Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
Sisters Ann and Nancy Wilson were the creative spark behind Heart, a hard rock group who initially found success in the mid-'70s, only to reach greater heights after engineering a major comeback a decade later. The daughters of a Marine Corps captain, Ann (born June 19, 1950) and Nancy (born March 16, 1954) grew up in both Southern California... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
April Wine formed in late 1969 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but vocalist/guitarist Myles Goodwyn, guitarist David Henman, drummer Ritchie Henman and bassist Jimmy Henman soon moved to Montreal. "Fast Train," their first hit, appeared in 1971, the same year as the self-titled debut album. Jimmy Henman left soon after and was replaced by Jimmy Clench.... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 80s, 90s, 00s
Def Leppard, in many ways, was the definitive hard rock band of the '80s. There were many bands that rocked harder, and were more dangerous, than the Sheffield quintet, but few others captured the spirit of the times quite as well. Emerging in the late '70s as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, the group actually owed more to the glam... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
While quite a few arena rock acts of the '70s found the transformation into the '80s quite difficult, several acts continued to flourish and enjoyed some of their biggest commercial success: Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, and especially Foreigner. Foreigner's leader from the beginning has been British guitarist Mick Jones, who first broke into... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
During its initial 14 years of existence (1973-1987), Journey altered its musical approach and its personnel extensively while becoming a top touring and recording band. The only constant factor was guitarist Neal Schon (b. Feb. 27, 1954), a music prodigy who had been a member of Santana in 1971-1972. The original unit, which was named in a... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
With a string of three multi-platinum albums, Loverboy was one of the most successful mainstream hard rock groups of the early '80s. Comprised of vocalist Mike Reno, guitarist Paul Dean, bassist Scott Smith, keyboardist Doug Johnson, and drummer Matthew Frenette, the band formed in Toronto, Canada, in 1980 and immediately signed with CBS... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 70s, 80s, 90s
Few bands embodied the pure excess of the '70s like Queen. Embracing the exaggerated pomp of prog rock and heavy metal, as well as vaudevillian music hall, the British quartet delved deeply into camp and bombast, creating a huge, mock-operatic sound with layered guitars and overdubbed vocals. Queen's music was a bizarre yet highly accessible... [+] Read More
Genre: Rock/Pop
Decades Active: 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s
In 1968, a naïve young singer from the Black Country hills in England named Robert Plant was discovered wailing the blues by veteran session guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. When Plant recommended his friend John Bonham as the drummer, one of the most successful bands in rock history was born as Led Zeppelin. But the... [+] Read More