Top 100 Favorite Male Singers
by theclarkone68 | created - 29 Nov 2014 | updated - 30 Jan 2020 | PublicIn no particular order
1. Buddy Holly
Soundtrack | Big Fish
Charles Hardin Holley, known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His ...
Favorite songs: Everyday That'll Be the Day It's So Easy Not Fade Away Peggy Sue Rave On!
2. Elvis Presley
Soundtrack | Girls! Girls! Girls!
Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in East Tupelo, Mississippi, to Gladys Presley (née Gladys Love Smith) and Vernon Presley (Vernon Elvis Presley). He had a twin brother who was stillborn. In 1948, Elvis and his parents moved to Memphis, Tennessee where he attended Humes High School. ...
Favorite songs: All Shook Up, Heartbreak Hotel, Jailhouse Rock
3. Dion DiMucci
Soundtrack | The Long Kiss Goodnight
Dion DiMucci was born on July 18, 1939 in Bronx, New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Behind Enemy Lines (2001) and Road House (1989). He has been married to Susan Butterfield since March 23, 1963. They have three children.
Favorite songs: Runaround Sue, I Wonder Why, The Wanderer
4. Jackie Wilson
Soundtrack | Coming to America
Jackie "Sonny" Wilson was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Highland Park, the only son of Jack and Eliza Mae Wilson from Columbus, Mississippi. His father was an alcoholic and constantly unemployed, and his mother, who had lost two earlier children, doted on Jackie and became a powerful ...
Favorite songs: (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher, Lonely Teardrops, To Be Loved
5. Paul McCartney
Soundtrack | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sir Paul McCartney is a key figure in contemporary culture as a singer, composer, poet, writer, artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and holder of more than 3 thousand copyrights. He is in the "Guinness Book of World Records" for most records sold, most #1s (shared), most covered song, "Yesterday," ...
Favorite songs: Yesterday, Hey Jude, Eleanor Rigby
6. John Lennon
Actor | A Hard Day's Night
John Winston (later Ono) Lennon was born on October 9, 1940, in Liverpool, England, to Julia Lennon (née Stanley) and Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman. He was raised by his mother's older sister Mimi Smith. In the mid-1950s, he formed his first band, The Quarrymen (after Quarry Bank High School, ...
Favorite songs: Imagine, Revolution, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
7. Eric Clapton
Soundtrack | Lethal Weapon 3
Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England, on March 30, 1945. His real father was a Canadian pilot but he didn't find that out until he was 53. When he was 2 his mother felt she was unable to look after him, so Eric then went to live with his grandparents. When he was 14 he took up the ...
Favorite songs: Sunshine of Your Love, Layla, Badge
8. Jack Bruce
Soundtrack | True Lies
Jack Bruce was born on May 14, 1943 in Bishopbriggs, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK. He was a composer and actor, known for True Lies (1994), Backdraft (1991) and Road House (1989). He was married to Margrit Seyffer and Janet Godfrey. He died on October 25, 2014 in Bures, Suffolk, England, UK.
Favorite songs: Sunshine of Your Love, I Feel Free, Tales of Brave Ulysses
9. John Fogerty
Soundtrack | Battleship
John Fogerty was born on May 28, 1945 in Berkeley, California, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Battleship (2012), The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and Blade (1998). He has been married to Julie Lynne Kramer since April 20, 1991. They have three children. He was previously married to ...
Favorite songs: Lookin' Out My Back Door, Bad Moon Rising, Fortunate Son
10. Marvin Gaye
Soundtrack | High Fidelity
Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. (known professionally as Marvin Gaye; April 2, 1939 - April 1, 1984) was an American singer and songwriter. He helped to shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player and later as a solo artist with a string of successes, earning him the nicknames ...
Favorite songs: Let's Get It On, Sexual Healing, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)
11. Brian Wilson
Soundtrack | Love & Mercy
Brian Douglas Wilson was born on June 20th 1942 and has gone on to become one of, if not the greatest, musical geniuses in the world. It was while growing up, while being physically and psychologically abused by his father, that he discovered music as a way of shutting out all hurt and pain that he...
Favorite songs: Don't Worry Baby, Wouldn't It Be Nice, Surf's Up
12. Stevie Wonder
Soundtrack | Wild Wild West
Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, United States, to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Due to being born six weeks premature, Stevie Wonder was born with a condition called retinopathy of prematurity, which made him blind. Stevie Wonder, even with this disability, made his ...
Favorite songs: Living for the City, Superstition, Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours
13. Smokey Robinson
Soundtrack | Big Time
Multi-talented performer/writer/producer Smokey Robinson's career, and life, is inextricably tied up with Motown Records' founder Berry Gordy (his first two children are named Tamla, for the Gordy-owned label Smokey recorded for, and Berry, for Gordy himself). He and Gordy have had a professional ...
