The Lumineers

The Lumineers are a recent  favorite of mine. They are comprised of 3 members (two men and one woman). The one on the right sings and plays guitar. The one in the middle handles percussion. The one on the left plays cello. The cello is the backbone of their sound and is included in one of their best hits Ophelia. The percussionist does not just play the drums, but plays many forms of drums such as the bongos. The singer is very creative and has great lyrics. The Lumineers have very simple songs, but they make them seem so hard and advanced when they blend together. They definitely get the most out of a 3-person band and they all do a great job of picking up multiple roles to make the sound good.

Cat Stevens

Cat Stevens is a very well-known english performer who has created a number of great hits. He has a very gentle and distinct voice. Stevens is a great guitar player who uses simple chords, but blends them together so beautifully that it's almost hard for him to make a bad song. His favorite songs of mine are "Wild World" and "Father and Son." I love "Father and Son" because it shows the relationship between Cat Stevens and his father and how there are good times and  bad times, but in the end they still love each other. "Wild World" is great because I love how Stevens explodes into the chorus, but is very gentle in the verse. 

Cat Stevens was born July 21, 1948. He was born in Maryleborne, United Kingdom. In the middle of Cat's life, he converted to Islam in a sort of retaliation of the Western World. He even went so far as to change his name to Yusuf Islam.

Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is my favorite country artist of all time. He gained most fame in the 1960s and 1970s, but has collaborated with many great artists his whole life. His favorite songs of mine are Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain and City of New Orleans. Willie also created a  great song with Waylon Jennings called Lucanbach Texas. I love this song because its about how Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings used to be great friends that were all about the music, but the fame that comes along with being a celebrity brought them big egos and hard drugs which separated them. In the song, Willie and Waylon say that they want to go back to Lucanbach Texas where times were simpler and they were not surrounded by riches.
Nelson was born in Abbott, Texas on April 29, 1933. He loved playing the guitar as a kid. Nelson gained fame in Nashville, where he paid his dues as an up-and-coming country star. Willie had a very lovely voice that was separated from all other voices. This is one of the reasons he gained fame.

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are one of the most underrated bands of all time. They have created countless hits including Surfin in the USA and Good Vibrations. The Beach Boys have also created one of the most iconic rock and roll albums of all time called Pet Sounds. I think that not enough people truly recognize the importance of the Beach Boy's music and how they revolutionized harmonizing. People just see them as another silly boy band. They have inspired many artists and bands. The Beach Boys have also shown many future artists/bands how to fully use and take advantage of their voices. They seemed to use their voices as instruments by humming low for a bass sound and then going very high for an electric guitar sound. I love the Beach Boys and cherish all of the great songs they have made.

The Who

The Who are one of my favorites. They are possibly some of the best live performers of all time and they really know how to keep people coming to their concerts. They also have made great hits that will stick in your heads for days.
The members are Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle. The band is based around London and found their first major fame there. Pete Townshend is a very respectable guitar player and came up with a famous strumming motion. Roger Daltrey has a very powerful voice that cannot be copied. Keith Moon was an animal on the drums, but lived fast and died young. John Entwistle could play the bass like his life depended on it. Together they created music loved and respected by all.

The Beatles

The Beatles are a favorite of my mine and almost every human being's on earth. They sparked the British Invasion and inspired, in some way, almost every musician after them. For a month of my life, I claimed to not like the Beatles. After the month, I realized that I was being foolish and deep down, obviously liked the Beatles. I mean how can you not like them. They are 4 fun, loving boys from England who make great music. There is not much to dislike. 

The four members are John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Star. John and Paul met at a Church Festival in Liverpool. After that, Paul introduced his mate George. Ringo fell in later down the line when drummer Pete Best left. 

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have been a recent obsession of mine. It seems as if every song they make is a chart topper. All of my older family loves the Stones and have somewhat persuaded me to listen to them. Originally, the band had six members, but their manager said six was to much and they can only have five members, so they cut their pianist. Then there was Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Brian Jones, and Bill Wyman. Mick Jagger is one of my favorite singers and brings a rasping sort of voice. Keith Richards is also one of my favorite guitarists who grew up in a regular blue-collar home. 

The Stones started is Dartford, England but gained a larger reputation in London. Jagger and Richards were childhood friends, but then grew apart. Later, in their early high school years they met again when Jagger had a pile of blues records under his arm. Richards was totally interested and couldn't wait to listen to them with his old friend. Then they started covering some of the songs, and it was history from then on out. 

Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton is one of my favorite guitarists of all time. He has created one of the most well-known rock and roll riffs in the world and many great songs. Clapton worked with many bands such as Cream and Derek and the Dominos, but found great success in his solo work. He has owned a few of the most valuable guitars on the planet and has even been referred to as God by his loyal followers.

