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List of most popular musicians (as artists) (all time)

A list of musicians who can be rated in multiple musical areas; singers, songwriters, performers, musical instrument players, rappers, etc. This list is about them as artists, in whole. The rating of a musician as an artist may be based on their passion, singing skills, songwriting skills, performing skills, achievements, etc. To see the list of all musicians (including composers, etc.), see the higher list (Ranking scheme, right menu).

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Lou Reed
151

Lou Reed

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed (March 2, 1942 – October 27, 2013) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was the guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of the Velvet Underground, and his solo career spanned several de...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Geddy Lee
152

Geddy Lee

Geddy Lee Weinrib (born Gary Lee Weinrib, July 29, 1953), OC, known professionally as Geddy Lee, is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Keith Richards
153

Keith Richards

Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English musician, singer and songwriter, actor, and one of the original members of the rock band The Rolling Stones.
8
8
from 1 vote
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Cliff Burton
154

Cliff Burton

Clifford Lee "Cliff" Burton (February 10, 1962 – September 27, 1986) was an American musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the American thrash metal band Metallica. Burton joined Metallica in 1982 and performed on the ban...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Kirk Hammett
155

Kirk Hammett

Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is the lead guitarist and songwriter for the heavy metal band Metallica and has been a member of the band since 1983. Before joining Metallica he formed and named the band Exodus...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Jack White
156

Jack White

Jack White (born John Anthony Gillis; July 9, 1975) is an American musician, record producer, and occasional actor.
8
8
from 1 vote
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Bon Scott
157

Bon Scott

Ronald Belford "Bon" Scott (9 July 1946 – 19 February 1980) was a Scottish-born Australian rock musician, best known for being the lead singer and lyricist of Australian hard rock band AC/DC from 1974 until his death in 1980. He w...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Brian Johnson
158

Brian Johnson

Brian Johnson (born 5 October 1947) is an English singer and songwriter. Since 1980, he has been the lead singer of the Australian rock band AC/DC, with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Malcolm Young
159

Malcolm Young

Malcolm Mitchell Young (born 6 January 1953 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a retired Australian guitarist best known as a founder, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter for the Australian hard rock band AC/DC. Except for a b...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Angus Young
160

Angus Young

Angus McKinnon Young (born 31 March 1955) is a Scottish-born Australian guitarist best known as a co-founder, lead guitarist, and songwriter of the Australian hard rock band AC/DC.
8
8
from 1 vote
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Flea
161

Flea

Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962), better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-born American musician and occasional actor. He is best known as the bassist, co-founding member, and one of the composers of the...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Tak Matsumoto
162

Tak Matsumoto

Takahiro "Tak" Matsumoto (born on March 27, 1961 in Toyonaka, Osaka) is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to being the guitarist and lead composer for the h...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Mos Def
163

Mos Def

Yasiin Bey ( born Dante Terrell Smith; December 11, 1973), better known by his former stage name Mos Def ), is an American hip hop recording artist, actor, comedian, and activist from Brooklyn, New York City, New York...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Alice Cooper
164

Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier; February 4, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and occasional actor whose career spans five decades.
8
8
from 1 vote
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John Cena
165

John Cena

John Felix Anthony Cena (born April 23, 1977) is an American professional wrestler, rapper, and actor.
3
3
from 1 vote
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Randy Savage
166

Randy Savage

Randy Mario Poffo (November 15, 1952 – May 20, 2011), better known by his ring name "Macho Man" Randy Savage, was an American professional wrestler and color commentator best known for his time in the World Wrestling Federation (W...
4
4
from 1 vote
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Tupac Shakur
167

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Amaru Shakur (June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and (briefly) Makaveli, was an American rapper, author, actor, and poet. As of 2007, Shakur has sold over 75 million records worldwide, ma...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Marvin Gaye
168

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye ( born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984 ) was an American soul singer, songwriter, and musician. Gaye helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Sixto Rodriguez
169

Sixto Rodriguez

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez, also known as Rodríguez or Jesús Rodríguez (born July 10, 1942), is an American folk musician from Detroit, Michigan. His career initially proved short lived, with two little-sold albums in the early 1970s an...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Leonard Cohen
170

Leonard Cohen

Leonard Norman Cohen (born 21 September 1934) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician, painter, poet, and novelist. His work has explored religion, politics, isolation, sexuality, and personal relationships. Cohen has been indu...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Neil Young
171

Neil Young

Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. He began performing in a group covering Shadows instrumentals in Canada in 1960, before moving to California in 1966, where he co-founded t...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Aretha Franklin
172

Aretha Franklin

Aretha Louise Franklin (born March 25, 1942) is an American singer and musician. Franklin began her career singing gospel at her father, minister C. L. Franklin's church as a child. In 1960, at the age of 18, Franklin embarked on...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Michael Anthony
173

Michael Anthony

Michael Anthony Sobolewski (born June 20, 1954), known professionally as Michael Anthony, is an American musician who is currently the bass player in the rock supergroup Chickenfoot. Anthony is best known as the former bass player...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Freddie King
174

Freddie King

Freddie King (September 3, 1934 – December 28, 1976) was an American blues guitarist and singer. He is often mentioned as one of "the Three Kings" of electric blues guitar along with Albert King and B.B. King. Freddie King based h...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Albert King
175