Favorite songs: The Tracks of My Tears, I Second That Emotion, Cruisin'
14. Otis Redding
Soundtrack | Top Gun
Otis Redding was born on September 9, 1941 in Dawson, Georgia, USA. He was a music artist and composer, known for Top Gun (1986), Hamburger Hill (1987) and Road House (1989). He was married to Zelma Redding. He died on December 10, 1967 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Favorite songs: (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay, Try a Little Tenderness, I've Been Loving You Too Long
15. Sam Cooke
Soundtrack | Innerspace
Sam Cooke was born January 22, 1931 in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was one of eight children of Charles Cook Sr., a Baptist minister. When Sam sang as a little boy in church, everyone made note that his voice had "something special". He sang in church and in local gospel choirs until a group called...
Favorite songs: You Send Me, A Change Is Gonna Come, Cupid
16. Bobby Womack
Soundtrack | Dredd
A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Bobby Womack was born into a musical family. Managed by their father, he and his brothers formed "The Womack Brothers", a gospel singing group that toured with several national gospel stars. "The Womack Brothers" caught the attention of the legendary Sam Cooke when ...
Favorite songs: Across 110th Street, If You Think You're Lonely Now, That's the Way I Feel About Cha
17. Ozzy Osbourne
Soundtrack | Little Nicky
One of the pioneers of heavy metal and one of its most commercially successful and iconic artists, Ozzy Osbourne was born in Birmingham, England, as John Michael Osbourne. After leaving school and having many odd jobs, he ended up in a band with Geezer Butler. This group then split, leading Ozzy ...
Favorite songs: Paranoid, Crazy Train, Iron Man
18. Ronnie James Dio
Soundtrack | Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny
How many rock stars can brag about recording and touring consistently in six different decades? That's just one of the many claims to fame enjoyed by Ronnie James Dio. Born on July 10, 1942, this Cortland, New York native began his recording career back in 1958. Even back then, the seeds of Ronnie ...
Favorite songs: Heaven and Hell, Holy Diver, Rainbow in the Dark
19. Bob Marley
Soundtrack | I Am Legend
Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945, in Nine Miles, Saint Ann, Jamaica, to Norval Marley and Cedella Booker. His father was a Jamaican of English descent. His mother was a black teenager. The couple were married in 1944 but Norval left for Kingston immediately after. Norval died in 1957, seeing...
Favorite songs: Redemption Song, Is This Love, No Woman, No Cry
20. Bill Withers
Soundtrack | The Bodyguard
Singer, songwriter and guitarist Bill Withers was born on July 4, 1938 in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia and was raised in the nearby town of Beckley. He was the youngest of six children of Mattie (Galloway), a maid, and William Withers, a miner. His father died when Withers...
Favorite songs: Ain't No Sunshine, Lean on Me, Just the Two of Us
21. Robert Plant
Soundtrack | The Song Remains the Same
Prior to Hobbstweedle (a pickup blues band formed to honour a gig at West Midlands College Of Education) Robert was the frontman for The Band of Joy - featuring Percy, John Bonham, Paul Lockey (bass), Chris Brown (keyboards) and Kevyn Gammond (guitar). The BOJ were on verge of making a record deal ...
Favorite songs: Stairway to Heaven, Whole Lotta Love, Black Dog
22. Freddie Mercury
Soundtrack | Flash Gordon
Freddie Mercury was born on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, sent him off to a private school in India, from 1955 til 1963. In 1964, he and his family flew to England. In 1966 he started his education at the Ealing College of Art, where he graduated in 1969. He ...
Favorite songs: Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Somebody to Love
23. Brian Johnson
Soundtrack | Iron Man
Brian Johnson was born on October 5, 1947 in Dunston, Gateshead, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Iron Man (2008), Maximum Overdrive (1986) and The Avengers (2012). He is married to Brenda. He was previously married to Carol.
Favorite songs: Back in Black, You Shook Me All Night Long, Thunderstruck
24. Bon Scott
Soundtrack | School of Rock
Ronald Belford Scott was born on July 9, 1946 in Kirriemuir, Scotland, UK. In 1952, the Scott family relocated to Australia. Bon's strong distaste for authority led him to quit his studies at the age of 15. Bon's earliest musical efforts were both on vocals and drums. His first "real" job in the ...
Favorite songs: It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll), Highway to Hell, Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
25. Howard Jones
Soundtrack | Better Off Dead...
Howard Jones was born on February 23, 1955 in Southampton, Hampshire, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Better Off Dead (1985), Bumblebee (2018) and Waitress (2007).
