 | | With a vocal style that landed somewhere between a jazzy croon and a throaty, soulful belt, Haley Reinhart became an American Idol finalist in 2011. |
 | | Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Casey Abrams became an overnight celebrity in January 2011, when he was selected to be a contestant on the popular televised talent competition American Idol. |
 | | Taking cues from her favorite songwriters -- including Melissa Etheridge, Janis Joplin, and Sista Otis -- Crystal Bowersox brought a relaxed, folksy vibe to the ninth season of American Idol. |
 | | Bo Bice proved that American Idol could have a rocker as a finalist, but Chris Daughtry proved that the show could generate a successful rocker outside the context of the show. |
 | | Before becoming a front-runner in the eighth season of American Idol, Adam Lambert made his name in the theater world, where he performed alongside Val Kilmer in the debut production of Ten Commandments: The Musical and landed an understudy role in a touring production of Wicked. |
 | | The winner of American Idol’'s tenth season, country crooner Scotty McCreery began singing as a child in Garner, North Carolina. |
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 | | The runner-up on the 2011 season of Fox's American Idol, Lauren Alaina is a Southern singer with a bent toward contemporary country-pop. |
 | | The winner of the seventh season of Fox's American Idol competition, David Cook is a rock-oriented vocalist with a bent toward a commercial post-grunge sound. |
 | | Before winning the ninth season of American Idol, Lee DeWyze released two independent albums that introduced his mix of husky vocals and acoustic singer/songwriter fare. |
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 | | The winner of Fox TV's first American Idol competition during the summer of 2002, Kelly Clarkson went from an anonymous talent to a nationally known singer in a matter of months, performing for an audience of millions. |
 | | The first country singer to win American Idol, Carrie Underwood grew up in the small town of Checotah, Oklahoma, and began singing with her church at the tender age of three. |
 | | Few bands did more than Nickelback to establish the force of slick, commercially minded post-grunge in the 2000s. |
 | | When the U.K. press began dubbing Adele "the next Amy Winehouse" in late 2007, the hype didn't touch upon the heavy singer/songwriter influence found in the Londoner's music. |
 | | Edgy Las Vegas-based hard rock outfit Adelitas Way broke into the mainstream in 2009 with the song "Invincible," which appeared on numerous television spots for CSI Miami and served as the theme song for the weekly World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars show. |
 | | Hailing from the small town of Escatawpa, Mississippi, 3 Doors Down hit their peak in the early 2000s with a string of post-grunge singles, most notably "Kryptonite," "When I'm Gone," and the ballad "Here Without You. |
 | | A mix of polished pop/rock and neo-soul made Maroon 5 one of the most popular bands of the 2000s, with songs like "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Makes Me Wonder" all topping the charts worldwide. |
 | | Vancouver, Canada's Theory of a Deadman became the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger's 604 Records imprint in 2001. |
 | | Alternative CCM rockers Skillet formed in Memphis, TN, around the nucleus of lead singer and bassist John Cooper, guitarist Ken Steorts, and drummer Trey McClurkin. |
 | | The members of Three Days Grace began bashing punk chords when they were in their teens, carving a derivative yet energetic sound that fueled their live performances. |
 | | Although not the first contestant to play his own instrument on American Idol, Kris Allen benefitted more than most from the experience, and his coffeehouse singer/songwriter vibe earned him a first place finish in 2009. |
 | | Melodic hard rockers Shinedown hail from Jacksonville, Florida and originally featured vocalist Brent Smith, guitarist Jasin Todd, bassist Brad Stewart, and drummer Barry Kerch. |
 | | Born on October 19, 1991 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, singer/songwriter Colton Dixon first caught the public's attention on season 11 of American Idol. |
 | | After working a string of behind-the-scenes jobs -- including writing songs for Brandy, singing backup for the Sugababes, and impersonating Elvis -- songwriter/producer Bruno Mars put his name on top of the charts in 2009 by co-writing Flo Rida's hit song "Right Round. |
 | | Evanescence filled a niche few knew existed upon their arrival in 2003: the need for operatic goth-pop, soul-baring introspection paired with churning metallic guitars. |
