1950s
24 artists
Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll. Over 1 billion records sold worldwide. Sam Phillips at Sun Records discov...
Simon and Garfunkel
Paul Simon songwriting and Art Garfunkels angelic voice. Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of the mo...
Aretha Franklin
The Queen of Soul. 18 Grammy Awards. Respect became an anthem of the civil rights and womens movemen...
Marvin Gaye
Whats Going On was a protest album that Motown initially refused to release. Over 50 million records...
James Brown
The Godfather of Soul. Invented funk music. Over 50 million records. The hardest working man in show...
Nina Simone
The High Priestess of Soul.. Mississippi Goddam was a civil rights anthem. Feeling Good is one of th...
John Lennon
Imagine is the most covered song in history. Over 100 million solo records in addition to Beatles sa...
Frank Zappa
Over 60 albums released. Composed rock, jazz, and orchestral music. Over 40 million records. Invente...
Johnny Cash
The Man in Black. Over 90 million records. Folsom Prison Blues was recorded live at the prison. Hurt...
Willie Nelson
Over 40 million records. The Red Headed Stranger. Trigger is his beloved nylon-string guitar. Outlaw...
Dolly Parton
Over 100 million records. Wrote I Will Always Love You and Jolene on the same day. Dollywood is a ma...
Patsy Cline
Died at 30 in a plane crash. Over 30 million records. Crazy written by Willie Nelson is her signatur...
Chuck Berry
The father of rock and roll. Johnny B. Goode is the founding document of rock guitar. Over 50 millio...
Little Richard
The architect of rock and roll. Tutti Frutti and Long Tall Sally are the wildest rock songs of the 1...
Buddy Holly
Died at 22 in the Day the Music Died plane crash.. Peggy Sue and Thatll Be the Day are rock standard...
Sam Cooke
The King of Soul. Over 30 million records. A Change Is Gonna Come is the greatest soul song ever. Yo...
Otis Redding
Died at 26 in a plane crash.. Sitting on the Dock of the Bay was recorded three days before his deat...
The Supremes
Diana Ross, Mary Wilson, Florence Ballard. 12 number one hits, the most for an American group. Over ...
Paul McCartney
The most successful songwriter in history. Over 100 million solo records in addition to Beatles. Yes...
John Lennon detail
See John Lennon main entry....
George Harrison
The quiet Beatle. Over 20 million solo records. All Things Must Pass was the best solo Beatles album...
Willie Nelson detail
See Willie Nelson main entry....
Dolly Parton detail
See Dolly Parton main entry....
Johnny Cash detail
See Johnny Cash main entry....