Favorite songs: Things Can Only Get Better, No One Is to Blame, What Is Love?
26. Phil Collins
Soundtrack | Tarzan
Phil Collins was born in Chiswick, London, England, to Winifred (Strange), a theatrical agent, Greville Philip Austin Collins, an insurance agent. He spent most of his early entertainment life as a young actor and model. He played the "Artful Dodger" in the West End production of "Oliver!" ...
Favorite songs: In the Air Tonight, Don't Lose My Number, Throwing It All Away
27. Morrissey
Soundtrack | Shaun of the Dead
Steven Patrick Morrissey was born in Davyhulme, Manchester, England, UK. At a very early age, he took an interest in writing. His top priority was poetry, though he would have his biography on James Dean, "James Dean Is Not Dead", published by his early 20s. His literary influences ranged from ...
Favorite songs: There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, Panic, This Charming Man
28. Steve Perry
Soundtrack | Independent Lens
Steve Perry was born on January 22, 1949 in Hanford, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Independent Lens (1999), The Losers (2010) and Tron: Legacy (2010).
Favorite songs: Don't Stop Believin', Oh Sherrie, Faithfully
29. Nick Cave
Soundtrack | The Proposition
Nick Cave is a man of many talents. Musician. Songwriter. Screenwriter. Novelist. Actor. The Australian was born in Warracknabeal, Victoria in 1957, and would go onto form the alternative rock band Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, who have since successfully released a string of hit albums.
In film, Nick ...
Favorite songs: The Mercy Seat, Red Right Hand, Do You Love Me?
30. Steve Winwood
Actor | Blues Brothers 2000
Steve Winwood was born on May 12, 1948 in Great Barr, Birmingham, West Midlands, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for Blues Brothers 2000 (1998), Flight of the Phoenix (2004) and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017). He has been married to Eugenia Crafton since January 18, 1987. They ...
Favorite songs: The Finer Things, Gimme Some Lovin', Higher Love
31. Ian McCulloch
Soundtrack | Grosse Pointe Blank
Ian McCulloch was born on May 5, 1959 in Liverpool, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Grosse Pointe Blank (1997), Donnie Darko (2001) and The Girl Next Door (2004).
Favorite songs: The Killing Moon, Over the Wall, Lips Like Sugar
32. Dave Gahan
Soundtrack | Ava
Dave Gahan is the lead vocalist and co-songwriter for the Alternative Rock and New Wave band Depeche Mode. He was born in North Wealed, Essex, United Kingdom on 9th May 1962. Depeche Mode was formed in 1980 by Vince Clarke, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore. They recruited Gahan later that year. ...
Favorite songs: Enjoy the Silence, Policy of Truth, People Are People
33. David Byrne
Soundtrack | True Stories
David Byrne is an Oscar winning composer, songwriter and singer, best known for being frontman of the New Wave/punk band Talking Heads, which was active between 1975 and 1991. Born in Scotland but raised in the United States in Maryland, Byrne began performing musically in high school.
Byrne ...
Favorite songs: Once in a Lifetime, This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody), Road to Nowhere
34. Paul Weller
Soundtrack | Grosse Pointe Blank
Has 5 children: Daughters Leah, Dylan, and Jesamine, and sons Nathaniel and Stevie. His mother named him John after contracting polio of the throat right after his birth. She was bordering on delirium and blurted out the first name she thought of. She later renamed him Paul, but his name has never ...
Favorite songs: Town Called Malice, That's Entertainment, Monday
35. Roland Orzabal
Soundtrack | Watchmen
Roland Orzabal was born on August 22, 1961 in Havant, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for Watchmen (2009), Ready Player One (2018) and Donnie Darko (2001). He has been married to Emily McCauley Rath since September 25, 2020. He was previously married to ...
Favorite songs: Head over Heels, Shout, Mad World
36. Bono
Soundtrack | Across the Universe
Bono was born Paul David Hewson in Dublin, Ireland on May 10, 1960, to Iris (Rankin) and Brendan Robert Hewson. He has been the lead singer of the rock band U2 since 1976. U2 has won 22 Grammy Awards to date, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Lauded by fans and critics ...
Favorite songs: With or Without You, Pride (In the Name of Love), New Year's Day
37. Neil Tennant
Composer | Bronenosets Potyomkin
Neil Francis Tennant was born on July 10th in North Shields, Northumberland. In 1975, Neil plays in a group in Newcastle called Dust: Their most popular song is a preposterous affair he has written called "Can you hear the dawn break?". They are heavily influenced by The Incredible String Band. "We...
