Music legends are more than just an amazing voice – they help to transform music in new and innovative ways. 

We have a few favourite music artists who we consider to be legends in their own right. Who do you think should also be on this list?

The Beatles

The Beatles (Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr) are one of the best-selling artists with a reported 600 million albums and 269 million certified units sold. They’ve won 15 Igor Novello Awards, 10 Grammy Awards, and an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score.

They covered a wide range of music genres alongside being one of the most influential bands of the rock era. From 1950s rock ‘n’ roll, skiffle, and beat in their original work to experimentation with hard rock, classical elements, pop ballads, psychedelia, and Indian music, they produced a lot of innovative songs.

Love The Beatles? Why not join us on 10th November 2019 with Upbeat Beatles?

The Rolling Stones

Being at the forefront of what was called the British Invasion, The Rolling Stones became extremely popular in the United States in 1964. The youthful and rebellious counterculture of the decade loved their music and style, which was rooted in early rock ‘n’ roll and blues with original music such as Paint It Black and (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction. 

The mid-1960s included a short period of psychedelic rock experimentation and a subsequent return to their blues’ roots with songs like Exile on Main St. (1972), Beggars Banquet (1968), Sticky Fingers (1971), and Let It Bleed (1969). This period of music led to them being introduced as on stage as ‘The Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World’ for the first time.

Meat Loaf

Known for his theatrical live shows and wide-ranging operatic voice, Marvin Lee Aday, or Meat Loaf, is considered to be one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He’s a multi-platinum musician mainly known for performing in cult films like Fight Club and Rocky Horror Picture Show, alongside his rock opera Bat Out of Hell.

The Meat Loaf musical extravaganza, Steve Steinman’s Anything For Love – The Meat Loaf Story, is at the Grand on 24th May 2020 after selling more than a million tickets and performing 2,000 times around the world.

Freddie Mercury and Queen

Born Farrokh Bulsara, Freddie Mercury is known for being the songwriter and lead vocalist of Queen. His flamboyant stage persona, amazing four-octave vocal range, and talented band members (Brian May on vocals and guitar, Roger Taylor on vocals drums, and John Deacon on bass guitar) transformed rock history.   

Bohemian Rhapsody is still considered to be one of the greatest songs and their performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985 remains iconic.

Buddy Holly and The Crickets

One of the first amazing singer-songwriters, Buddy Holly greatly influenced The Beatles with his arrangements and melodies. When on The Ed Sullivan Show, the first thing John Lennon asked was “Is this the stage that Buddy Holly played on?”.

He influenced many great artists we know and love today, and his short career was extremely important for music.

Michael Jackson

Known for his iconic and masterful performances, Michael Jackson is one of the most influential and accomplished musicians ever. He was a great live performer, a dancer, a singer, and a songwriter. The album Thriller is one of the best-selling albums of all time.

He broke through racial barriers with his music, winning more than 100 Billboard Awards, 100 RIAA Awards, 26 American Music Awards, 13 Grammy Awards, and 4 Presidential Awards.