Clapton was born in Ripley, England on March 30, 1945. His mom abandoned him at an early age so he was raised by his grandparents. He started playing guitar at around 15-16 and joined groups two years later. The first band he played with was the Yardbirds. They included very famous guitarists Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck. 

Now, Eric Clapton enjoys a more relaxed life. He has settled down and don't worry, he still plays guitar. 

Pearl Jam

Pearl Jam was one of the most iconic grunge bands of all time. They have also created probably the greatest grunge album of all time. Their lead singer is Eddie Vedder and he has a  voice that was never heard before and never will be heard again. It was a very deep voice and he could go from very soft and gentle to having a yelling battle with the microphone without even thinking about it. My favorite Pearl Jam songs include Alive, Yellow Ledbetter, Better Man, and Daughter. 
Eddie Vedder was born and raised in Chicago until his high school years, when he moved to San Diego with his mom. He didn't have the greatest childhood, as he thought that his step-dad was his really dad until he was around thirteen. He formed Pearl Jam with his best friend Mike McCreedy and it was history from their. Pearl Jam's biggest competitor was Nirvana.
PEARL JAM!!!!!

Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix was undoubtedly the best guitarist of all time. If I could use one word to describe him it would probably be innovator. He inspired a generation of guitarists. Jimi Hendrix really created a sound that was never heard before him and never will be heard again.
Hendrix was born November 27th, 1942 in Seattle, Washington. He started playing acoustic in his early teen years and once he mastered it, his dad got him an electric, in what would be his ultimate weapon of choice. He got drafted into the military, where he played guitar. After he got out he moved around a lot, but eventually formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience, his most successful band.
Once again, Hendrix was the best since he started and always will be. Unfortunately, he died when he was only 27 in London from drug and alcohol abuse.

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin is one of the most iconic rock groups in the whole world. The band is known as a super band, or  a band comprised of four amazing musicians before they were even together, a band not made of average players, but of all the best players. The lead singer of the band is Robert Plant. John Bonham was on the drums until he died later of drinking problems. John Paul Jones played the bass and keyboard. Last, but definitely not least was Jimmy Page, one of my personal favorites. Page played in many famous bands before Led Zeppelin including the Yardbirds with Jeff Beck. As a child he was a prodigy on the guitar and well known by fellow englishman. All members of Led Zeppelin originated in England and were a super big hit in America. Led Zeppelin loved American blues growing up and somewhat turned it into something even better that everyone loved. They have probably the second best guitarist of all time and just my favorite rock band ever. Long live Led Zeppelin.

The Grateful Dead

The Grateful Dead is a relatively new band to me. They were just introduced to me by my dad and his friend, and I've been listening to them constantly. The Grateful Dead has a wide range of genre's, but most noticeably they are a rock group. They also feature bluegrass, folk, and psychedelic in their music. The members of the band are Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Mickey Hart, Ron McKernan, and Robert Hunter. Their most notable member was Jerry Garcia, who was one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Some of my favorite songs include Friend of the Devil and Ripple. The Grateful Dead had a wide range of followers who were also known as dead heads. These were people that grew out their hair, ran away from home, and carried guitars with them everywhere. Many people will refer to them as hippies.

Neil Young

Neil Young is possibly my favorite singer of all time. He feels so deeply about every single song that he has ever made and you can easily see and hear it in his music. Sometimes his voice is as soft as a feather when he refers to his childhood in songs such as "Sugar Mountain." Other times he yells into the microphone, as if he's almost mad at his songs. Neil does this in songs such as "Old Man" and "A Man Needs a Maid."
Young was born in Toronto on November 12, 1945. When he was around four years old, his family moved to the very small town of Omemee, Canada where Young spent most of his childhood. One day, Neil took a pickup truck down to LA, where he gained his initial fame. He played in groups such as Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. He was most famous though as a solo artist. My personal favorite Neil Young songs are "Old Man", "Journey Through the Past", "The Needle and the Damage Done", "After the Gold Rush", and "Harvest." Neil Young will go down as one of the best solo artists of all time.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is arguably the best song writer of all time, including unreal lyrics of songs such as, "Tangled Up in Blue" and "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall." Probably my favorite musician of all time, Bob Dylan was introduced to me as a young kid, but I never got really into him until about a year ago. He was born in Duluth, Minnesota on May 24, 1941. He lived in an upper middle class town a little bit outside of Duluth where he expressed a passion for poetry and literature at an early age. He also had shown great musical talent. My favorite Bob Dylan songs are, "Tangled Up in Blue", "Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", "Shelter From the Storm", "Don't Think Twice It's Alright", and "Like a Rolling Stone." Just the lyrics this guy plugs into his songs are absolutely crazy. I mean how does someone possibly come up with something so amazing. If you watch his live performances, it seems as if he sort of just tells a great story with some guitar in the background. However, a lot of people don't like him including my mom because of his "scratchy" voice. Well whatever, he's still the best.