Favorite songs: West End Girls, What Have I Done to Deserve This?, It's a Sin
38. Robert Smith
Soundtrack | Judge Dredd
Robert James Smith was born 21 April 1959 in Blackpool Lancashire, England to Alex and Rita Smith. He was the third of four children (Richard, 12 July 1946, Margaret, 27 February 1950, and Janet, 30 August 1960). Robert lived in Blackpool until he was three and then his family moved to Horley, ...
Favorite songs: Lovesong, Friday I'm in Love, Just Like Heaven
39. Michael Hutchence
Soundtrack | Donnie Darko
Michael Hutchence is one of the greatest singers and performers in Australia's history, with a career that spanned 20 years. Born to Kelland Hutchence and Patricia Hutchence (a film and television make-up artist), Michael was the second of three children. He grew up in Hong Kong, USA, and Australia...
Favorite songs: Never Tear Us Apart, Need You Tonight, New Sensation
40. Axl Rose
Soundtrack | Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Born and raised in Lafayette, Indiana, W. Axl Rose is the pure embodiment of decadent late 1980s rockerdom. Brash, slightly misogynistic and notoriously wild, Rose grew up in a maniacally dysfunctional household - molested by his own father at age two; beaten by his abusive stepfather.
When Axl was ...
Favorite songs: Sweet Child o' Mine, Paradise City, Estranged
41. Chris Cornell
Soundtrack | Casino Royale
Chris Cornell was a rock icon who thrived on contradictions. An innovator who resisted genre labels, he was nonetheless a chief architect of the 90s grunge movement. Frequently ranked as one of the best voices in music history, he successfully maintained his own unique identity over decades as a ...
Favorite songs: Seasons, Show Me How to Live, Fell on Black Days
42. Mike Patton
Soundtrack | The Place Beyond the Pines
Michael Allan Patton was born on January 27th 1968 in California. He formed the band Mr Bungle at the age of 15, and after Jim Martin (of Faith No More) heard Mr Bungle, Mike was asked to join Faith No More as a permanent full time vocalist. After a turbulent career which lasted until April 1998, ...
Favorite songs: Land of Sunshine, She Loves Me Not, Epic
43. Layne Staley
Soundtrack | The Perfect Storm
Layne was born August 22, 1967 in Kirkland, WA. When Layne was seven, his parents divorced. He started playing drums around the age of 12.
Layne always wanted to sing when he played his drums, so his groupies told him that he should sing instead. So, Layne traded in his drum set for a microphone and...
Favorite songs: Man in the Box, I Stay Away, Heaven Beside You
44. Keith Sweat
Soundtrack | Blue Streak
Keith Sweat is a Harlem-born R&B singer/songwriter who released his debut album, 'Make It Last Forever', at the end of 1987. The album sold over three million copies, spawning the hits "I Want Her" (#1 R&B, #5 pop), "Something Just Ain't Right" (#3 R&B), "Make It Last Forever" (#2 R&B), and "Don't ...
Favorite songs: I'll Give All My Love to You, Twisted, I Want Her
45. R. Kelly
Composer | Trapped in the Closet: Chapters 1-12
R. Kelly was born on the south side of Chicago, Illinois, and attended Kenwood Academy High School, where his music teacher-mentor Lena McLin inspired him to become a singer. He used to sing on street corners. He started off his career with a group by the name of Public Announcement. R. Kelly a ...
Favorite songs: Down Low (Nobody Has To Know), It Seems Like You're Ready, Sadie
46. Neil Young
Composer | Dead Man
Neil Young is one of the most respected and prolific rock/folk guitarists of the late 20th century. Raised in Canada, he first became well-known as a guitarist and occasional vocalist for the band Buffalo Springfield. After the band's breakup, Young became a solo performer. However, he also has ...
Favorite songs: Harvest Moon, Heart of Gold, I'm the Ocean
47. Jeff Buckley
Soundtrack | Vanilla Sky
Jeff Buckley was born on November 17, 1966 in Anaheim, California, USA. He was a composer and actor, known for Vanilla Sky (2001), Tell No One (2006) and Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You (2002). He died on May 29, 1997 in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Favorite songs: Hallelujah, Satisfied Mind, The Sky Is a Landfill
48. Scott Weiland
Soundtrack | Tank Girl
Scott Weiland was born on October 27, 1967 in Santa Cruz, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Tank Girl (1995), Battleship (2012) and Hulk (2003). He was married to Jamie Wachtel, Mary Forsberg and Janina Castenada. He died on December 3, 2015 in Bloomington, Minnesota, USA.
Favorite songs: Interstate Love Song, Plush, Big Empty
49. Billy Corgan
Soundtrack | Batman & Robin
Billy Corgan was born on March 17, 1967 in Elk Grove, Chicago, Illinois, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Batman & Robin (1997), Stigmata (1999) and Ransom (1996). He has been married to Chloe Mendel since September 16, 2023. They have two children. He was previously married to ...
