 | | Whether celebrated as a sincere tribute or derided as a tongue-in-cheek put-on, the Blues Brothers -- Joliet Jake and his silent brother Elwood -- was among the most popular groups of the late '70s; what started as a skit on the hit NBC television sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live quickly snowballed to become a true phenomenon, complete with hit records, a sold-out concert tour, and even a feature film. |
 | | Actor Don Johnson was riding high on the massive success of his television series Miami Vice when he turned to pop music, making his debut with the LP Heartbeat in 1986. |
 | | To call Jim Belushi a "jack of all trades" in the entertainment field is not far off the mark. Mirroring his late older brother John's career, albeit without the self-destructive nature, Jim Belushi has become a household name in feature films, television, and music. |
 | | Probably best known for playing behind the Blues Brothers (and appearing prominently in their 1980 hit movie), Matt "Guitar" Murphy deserves enshrinement in the blues-guitar hall of fame anyway. |
 | | On the surface, it seems Leonard Nimoy succeeds at whatever task he tackles. He has acted in films, television, and theater, and most likely will be linked forever to his memorable portrayal of Star Trek's Mr. |
 | | Best known in his native U.S. for the television hits Knight Rider and Baywatch, actor David Hasselhoff also enjoyed success throughout Europe as a recording star. |
 | | The crew of the Starship Enterprise no longer soars through the galaxy under the command of Captain James T. |
 | | Arguably the greatest soul horn section ever, the Memphis Horns were a critical part of the Stax formula during the '60s and '70s, as well as prolific contributors to numerous other sessions since the label's demise. |
 | | Although Billy Joel never was a critic's favorite, the pianist emerged as one of the most popular singer/songwriters of the latter half of the '70s. |
 | | A blues-rock guitarist who draws his inspiration from Elmore James, Hound Dog Taylor, and Chuck Berry, George Thorogood never earned much respect from blues purists, but he became a popular favorite in the early '80s through repeated exposure on FM radio and the arena rock circuit. |
 | | Elvis Presley may be the single most important figure in American 20th century popular music. Not necessarily the best, and certainly not the most consistent. |
 | | The key group of the early-'80s rockabilly revival, the Stray Cats scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual style tailor-made for the early days of MTV, as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly's original heyday. |
 | | Tin-eared critics have frequently damned him as a yuppie blues wannabe whose slickly soulful offerings bear scant resemblance to the real down-home item. |
 | | This sturdy American blues-rock trio from Texas consists of Billy Gibbons (guitar), Dusty Hill (bass), and Frank Beard (drums). |
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 | | Huey Lewis & the News were a bar band that made good. With their simple, straightforward rock & roll, the San Francisco-based group became one of America's most popular pop/rock bands of the mid-'80s. |
 | | During the latter half of the 1970s, John Travolta was the biggest star in Hollywood; after a string of hits in films, on television, and on the radio, he had emerged as a true cultural phenomenon, defining tastes in music and fashion while dominating innumerable column inches in newspapers, magazines, and gossip columns. |
 | | The J. Geils Band was one of the most popular touring rock & roll bands in America during the '70s. Where their contemporaries were influenced by the heavy boogie of British blues-rock and the ear-splitting sonic adventures of psychedelia, the J. |
 | | Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the '80s, and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time. |
 | | Genesis started life as a progressive rock band, in the manner of Yes and King Crimson, before a series of membership changes brought about a transformation in their sound, into one of the most successful pop/rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s. |
 | | Bobby Bland earned his enduring blues superstar status the hard way: without a guitar, harmonica, or any other instrument to fall back upon. |
 | | The foremost song parodist of the MTV era, "Weird Al" Yankovic carried the torch of musical humor more proudly and more successfully than any performer since Allan Sherman. |
 | | Originally a hard-driving rocker in the vein of fellow Michigan garage rockers the Rationals and Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger developed into one of the most popular heartland rockers over the course of the '70s. |
 | | Universally hailed as the reigning king of the blues, the legendary B.B. King is without a doubt the single most important electric guitarist of the last half century. |
