Springsteen

    Usually known as The Boss, he is an American composer born in 1949 best known by his work in his E Street Band. After this band was disbanded, he started working as a soloist. He released an album called Born in the U.S.A. in 1984 which is the main reason why he is known all around the world and also Born to Run in 1975. These two works are his best commercial achievements and also considered some of the best albums of rock music.

    Nowadays he is still performing in many different countries, singing and playing the guitar. Bruce Springsteen draws on many musical influences from the reservoir of traditional American popular music like the ones mentioned before.

    Also, one of his most famous songs’, Born in the U.S.A., meaning was misunderstood, becoming one of the American icons, when he was trying to criticize the U.S.A. and its wars.

ALTERNATIVE ROCK

R.E.M.

R.E.M. was a band formed in Athens, Georgia in 1980 by Michael Stype (lead singer) Peter Buck (lead guitarist), Mike Mills (bassist and back vocalist) and Bill Berry (drums).

They built their reputation over the next few years through “Murmur”, their debut album,subsequent releases, constant touring, and the support of college radio, and in 1988 they signed to Warner Bros. Records, and began to transmit political and environmental concerns.

“Out of Time” (1991) and “Automatic for the People” (1992) are their two most commercially successful albums and catapulted them to the international fame. In 1996, they re-signed with Warner Bros. for 80 million dollars the most expensive recording contract in history for that time. They sold more than 85 million records worldwide and are in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2007. The band broke up in September 2011.

The Killers

Formed in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead singer, keyboards), Dave Keuning (guitar, back vocals). Mark Stoermer (bass, backing vocals) and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums). Their name comes from a logo on the drums of a fictitious band in the music video of “Crystal” from the New Order.

Seen as one of the best bands of the 21st century, they have sold over 22 million album worldwide, with their four studio albums “Hot Fuss” (2004), “Sam's Town” (2006), “Day & Age” (2008) and “Battle Born” (2012), B-sides, rarities compilation,“Sawdust” (2007), a live album, “Live from the Royal Albert Hall” (2009); and a greatest hits album “Direct Hits” (2013).

Also, they have a lot of live performances in over 50 countries and on six continents.

The Strokes

Formed in New York city in 1998, consisted by Julian Casablancas (lead singer ), Nick Valensi (guitar, keyboard, back vocals), Albert Hammond, Jr. (rhythm guitar, keyboard, back vocals), Nikolai Fraiture (bass) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums).

Their debut album “Is This It” (2002) is ranked 199 in the “Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time” and it’s one of the best debuts albums ever. Thanks to this album, they were a successful band since the beginning and they even opened the Rolling Stones.

The band regrouped for a fifth album, “Comedown Machine” in 2013. The Strokes have sold over 5 million albums to date.

NEW WAVE

Blondie

Blondie is a rock band formed in New York in 1974, founded by Debbie Harry (voice) and Chris Stein (guitar), also members Clem Burke (drum), Gary Valentine (bass) and James Destri (keyboard).

The band was successful since the beginning in United Kingdom and Australia, later in United States thanks to their third album Parallel Lines. Later they mixed different musical styles as disco, pop, rap and reggae.

Blondie broke up in 1982, and Debbie continued her solo career, but in  1997, the band reformed with a number one single “Maria”. The band has sold more than 40 million records and was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers are from Gainesville, Florida. The original band, in 1976 was formed by Tom Petty (guitar and voice), Mike campbell (lead guitar), Stan Lynch (drum), Benmont Tench (keyboards) and Ron Blair (bass), who was left the band in 1981 and was replaced by Howie Epstein, who died in 2003, a year after Ron Blair came back to the band. And in 1994 Steve Ferrone replaced Lynch on the drum.

The band have sold more than 80 million records worldwide which make them one of the most-selling bands of all time.

The Cars

The cars, founded in Boston, Massachusetts in 1976 by Ric Ocasek (rhythm guitarist and singer), Benjamin Orr (singer and bassist), Elliot Easton (lead guitarist), Greg Hawkes (keyboards) and David Robinson (drum).

Their debut album, “The Cars”, sold 6 million copies and appeared on the Billboard 200 album chart for 139 weeks. For 2001, they have sold more than 23 million albums only in the United States.

The band broke up in 1988, but in 2010 the surviving members reunited to record “Moke Like This”, which was released in 2011.They were nominated for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Talking Heads

Formed in 1975 in New York City by David Byrne (lead voice and guitar), Chris Frantz (drums), Tina Weymouth (bass) and Jerry Harrison (keyboards, guitar). Their style of music included punk, art rock, funk and dance, helping to pioneer new wave music.

In 2002 they were included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, also three of their songs were included into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Also they were ranked number 100 of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" list of the Rolling Stone magazine, and four of their albums appeared on the "500 greatest albums of All time" of the same magazine.

PROGRESSIVE ROCK

Frank Zappa

Zappa was, furthermore than an incredible person with a lot of achievements, a great composer that worked in several music genres. He began composing classical music in high school since he got really interested in 20th-century classical composers while playing drums on blues rock bands.

He worked as an independent artist for most of his career with very diverse musical influences but also played in some groups like Mothers of Invention. This group is marked by the use of innovative album art, and sonic experimentation.

    He was a defender of freedom of speech and self-education. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No. 71 on its list of the greatest artists, and in 2011 at No. 22. He died in 1993 because of prostate cancer.

Boston

    Boston is an American band formed in 1976 by the guitarist Tom Scholz, who leaded and kept together the band. In 1969, guitarist Barry Goudreau introduced Delp to Tom Scholz, who was looking for a singer to complete some demo recordings.

They achieved their most notable successes during the 1970s and 1980s. They have sold more than 75 million records worldwide, including 31 million albums in the United States, of which 17 million were from their self-titled debut album. In the 80s, most formers of the band quitted and those were replaced, including Barry. Barry rejoined the band in 1994 until he committed suicide in 2007.

   

Supertramp

    They are a progressive rock band which style has evolved into art rock and other genres very different from simple Rock. Formed in 1969, this band started his commercial breakthrough in the 70s and through the decades, a lot of formers were changed, so on, the style of the band changed to what it is today.

In 1988 they split up for some years until 1993 when they met at a honoring dinner and got together and finally, in 1996 the band was reformed with four new members and played for the following six years. In 2015, Supertramp announced their first tour in more than four years.

Lou Reed

    Lou Reed, who died in 2013, is nowadays considered the creator of Progressive Rock. He was the guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground, and his solo career spanned five decades. After quitting this band, he started working into noise music and progressive rock.

He released his album Transformer in 1972, which was co-produced by David Bowie. A couple of albums later, he published his live concert with the name of Rock 'n' Roll Animal, which includes some of his most influential music, introducing progressive rock songs.