Favorite songs: 1979, Tonight, Tonight, Today
50. Raphael Saadiq
Soundtrack | Mudbound
Raphael Saadiq was born on May 14, 1966 in Oakland, California, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Mudbound (2017), Insecure (2016) and Abduction (2011).
Favorite songs: Ask of You, If I Had No Loot, Anniversary
51. Jeff Mangum
Soundtrack | Wallet Sized Photo
Jeff Mangum was born on October 24, 1970 in Ruston, Louisiana, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Wallet Sized Photo (2019), Curse of the Seven Jackals (2001) and Knock It Down (1998). He has been married to Astra Taylor since January 2008.
Favorite songs: In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, Two-Headed Boy, The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One
52. Jarvis Cocker
Soundtrack | Fantastic Mr. Fox
Jarvis Cocker was born on September 19, 1963 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) and Children of Men (2006). He was previously married to Camille Bidault-Waddington.
Favorite songs: Sorted for E's & Wizz, Common People, Babies
53. Bradley Nowell
Soundtrack | Hardcore Henry
Bradley Nowell was born on February 22, 1968 in Long Beach, California, USA. He was an actor and composer, known for Hardcore Henry (2015), Knocked Up (2007) and Idle Hands (1999). He was married to Troy Dendekker. He died on May 25, 1996 in San Francisco, California, USA.
Favorite songs: Santeria, Badfish, Seed
54. Cedric Bixler-Zavala
Soundtrack | Get Him to the Greek
Cedric Bixler-Zavala was born on November 4, 1974 in Redwood City, California, USA. He is a composer, known for Get Him to the Greek (2010), Hellbenders (2012) and Lauri Mäntyvaaran tuuheet ripset (2017). He has been married to Christina Connell since 2009. They have two children.
Favorite songs: Rascuache, Alpha Centauri, Ursa Minor
55. Tom Waits
Actor | Seven Psychopaths
Thomas Alan Waits was born in Pomona, California, to schoolteachers Alma Fern (Johnson) and Jesse Frank Waits. Described as one of the last beatniks of the contemporary music, Waits in fact has two separate careers. From 1973 (LP "Closing Time") to 1983 ("One From The Heart" soundtrack), he ...
Favorite songs: Black Market Baby, Hold On, Gun Street Girl
56. Iggy Pop
Actor | Cry-Baby
Iggy Pop was born on April 21, 1947 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Cry-Baby (1990), Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) and Dead Man (1995). He has been married to Nina Alu since November 22, 2008. He was previously married to Suchi Asano and Wendy Weissberg.
Favorite songs: I Wanna Be Your Dog, Search and Destroy, Lust for Life
57. Gregg Allman
Soundtrack | Jack Reacher
Gregg LeNoir Allman was NOT primarily known for being an actor, he was a musician, songwriter and singer that formed the Allman Brothers Band with his brother Duane in 1969. His music appeared in the movie soundtracks of films such as Walking Tall (2004) and Jack Reacher (2012) and in the ...
Favorite songs: Midnight Rider, Whipping Post, Melissa
58. Roger Daltrey
Actor | Lisztomania
Roger Daltrey is noted as a founder of the legendary rock band The Who. After leaving London's Acton County Grammar School in 1963, he formed a skiffle band called The Detours, then displayed an early genius by putting together unusual elements into a world-class performance. The unusual elements ...
Favorite songs: Baba O'Riley, Won't Get Fooled Again, My Generation
59. Paul Rodgers
Soundtrack | Jerry Maguire
Paul Rodgers was born on December 17, 1949 in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Jerry Maguire (1996), Almost Famous (2000) and Friday Night Lights (2004). He has been married to Cynthia Kereluk since September 24, 2007. He was previously married to ...
Favorite songs: Bad Company, All Right Now, Can't Get Enough
60. Chuck Berry
Soundtrack | Men in Black
Charles Edward Anderson Berry was an American singer, songwriter and guitarist who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and developed rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as "Maybellene" (1955), "Roll ...
Favorite songs: Rock and Roll Music, Johnny B. Goode, Maybellene
61. Curtis Mayfield
Soundtrack | Armageddon
Rhythm and blues performer/songwriter credited with defining 1960's Chicago sound in hits like "It's All Right" and "Gypsy Woman." His style influenced other artists from pop to hip hop. Has been a quadriplegic ever since he was struck by lighting rig during outdoor concert in New York, 1990. ...
