10. Maynard James Keenan
Great frontmen are masterminds at maintaining an aura of mystery, and Maynard James Keenan certainly has that enigmatic vibe down. With Tool’s 1993 debut, Undertow, Keenan struck a huge chord with the metal and rock underground, thanks to his bleak lyrics and icy, detached vocals. More success followed with Keenan’s next band, A Perfect Circle, and in 2007, he shocked the rock world with his hilarious comedy troupe Puscifer. It’s a simple fact that Keenan delivers excitement every time he chooses to release something, no matter the project.
9. Jimi Hendrix
In his short-lived time as a rock star, Jimi Hendrix mastered the lexis of electric guitar more than any player before him. Hendrix “sang” with his guitar the way a gifted singer croons, and his winding textures and innovative distortion paved the way for the psychedelic era of rock. While his music was anchored in a dreamlike combination of rock, blues and soul, what stood out most was his mind-boggling guitar work, which mapped new sonic terrains.
8. Freddie Mercury
Queen took prog-rock to a new level of amplification, buoyed by Freddie Mercury’s grand, operatic voice and larger-than-life presence. Mercury’s penchant for everything extravagant molded Queen’s sound, urging them toward loud humor and classical poses. Mercury passed away from AIDS in 1991, but his talent lives on in anthems such as “We are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
7. Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison led The Doors to rock and roll royalty with his magnetic pull onstage and undeniable talent for penning lyrics that cut to the soul. Musically, the Doors’ whirling, eclectic psychedelic rock coupled perfectly with Morrison’s taste for ominous stories and theatrical tactics, inspiring clusters of rockers to follow. At age 27, Morrison lost a battle with addiction and excess in 1971, passing away after suffering a heart attack, leaving behind a body of the most innovative rock music ever written.
6. Prince
Prince is one of the most gifted performers of rock and roll, able to flawlessly bring together rock, pop and funk, singing his songs with a broad vocal range and amping them up with flamboyant costumes and wild stage antics. Never content to stick with the norm, Prince has built a career on blending many different styles into a unified whole.
5. Alice Cooper
There’s nothing subtle about an Alice Cooper concert. The makeup-wearing, syringe-loving, “School’s Out”-belting frontman doesn’t do anything half-heartedly. With that momentum, he’s led the shock rock movement, paving the way for generations of masked metallers. Cooper is also an articulate rocker who hosts his own radio show and preaches about his faith and family values. You never know what you’re going to get with Coop, and that makes him an even more captivating frontman.
4. Robert Plant
Robert Plant’s soulful, blues-influenced voice is the anchor of Led Zeppelin’s defining heavy metal music. With Zeppelin, Plant and his bandmates established the sound and style of album-oriented rock: colossal, crushingly loud tracks that were still very bluesy and beautiful. Years after Zeppelin, Plant is just as eager as ever to share his talents through his solo project Band of Joy, proving his power and passion goes beyond one entity.
3. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley transformed the nature of popular music with every record and performance. His stage presence carried raw energy and magnetism, with Elvis bantering with the crowd, cracking jokes and singing with pure delight. It’s hard to dispute that he was the musician most to thank for propagating rock and roll to an international level, as he served up dozens of international hits from the ’50s through to his death in 1977.
2. Bono
Bono’s ability to draw in a crowd and relate to the everyday man with his lyrics is a focal point U2’s success. As “With or Without You” and “Where the Streets Have No Name” skyrocketed up the charts in the ’80s, Bono’s frank interviews and affinity to preach on stage made him a hot topic in the press. Fans saw the good-hearted Irishman as a refreshing break from the typical “rock star.” For 30 years, Bono has stayed true to his personal platform of hope, faith and love, and with U2’s 360° Tour now the highest-grossing of all time, it’s confirmed that Bono has touched millions of fans simply by being Bono.
1. Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger holds one of the most influential and powerful voices in rock and roll history. He has fronted The Rolling Stones for nearly 50 years, scoring platinum album after platinum album and packing stadiums with his masculine showmanship and incredible ease at the mic. Add to that a solo repertoire that includes collaborations with Pete Townshend, Lenny Kravitz, Bono and Missy Elliot, and it’s clear this rocker transcends generations.