 | | Besides hardcore fans, few know that everyone's favorite squeaky clean TV family of the early '70s, the Brady Bunch, issued several musical albums during the show's heyday. |
 | | "Hey hey, we are the Monkees/You know we love to please/A manufactured image/With no philosophies." In 1968, the Monkees addressed their own reputation in the song "Ditty Diego (War Chant)," which summed up the bad rap they'd received in the music press since they first emerged in the summer of 1966. |
 | | 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. |
 | | Although Rick Springfield's music was frequently dismissed as vapid teen idol fare, his best moments have actually withstood the test of time far better than most critics would ever have imagined, emerging as some of the best-crafted mainstream power pop of the 1980s. |
 | | Of all the early breakthrough rock & roll artists, none is more important to the development of the music than Chuck Berry. |
 | | Johnny Cash was one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music. |
 | | Earl Thomas had never picked up a microphone in his life until he was nearly killed after losing his footing at the edge of a 50-foot ravine and slid all the way down, landing unconscious on a pile of broken glass and debris. |
 | | Tommy Tutone were an early-'80s power pop band led by vocalist Tommy Heath and guitarist Jim Keller. |
 | | Modern blues in the '90s had a weird phenomenon of teenage blues guitarists rocketing to popularity with their first album. |
 | | In terms of sales and lasting popularity, Elton John was the biggest pop superstar of the early '70s. |
 | | By the time Eric Clapton launched his solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album in mid-1970, he was long established as one of the world's major rock stars due to his group affiliations -- the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Cream, and Blind Faith -- which had demonstrated his claim to being the best rock guitarist of his generation. |
 | | A New York-based blues-rock quartet formed in 1988 by singer/harmonica player John Popper, guitarist Chan Kinchla, bassist Bobby Sheehan, and drummer Brendan Hill, Blues Traveler were part of a revival of the extended jamming style of '60s and '70s groups like the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin. |
 | | During their initial 14 years of existence (1973-1987), Journey altered their musical approach and their personnel extensively while becoming a top touring and recording band. |
 | | The Bangles combined the chiming riffs and catchy melodies of British Invasion guitar pop with a hint of the energy of new wave. |
 | | Cyndi Lauper was one of the biggest stars of the early MTV era, selling five million copies of her debut album, She's So Unusual, as well as scoring a string of four Top Ten hits from the record, including the major hits "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time. |
 | | Phil Collins' ascent to the status of one of the most successful pop and adult contemporary singers of the '80s and beyond was probably as much of a surprise to him as it was to many others. |
 | | With his astonishingly accomplished guitar playing, Stevie Ray Vaughan ignited the blues revival of the '80s. |
 | | Of the major '60s soul stars, Wilson Pickett was one of the roughest and sweatiest, working up some of the decade's hottest dancefloor grooves on hits like "In the Midnight Hour," "Land of 1000 Dances," "Mustang Sally," and "Funky Broadway. |
 | | Marvin Lee Aday is a singer and occasional actor who, for reasons never definitively answered, has recorded under the name Meat Loaf. |
 | | Men at Work were one of the more surprising success stories of the new wave era, rocketing out of Australia in 1982 to become the most successful artist of the year. |
 | | Son of actors Evelyn Ward and Jack Cassidy, David Cassidy has had one of the most variety-filled careers in the entertainment industry. |
 | | Although they began as an artsy prog rock band, Styx would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late '70s and early '80s, due to a fondness for bombastic rockers and soaring power ballads. |
 | | A product of the L.A. session-musician community (which also produced the harder-rocking Toto), Mr. Mister enjoyed a brief but massive burst of popularity during the mid-'80s, crafting an atmospheric, vaguely progressive variation on slick, radio-ready pop/rock. |
 | | Paul Simon is one of the most successful and respected songwriters of the second half of the 20th century. |
 | | The hit single "Sunglasses at Night" propelled Canadian pop star Corey Hart to the top of the charts and helped his debut album, 1983's First Offense, become a major hit in the United States and Canada. |
 | | The career of blue-eyed soul singer Robert Palmer was a study in style versus substance. While the performer's earliest work won praise for its skillful assimilation of rock, R&B, and reggae sounds, his records typically sold poorly, and he achieved his greatest notoriety as an impeccably dressed lounge lizard. |