Favorite songs: Pusherman, Superfly, Move On Up
62. Bruce Springsteen
Soundtrack | Blinded by the Light
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen was born September 23, 1949 in Long Branch, New Jersey, USA. His father, Douglas Frederick Springsteen, worked as a bus driver, and was of Irish and Dutch ancestry. His mother, Adele Ann (Zerilli), worked as a legal secretary, and was of Italian descent. He has an...
Favorite songs: Dancing in the Dark, Hungry Heart, The River
63. Prince
Soundtrack | Under the Cherry Moon
Prince Rogers Nelson was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Mattie Shaw, a jazz singer and social worker, and John L. Nelson, a lyricist and pianist. His father's stage name was "Prince Rogers". His parents were both from African-American families from Louisiana. They separated during his youth, ...
Favorite songs: When Doves Cry, Little Red Corvette, Sexy M.F.
64. David Bowie
Soundtrack | Labyrinth
David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest ...
Favorite songs: Life on Mars?, Under Pressure, The Pretty Things Are Going to Hell
65. Johnny Cash
Soundtrack | The Johnny Cash Show
Johnny Cash was born February 26, 1932, in Kingsland, Arkansas, to Carrie Cash (Rivers) and Raymond Cash. He made his first single, "Hey Porter", for Sun Records in 1955. In 1958 he moved to Columbia Records. He had long periods of drug abuse during the 1960s, but later that decade he successfully ...
Favorite songs: I Walk the Line, Folsom County Blues, Get Rhythm
66. Mick Jagger
Soundtrack | Alfie
Michael Philip Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent on 26th July 1943. When he was 4 he met Keith Richards until they went into secondary schools and lost touch. But one day in 1960 they accidentally met on the Dartford train line and both realized that they had an interest in rock n roll combined ...
Favorite songs: Paint It Black, Sympathy for the Devil, Start Me Up
67. Al Green
Soundtrack | Scrooged
Al Green was born on April 13, 1946 in Forrest City, Arkansas, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Scrooged (1988), Hellboy (2004) and He's Just Not That Into You (2009). He was previously married to Shirley Kyles.
Favorite songs: Let's Stay Together, Here I Am (Come and Take Me), Take Me to the River
68. James Brown
Actor | The Blues Brothers
James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 - December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer, and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the honorific nicknames "Godfather of Soul", "Mr. Dynamite", and ...
Favorite songs: It's a Man's Man's Man's World, I Got You (I Feel Good), Super Bad
69. Tom Petty
Actor | The Postman
Thomas Earl Petty was an American musician and actor who was the lead vocalist and guitarist of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, formed in 1976. He previously led the band Mudcrutch, was a member of the late 1980s super-group the Traveling Wilburys, and had success as a solo artist.
Petty had many ...
Favorite songs: Free Fallin', You Don't Know How It Feels, Mary Jane's Last Dance
70. K-Ci Hailey
Soundtrack | Save the Last Dance
K-Ci Hailey was born on September 2, 1969 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Save the Last Dance (2001), Bulletproof (1996) and Alpha Dog (2006).
Favorite songs: Forever My Lady, Lately, Come and Talk to Me
71. Joe Strummer
Soundtrack | Grosse Pointe Blank
Although best known as the outspoken front man for legendary punk rock group The Clash, Joe Strummer also carved out an interesting niche as an actor once the band broke up. The Clash formed in 1976, and along with the Sex Pistols spearheaded the British punk rock scene. By 1979, The Clash had ...
Favorite songs: Straight to Hell, (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais, Rock the Casbah
72. Joey Ramone
Soundtrack | Rock 'n' Roll High School
Joey Ramone was born Jeffrey Ross Hyman and the lead singer of the four-member punk-rock band the Ramones. In 1974, the band began in Queens, New York, when as he said "The only thing that you heard on the radio was disco." By 1976, the band became a major force in the evolution of rock-n-roll; ...
Favorite songs: Chinese Rock, Sheena is a Punk Rocker, The KKK Took My Baby Away
73. Rob Halford
Soundtrack | Spun
Rob Halford was born on August 25, 1951 in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Spun (2002), Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992).
Favorite songs: Breaking the Law, You've Got Another Thing Comin', Night Crawler
74. Perry Farrell
Soundtrack | Twilight
Perry Farrell was born on March 29, 1959 in Queens, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Twilight (2008), Southland Tales (2006) and The Cable Guy (1996). He has been married to Etty Lau since March 8, 2002. They have two children.
Favorite songs: Jane Says, Been Caught Steeling, Stop!
75. Richard Butler
Soundtrack | The Jackal
Richard Butler was born on June 5, 1956 in Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, England, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for The Jackal (1997), Furious 6 (2013) and Clueless (1995).