 | | Hinder began crafting cocky, raucous post-grunge in the early 2000s, when Oklahoma City residents Joe Garvey and drummer Cody Hanson found Austin Winkler singing cover songs at a college party. |
 | | Aerosmith were one of the most popular hard rock bands of the '70s, setting the style and sound of hard rock and heavy metal for the next two decades with their raunchy, bluesy swagger. |
 | | Although he largely stuck to gospel and soul music during his time on American Idol, Danny Gokey transformed himself into a country artist following the show’s conclusion. |
 | | The winner of the 11th season of Fox's American Idol, singer Phillip Phillips is a soulful vocalist with a throaty style and a bent toward mixing acoustic singer/songwriter material with jam-oriented rock. |
 | | Siblings Elizabeth and Arejay Hale, the core members of the hard rock band Halestorm, began the group in late 1997 near York, PA, with Arejay on drums and Elizabeth on vocals and keyboard. |
 | | Merging country, pop, and rock elements into a sharp contemporary sound, the Band Perry is comprised of siblings Kimberly Perry (lead vocals, guitar, and piano), Reid Perry (bass guitar), and Neil Perry (drums, mandolin, and accordion). |
 | | David Archuleta became one of the most recognizable figures on television in 2008, when his tenor vocals and boyish charm helped earn him a second-place finish on American Idol. |
 | | Glamorously gaudy, a self-made post-modern diva stitched together from elements of Madonna, David Bowie, and Freddie Mercury, Lady Gaga was the first true millennial superstar. |
 | | Vocalist Elliott Yamin first gained recognition as the second runner-up on the fifth season of the reality show American Idol. |
 | | A former Christian artist, Katy Perry rebranded herself as a larger-than-life pop star and rose to prominence during the summer of 2008. |
 | | During the late '90s, Creed emerged from a sea of post-grunge contenders to become one of the decade's biggest-selling rock bands. |
 | | Although initially viewed as another face in the late-'90s crowd of teen pop acts, Pink (professionally known as P!nk) quickly transcended and outgrew that label with her combination of pop songcraft and powerhouse, rock-influenced vocals. |
 | | Christian-based post-grunge outfit Red first got their start in Pennsylvania playing contemporary Christian covers to area youth groups. |
 | | Hard-hitting Canadian post-grunge outfit My Darkest Days formed in the mid-2000s around the talents of singer/songwriter/guitarist Matt Walst, bass player Brendan McMillan, drummer Doug Oliver, and guitarist Sal Costa. |
 | | Vocalist Paul McCoy, bassist Kevin Dorr, guitarist Eric Weaver, and drummer Aaron Gainer were mostly still in their teens when they formed 12 Stones in the small New Orleans suburb of Mandeville, Louisiana. |
 | | In late 2000, guitarist Aaron Fink and bassist Mark James Klepaski made a surprising and unexpected decision: they left Lifer, an alternative metal band that was signed to Universal and was gaining commercial acceptance. |
 | | Cavo's four members -- frontman Casey Walker, guitarist Chris Hobbs, drummer Chad La Roy, and bassist Brian Smith -- champion a mix of hard rock muscle and alt-pop melodies. |
 | | Hot Chelle Rae took shape in 2005, balancing the polished sounds of mainstream pop with energized, guitar-heavy dance-rock. |
 | | Led by singer/songwriter Jason Wade, Lifehouse emerged in the early 2000s with a commercial blend of pop/rock melody and throaty, post-grunge vocals. |
 | | After ushering in the era of pop-metal with their 1986 blockbuster Slippery When Wet and its hit singles “You Give Love a Bad Name,” “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and “Living on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi wound up transcending the big-haired ‘80s, withstanding changes in style and sound to become one of the biggest American rock bands of their time, selling over 120 million albums worldwide, and sustaining their popularity well into the new millennium. |
 | | Formed in 2006 as an audio accompaniment to Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx's autobiography The Heroin Diaries, hard rock band Sixx: A. |
 | | The Los Angeles-based hard rock act Buckcherry formed in mid-1995, after singer Joshua Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson were introduced through their tattoo artist. |
 | | In many ways, Def Leppard were the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands that rocked harder (and were more dangerous) than the Sheffield-based quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well. |
 | | Based in Memphis and named after one of its roads, hard rock group Egypt Central were formed by lead singer John T. |
