Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time

Fleetwood Mac were a well-respected British blues band until the American folk-pop duo Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks were asked to join in 1975. This was the catalyst that soon turned Fleetwood Mac into pop-rock icons. Their album Rumours is one of the most commercially and critically acclaimed albums of all time. It spent 31 weeks at #1 on the Billboard album chart and is ranked as one of the 10 bestselling albums of all time.

Essential Songs

• "Dreams"
• "Go Your Own Way"
• "Don't Stop"
• "Rhiannon (Will You Ever Win)"
• "Big Love"

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Sly and the Family Stone are one of the most influential soul and funk artists of all time. In the late 60's they led uplifting, positive soul music that encouraged a vision of a world lacking prejudice. In the early 1970's with the groundbreaking album There's a Riot Goin' On, they introduced a dark, militant brand of funk that was just as influential as their earlier music.

Essential Songs

• "Everyday People"
• "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin"
• "Family Affair"
• "I Want to Take You Higher"
• "Dance to the Music"

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The Eagles entered the pop music world with a laidback, easy country rock sound. However, by the time of the albums Hotel California and The Long Run they were exploring something significantly darker and more complex. Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 album is one of the bestselling albums of all time.

Essential Songs

• "Hotel California"
• "Heartache Tonight"
• "Take It Easy"
• "One of These Nights"
• "Take It to the Limit"

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Throughout the many images and styles he has adopted in over 40 years, David Bowie has remained one of the most influential musicians in popular music. He proved himself equally adept at mainstream pop, glam rock, new wave, and disco. David Bowie is considered an essential artist for anyone interested in the evolution of alternative pop music both in the US and UK.

Essential Songs

• "Fame"
• "Golden Years"
• "Let's Dance"
• "Space Oddity"
• "Changes"

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Queen emerged in the early 1970's with influence from glam and heavy metal bands such as Led Zeppelin. They soon developed their own style of grand, operatic pop and rock that reached its pinnacle with the six minute pop opera "Bohemian Rhapsody." The band later proved adept at creating major hit singles in styles ranging from rockabilly to disco. Through all of it leader Freddie Mercury remained one of the most flamboyantly entertaining lead vocalists of all time. Freddie Mercury died a victim of AIDS in 1991 at age 45.

Essential Songs

• "Bohemian Rhapsody"
• "Somebody to Love"
• "We Will Rock You / We Are the Champions"
• "Another One Bites the Dust"
• "Radio Ga-Ga"

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Jay-Z is perhaps the most successful hip hop artist of all time both critically and commercially. As a former CEO of Def Jam, he is also seen as one of the most influential businessmen in the history of hip hop. Jay-Z has released 11 #1 albums in the US, more than any other artist except the Beatles.

Essential Songs

• "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)"
• "Empire State of Mind"
• "Big Pimpin'"
• "'03 Bonnie and Clyde"
• "Izzo (H.O.V.A.)"

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As a Motown recording artist, Marvin Gaye was one of the most popular soul singers in the US. In the early 70's he fought to have artistic control over his music and laid the groundwork for Stevie Wonder to follow in his footsteps. Marvin Gaye brought stunning social commentary to the pop mainstream with the 1971 album What's Going On.

Essential Songs

• "What's Going On"
• "Let's Get It On"
• "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
• "Got To Give It Up (Pt. 1)"
• "Sexual Healing"

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Duran Duran were originally derided as simply a disposable pop band more concerned with image than music. However, they are the most enduring of groups that emerged in the early 1980's "second" British invasion of new wave and post punk. Duran Duran topped the US dance chart and reached the UK pop top 5 as recently as 2004.

Essential Songs

• "The Reflex"
• "Hungry Like the Wolf"
• "New Moon on Monday"
• "Rio"
• "Come Undone"

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Bono was 16 when U2 formed in 1976 as a group of eager teenagers. Over 30 years later the lineup has remained intact and U2 are one of the top rock bands of all time. Rolling Stone notably said the 1987 album The Joshua Tree elevated U2 "from heroes to superstars" where they have remained since.

Essential Songs

• "Beautiful Day"
• "With or Without You"
• "One"
• "Pride (In the Name of Love)"
• "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"

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Rod Stewart's voice is one of the most instantly recognizable instruments in pop music. His musical career has spanned over 40 years in which he has gone from heavy rock vocalist to pop and disco superstar to a champion of pop standards. Rod Stewart is also respected as a top confessional pop songwriter although his most recent recorded work has primarily been engaged in interpreting the songs of others.

Essential Songs

• "Maggie May"
• "Reason to Believe"
• "Downtown Train"
• "Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)"
• "You Wear It Well"

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