Favorite songs: Sister Europe, Pretty in Pink, Heartbreak Beat
76. Ian Astbury
Soundtrack | Layer Cake
Ian Astbury was born on May 14, 1962 in Heswall, Cheshire, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for Layer Cake (2004), Repo Men (2010) and Small Soldiers (1998). He has been married to Aimee Nash since March 26, 2012. He was previously married to Heatherlyn Campbell.
Favorite songs: She Sells Sanctuary, Fire Woman, Love Removal Machine
77. Paul Westerberg
Soundtrack | Singles
Paul Westerberg was born on December 31, 1959 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. He is a composer and actor, known for Singles (1992), Open Season (2006) and Tank Girl (1995).
Favorite songs: I Will Dare, I'll Be You, Hold My Life
78. Billy Gibbons
Soundtrack | Battleship
Billy Gibbons was born on December 16, 1949 in Houston, Texas, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Battleship (2012), Armageddon (1998) and The Perfect Storm (2000). He has been married to Gilligan Gibbons since December 14, 2005.
Favorite songs: Sharp Dressed Man, Tush, La Grange
79. Mark Knopfler
Soundtrack | Local Hero
Mark Knopfler recorded his first single at age 16, but it was never released, He started the band Dire Straits in 1977, they were signed to Vertigo Records in 1978 and recorded the album "Dire Straits", which featured their first major hit single, "Sultans of Swing". Their follow-up albums include ...
Favorite songs: Sultans of Swing, Money for Nothing, Walk of Life
80. Wayne Coyne
Soundtrack | Ender's Game
Wayne Coyne was born on January 13, 1961 in Norman, Oklahoma, USA. Coyne formed The Flaming Lips in 1983 and is the lead singer, guitarist, theremin player and songwriter for The Flaming Lips. He directed the low budget film Christmas on Mars (2008), and has guest starred on many shows including ...
Favorite songs: What Is the Light?, Race For the Prize, Waitin' for a Superman
81. Anthony Kiedis
Actor | Point Break
Anthony Kiedis is a singer with the hugely successful alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers, the other members being Flea, John Frusciante, and Chad Smith. Red Hot Chili Peppers have scored five top-five albums in the UK and America, and have sold over sixty million records worldwide since ...
Favorite songs: Under the Bridge, Otherside, Scar Tissue
82. Eddie Vedder
Soundtrack | Into the Wild
Eddie Vedder was known in San Diego for being a surfer and a singer in the progressive rock band Bad Radio, where he sang in the 80's until he departed to join Pearl Jam in 1990. Right before Eddie left Bad Radio, they opened for Andy Summers at the Bucchanal in San Diego. After the show, Eddie ...
Favorite songs: Black, Even Flow, Last Kiss
83. James Dean Bradfield
Soundtrack | Sweet Sixteen
James Dean Bradfield was born on February 21, 1969 in Newport, Gwent, South Wales, UK. He is an actor and composer, known for Sweet Sixteen (2002), I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007) and Dirty Weekend (1993). He has been married to Mylene Halsall since 2004.
Favorite songs: Motorcycle Emptiness, A Design for Life, From Despair to Where
84. Zack De La Rocha
Soundtrack | The Matrix
Zack De La Rocha was born on January 12, 1970 in Long Beach, California, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003) and Godzilla (1998).
Favorite songs: Bulls on Parade, No Shelter, People of the Sun
85. Rivers Cuomo
Soundtrack | Pitch Perfect
After many big ups and downs, Rivers has locked into a massively productive and busy schedule, both in music and band business. Constantly pushing himself to write new material, and record it at the best quality available at the time, he rarely has much time to spare. Has taken over management of ...
Favorite songs: Buddy Holly, Say It Ain't So, El Scorcho
86. Bill Callahan
Soundtrack | Dead Man's Shoes
Bill Callahan was born on June 3, 1966 in Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Dead Man's Shoes (2004), Youth (2015) and High Fidelity (2000). He has been married to Hanly Banks since 2014. They have one child.
Favorite songs: Cold Blooded Old Times, Held, Teenage Spaceship
87. Jon Thor Birgisson
Soundtrack | We Bought a Zoo
Jon Thor Birgisson was born on April 23, 1975 in Iceland. He is a composer and actor, known for We Bought a Zoo (2011), How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019) and How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014).
Favorite songs: Staralfur, Svefn-g-englar, Olsen Olsen
88. Sting
Actor | Dune
Sting was born Gordon Matthew Sumner on 2 October, 1951 in Wallsend, North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, the eldest of four children of Audrey (Cowell), a hairdresser, and Ernest Matthew Sumner, an engineer and milkman. He received his name from a striped sweater he wore which looked like a bee...