Great frontmen are masterminds at maintaining an aura of mystery, and Maynard James Keenan certainly has that enigmatic vibe down. With Tool’s 1993 debut, Undertow, Keenan struck a huge chord with the metal and rock underground, thanks to his bleak lyrics and icy, detached vocals. More success followed with Keenan’s next band, A Perfect Circle, and in 2007, he shocked the rock world with his hilarious comedy troupe Puscifer. It’s a simple fact that Keenan delivers excitement every time he chooses to release something, no matter the project.
9. Jimi Hendrix
In his short-lived time as a rock star, Jimi Hendrix mastered the lexis of electric guitar more than any player before him. Hendrix “sang” with his guitar the way a gifted singer croons, and his winding textures and innovative distortion paved the way for the psychedelic era of rock. While his music was anchored in a dreamlike combination of rock, blues and soul, what stood out most was his mind-boggling guitar work, which mapped new sonic terrains.
8. Freddie Mercury
Queen took prog-rock to a new level of amplification, buoyed by Freddie Mercury’s grand, operatic voice and larger-than-life presence. Mercury’s penchant for everything extravagant molded Queen’s sound, urging them toward loud humor and classical poses. Mercury passed away from AIDS in 1991, but his talent lives on in anthems such as “We are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
7. Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison led The Doors to rock and roll royalty with his magnetic pull onstage and undeniable talent for penning lyrics that cut to the soul. Musically, the Doors’ whirling, eclectic psychedelic rock coupled perfectly with Morrison’s taste for ominous stories and theatrical tactics, inspiring clusters of rockers to follow. At age 27, Morrison lost a battle with addiction and excess in 1971, passing away after suffering a heart attack, leaving behind a body of the most innovative rock music ever written.
6. Prince
Prince is one of the most gifted performers of rock and roll, able to flawlessly bring together rock, pop and funk, singing his songs with a broad vocal range and amping them up with flamboyant costumes and wild stage antics. Never content to stick with the norm, Prince has built a career on blending many different styles into a unified whole.
5. Alice Cooper
There’s nothing subtle about an Alice Cooper concert. The makeup-wearing, syringe-loving, “School’s Out”-belting frontman doesn’t do anything half-heartedly. With that momentum, he’s led the shock rock movement, paving the way for generations of masked metallers. Cooper is also an articulate rocker who hosts his own radio show and preaches about his faith and family values. You never know what you’re going to get with Coop, and that makes him an even more captivating frontman.
4. Robert Plant
Robert Plant’s soulful, blues-influenced voice is the anchor of Led Zeppelin’s defining heavy metal music. With Zeppelin, Plant and his bandmates established the sound and style of album-oriented rock: colossal, crushingly loud tracks that were still very bluesy and beautiful. Years after Zeppelin, Plant is just as eager as ever to share his talents through his solo project Band of Joy, proving his power and passion goes beyond one entity.
3. Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley transformed the nature of popular music with every record and performance. His stage presence carried raw energy and magnetism, with Elvis bantering with the crowd, cracking jokes and singing with pure delight. It’s hard to dispute that he was the musician most to thank for propagating rock and roll to an international level, as he served up dozens of international hits from the ’50s through to his death in 1977.
2. Bono
Bono’s ability to draw in a crowd and relate to the everyday man with his lyrics is a focal point U2’s success. As “With or Without You” and “Where the Streets Have No Name” skyrocketed up the charts in the ’80s, Bono’s frank interviews and affinity to preach on stage made him a hot topic in the press. Fans saw the good-hearted Irishman as a refreshing break from the typical “rock star.” For 30 years, Bono has stayed true to his personal platform of hope, faith and love, and with U2’s 360° Tour now the highest-grossing of all time, it’s confirmed that Bono has touched millions of fans simply by being Bono.
1. Mick Jagger
Mick Jagger holds one of the most influential and powerful voices in rock and roll history. He has fronted The Rolling Stones for nearly 50 years, scoring platinum album after platinum album and packing stadiums with his masculine showmanship and incredible ease at the mic. Add to that a solo repertoire that includes collaborations with Pete Townshend, Lenny Kravitz, Bono and Missy Elliot, and it’s clear this rocker transcends generations.