100 Greatest Musical Artists Of The 20th Century


This is my list of The 100 Greatest Musical Artists Of The 20th Century. The making of this list is something that i've started and stopped work on quite a few times over the past few years. Now i've finally stuck it out and finished the damn thing. The making of this list was a highly scientific process that would take me days to explain. Just trust me, this is definitive.
At first i was going to call this the "100 Greatest Rock & Roll Artists", but this list also encompasses Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, Blues, Country and Rap. The only problem is that my knowledge of these genres is not nearly as extensive as in the general "Rock" arena. But i digress. You can see the original "master list" of approximately 900 bands i started from here. I attempted to be as un-biased as i possibly could & tried to keep my personal like or dislike of artists out of the selection process, but i'm sure it creeped in a little. That all being said, though, i still think this list is pretty legit. Enjoy.

-cpb, 4/29/03


Don't like my list? Well, make one of your own then. THE Experience is asking for your help. Read about all that here.




  1. The Beatles
  2. Bob Dylan
  3. The Who
  4. Led Zeppelin
  5. The Rolling Stones
  6. The Jimi Hendrix Experience
  7. Eric Clapton
  8. James Brown
  9. Elvis Presley
  10. Stevie Wonder
  11. David Bowie
  12. The Doors
  13. The Police
  14. The Clash
  15. Marvin Gaye
  16. Bob Marley (& The Wailers)
  17. Pink Floyd
  18. Chuck Berry
  19. Cream
  20. John Lennon
  21. Aretha Franklin
  22. Queen
  23. The Beach Boys
  24. Sly & The Family Stone
  25. Neil Young
  26. Ray Charles
  27. Buddy Holly (& The Crickets)
  28. Elton John
  29. Bruce Springsteen (& The E Street Band)
  30. Elvis Costello (& The Attractions)
  31. The Kinks
  32. Van Morrison (Them)
  33. Fleetwood Mac
  34. Otis Redding
  35. Crosby, Stills & Nash (& Young)
  36. Steely Dan
  37. The Eagles
  38. Miles Davis
  39. Prince
  40. Nirvana
  41. Little Richard
  42. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  43. The Band
  44. Public Enemy
  45. Tom Petty (& The Heartbreakers)
  46. The Sex Pistols
  47. Janis Joplin
  48. Al Green
  49. Smokey Robinson (& The Miracles)
  50. U2
  51. B.B. King
  52. The Jackson 5
  53. Sam Cooke
  54. Michael Jackson
  55. Robert Johnson
  56. The Grateful Dead
  57. Paul McCartney (& Wings)
  58. Tom Waits
  59. Stevie Ray Vaughan (& Double Trouble)
  60. Sting
  61. Iggy Pop (& The Stooges)
  62. Muddy Waters
  63. Booker T & The MGs
  64. Joni Mitchell
  65. The Allman Brothers Band
  66. Devo
  67. The Byrds
  68. Talking Heads
  69. Billy Joel
  70. Louis Armstrong
  71. Roy Orbison
  72. Run-DMC
  73. Santana
  74. Lynyrd Skynyrd
  75. Peter Gabriel
  76. Bo Diddley
  77. Frank Zappa (& The Mothers Of Invention)
  78. Madonna
  79. Warren Zevon
  80. Ramones
  81. James Taylor
  82. Aerosmith
  83. John Lee Hooker
  84. The Velvet Underground
  85. Jethro Tull
  86. Parliment/Funkadelic
  87. Simon & Garfunkel
  88. John Coltrane
  89. Carole King
  90. George Harrison
  91. Beck
  92. Bee Gees
  93. Traffic
  94. Johnny Cash
  95. T. Rex
  96. The Yardbirds
  97. Jefferson Airplane
  98. Nick Drake
  99. Stan Getz
  100. Earth, Wind & Fire



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