Favorite songs: Invisible Sun, Wrapped Around Your Finger, Fields of Gold
89. Bob Seger
Soundtrack | Beverly Hills Cop II
Bob Seger was born on May 6, 1945 in Dearborn, Michigan, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), Body Heat (1981) and Armageddon (1998). He has been married to Juanita Dorricott since July 10, 1993. They have two children. He was previously married to Annette ...
Favorite songs: Her Strut, Turn the Page, Old Time Rock and Roll
90. Huey Lewis
Soundtrack | Back to the Future
Huey Lewis was born on July 5, 1950 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Back to the Future (1985), Short Cuts (1993) and Wag the Dog (1997). He has been married to Sidney Conroy since July 20, 1983. They have two children.
Favorite songs: Stuck with You, Power of Love, If This Is It
91. Billy Idol
Soundtrack | The Wedding Singer
Born William Michael Albert Broad in Middlesex, England, in 1955, the first child of Bill and Joan Broad. When he was 2, his father moved the family to Long Island, New York, in pursuit of the American dream. They returned 4 years later (now with a baby sister, Jane) to Dorking. America made a big ...
Favorite songs: Dancing with Myself, White Wedding, Rebel Yell
92. David Lee Roth
Actor | David Lee Roth: Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody
David Lee Roth was born in Bloomington Indiana in 1954. A few years later, his father Nathan, a doctor, moved the family to sunny California. The move proved to be a good one because while attending Pasadena Community College, David teamed up with the Van Halen brothers and Michael Anthony to form ...
Favorite songs: Jump, Panama, Runnin' with the Devil
93. David Gilmour
Soundtrack | Pink Floyd: The Wall
David Jon Gilmour was born on 6th March, 1946, in Grantchester Meadows, Cambridge. As the lead guitarist of Pink Floyd, he is by many considered one of the most influential guitarists on the rock stage. Right up to "The Dark Side of The Moon", Dave wrote his own songs, but from then up to "The ...
Favorite songs: Wish You Were Here, Money, Comfortably Numb
94. Sam Moore
Soundtrack | The Great Outdoors
Sam Moore was born on October 12, 1935 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is an actor, known for The Great Outdoors (1988), Blues Brothers 2000 (1998) and Julia (2008). He has been married to Joyce since 1982.
Favorite songs: Hold On, I'm Comin', Soul Man, Wrap It Up
95. Michael Jackson
Soundtrack | Michael Jackson: Thriller
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, and entertained audiences nearly his entire life. His father, Joe Jackson (no relation to Joe Jackson, also a musician), had been a guitarist, but was forced to give up his musical ambitions following his marriage to Michael's ...
Favorite songs: Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller
96. Lou Reed
Soundtrack | V for Vendetta
He formed the group The Velvet Underground with Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, second guitarist Sterling Morrison, and drummer Maureen Tucker in New York in 1965. The group soon became a part of Andy Warhol's Factory scene, which housed a great number of the most freaked and experimental ...
Favorite songs: Walk on the Wild Side, Perfect Day, Venus in Furs
97. David Ruffin
Soundtrack | I Want You Back
The man most of us know by his unmistakable, calming yet disturbed raspy voice was born Davis Eli Ruffin on January 18, 1941, in Whynot, Mississippi. His father, Eli Ruffin, was a Baptist minister. Only months after his birth his mother Ophelia Ruffin died, and his father later remarried, to a ...
Favorite songs: Ain't Too Proud to Beg, My Girl, Beauty Is Only Skin Deep
98. Grant Lee Phillips
Soundtrack | Logan
Singer/songwriter/actor Grant-Lee Phillips, formerly of the band Grant Lee Buffalo, He was voted "Best Male Vocalist" of 1994 by Rolling Stone. The band's most popular songs include "Fuzzy", "Mockingbirds" and "Truly, Truly." Phillips stars in the recurring role of The Town Troubadour on the ...
Favorite songs: The Shining Hour, Fuzzy, Dixie Drug Store
99. Matt Johnson
Soundtrack | Judge Dredd
Matt Johnson is an English singer-songwriter best known as the vocalist and only constant member of his band The The. The The began 1979 as a duo, then a four-piece, then a singular entity with a rotating cast of musicians that has included Johnny Marr, Simon Fisher Turner and Sinéad O'Connor. By ...
Favorite songs: This Is the Day, Uncertain Smile, Love Is Stronger than Death
100. Tony Williams
Soundtrack | The Dreamers
Tony Williams was born on April 15, 1928 in Roselle, New Jersey, USA. He was an actor, known for The Dreamers (2003), Makaya McCraven @ Boiler Room London (2016) and European Nights (1959). He was married to Helen Shad. He died on August 14, 1992 in Manhattan, New York, USA.
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