Albert King

Albert King Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known professionally as Albert King, was an American blues guitarist and singer, and a major influence in the world of blues guitar playing. One of the "Three Kings of the B...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Carlos Santana
176

Carlos Santana

Carlos Santana (born July 20, 1947) is a Mexican and American musician who first became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered a fusion of rock and Latin American music. He has won 10 Gram...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Tommy Emmanuel
177

Tommy Emmanuel

William Thomas "Tommy" Emmanuel (born 31 May 1955) is an Australian virtuoso guitarist, songwriter and occasional singer, best known for his complex fingerstyle technique, energetic performances and the use of percussive effects o...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Steve Vai
178

Steve Vai

Steven Siro Vai (born June 6, 1960) is an American guitarist, songwriter, singer, and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. After starting his career as a music transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, he recorded and toured in Z...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Randy Rhoads
179

Randy Rhoads

Randall William "Randy" Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. He died in a plane accident while on tour with Osbourne in Florida in 1982...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Boom Gaspar
180

Boom Gaspar

Kenneth E. Gaspar (born February 3, 1953), more commonly known as Boom Gaspar, is an American musician who has performed with the American rock band Pearl Jam as a piano/keyboard/organ player since 2002...
6
6
from 1 vote
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Jack Irons
181

Jack Irons

Jack Steven Irons (born July 18, 1962) is an American musician, best known as the founding drummer of American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the former drummer of Pearl Jam, Eleven and The Wallflowers. He has worked with J...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Matt Chamberlain
182

Matt Chamberlain

Matthew Joseph Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American drummer, producer, and sound engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.
7
7
from 1 vote
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Dave Krusen
183

Dave Krusen

David Karl Krusen (born March 10, 1966) is an American musician who is best known for being the original drummer for the American rock band Pearl Jam and for his work on the band's debut album, Ten. Krusen was also a member of the...
6
6
from 1 vote
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David Gilmour
184

David Gilmour

David Jon Gilmour (born 6 March 1946) is an English musician, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. In a career spanning more than 50 years, he is best known for his work as the guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the progre...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Jimmy Page
185

Jimmy Page

James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, Jr., OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer mostly known as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his care...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Eric Clapton
186

Eric Clapton

Eric Patrick Clapton (born 30 March 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the...
10
10
from 1 vote
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Matt Cameron
187

Matt Cameron

Matthew David "Matt" Cameron (born November 28, 1962) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the American rock bands Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. After getting his start with the Seattle, Washington-based bands Bam Ba...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Jeff Ament
188

Jeff Ament

Jeffrey Allen Ament (born March 10, 1963) is an American musician and songwriter who serves as the bassist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Mike McCready
189

Mike McCready

Michael "Mike" David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding mem...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Stone Gossard
190

Stone Gossard

Stone Carpenter Gossard (born on July 20, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the rhythm and additional lead guitarist for the American rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Mike McCready, and Eddie Vedder, he is one...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Eddie Van Halen
191

Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk "Eddie" Van Halen (born January 26, 1955 in Nijmegen) is a Dutch-American musician, songwriter and producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, occasional keyboardist and co-founder of the hard rock band Van H...
9
9
from 1 vote
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Stan Rogers
192

Stan Rogers

Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers (November 29, 1949 – June 2, 1983) was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.
7
7
from 1 vote
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Janis Joplin
193

Janis Joplin

Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer-songwriter who first rose to fame in the late 1960s as the lead singer of the psychedelic/acid rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, and later a...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Jim Morrison
194

Jim Morrison

James Douglas "Jim" Morrison (December 8, 1943 – July 3, 1971) was an American singer songwriter, and poet best remembered as the lead singer of The Doors.
10
10
from 1 vote
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Jared Leto
195

Jared Leto

Jared Leto (born December 26, 1971) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and director.
7
7
from 1 vote
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Tom Waits
196

Tom Waits

Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. He has worked as a composer for movies and musicals and has acted in supporting roles in films, including Paradise Alley and Br...
9
9
from 1 vote
Discuss [1]
Eddie Vedder
197

Eddie Vedder

Eddie Vedder (born Edward Louis Severson December 23, 1964) is an American musician who is best known for being the lead vocalist and one of three guitarists of the grunge band Pearl Jam...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Carly Rae Jepsen
198

Carly Rae Jepsen

Carly Rae Jepsen (born November 21, 1985) is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Mission, British Columbia currently based in Vancouver. In 2007, she placed third in Canadian Idol season five's competition. Jepsen independently...
8
8
from 1 vote
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Casey Veggies
199

Casey Veggies

Casey Jones, better known by his stage name Casey Veggies, is an American rapper from Inglewood, California. Since 2007, the young artist has released five independent record label mixtapes under LA clothing and management company...
7
7
from 1 vote
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Pyramid Vritra
200

Pyramid Vritra

Hal Williams, better known by his stage name Pyramid Vritra, is a LA based rapper and experimental record producer currently signed to Stones Throw Records. In high school, Williams formed the Hip Hop record and experimental colle...
6
6
from 1 vote
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Items 151-200 of 212