Era
1950s – 1960s Classic Rock · Blues Rock · Psychedelic Rock
Rock is born from blues, R&B, and rockabilly; the British Invasion, psychedelia, and the album era reshape popular music.
- 18 bands
- 4 countries
- Classic Rock dominant genre
- #001 The Beatles
Widely regarded as the most influential rock band in history.
- #003 The Rolling Stones
The longest-running rock band, central to the British Invasion and beyond.
- #006 The Who
Mod-era originators of the rock opera and explosive live performance.
- #012 The Doors
Jim Morrison-fronted psychedelic rock unit blending poetry and dark blues.
- #014 The Velvet Underground
Underground New York pioneers whose influence on indie rock is incalculable.
- #015 The Beach Boys
Surf-pop pioneers turned studio innovators with peerless vocal harmony.
- #070 Creedence Clearwater Revival
Bay Area swamp-rock kings who turned out hit after hit in just a few years.
- #072 The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Hendrix's London trio reinvented the electric guitar in three studio LPs.
- #073 Cream
Clapton-Bruce-Baker supergroup who defined the rock power trio.
- #076 The Kinks
Ray Davies' London band whose riff-rock prefigured punk and metal.
- #077 The Yardbirds
British R&B incubator that launched Clapton, Beck, and Page.
- #078 The Animals
Newcastle British Invasion band famous for their take on 'House of the Rising Sun'.
- #079 The Hollies
Manchester harmony-pop veterans of the British Invasion.
- #080 The Byrds
L.A. jingle-jangle pioneers who fused Dylan's lyricism with electric guitars.
- #081 Buffalo Springfield
Short-lived L.A. supergroup that seeded country-rock's rise.
- #206 MC5
Detroit revolutionaries whose live energy lit the fuse for punk.
- #263 Os Mutantes
São Paulo Tropicália pioneers whose psychedelic strangeness is a global influence.
- #317 The Easybeats
Sydney British-Invasion-style band whose 'Friday on My Mind' is a global classic.