From its humble beginnings in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine’s 100 Greatest Music Artists has grown to become one of the most contested lists of all time. Today, the publication has updated the sacred list to take into account fresh talent and recent achievements, while also inducting 14 artists into the much coveted Immortal Artist list.
You can check out the full list of 100 below. No doubt everyone will have their own opinion. As a Metallica fan, I personally think 61 is fairly incorrect. Fun fact: the original list was pieced together by a panel made up of 55 top musicians, writers, industry executives and artists, including Keith Richards and ?uestlove. These days the list is still put together by the peers of those added.
AC/DC bring the Aussie flavour, coming in at number 72.
It seems as though the Immortal additions are what’s caused the most fuss. Leading the list of newbies is tween sensation Taylor Swift. Rolling Stone justified their decision, stating, “If Taylor Swift stopped producing hits right now, at 23, she could tour a killer oldies show for the rest of her life.”
Wilco, Billy Joe Armstrong, and Kanye West are also among the 14 artists who were added.
So, what do you guys think?
1. The Beatles
2. Bob Dylan
3. Elvis Presley
4. The Rolling Stones
5. Chuck Berry
6. Jimi Hendrix
7. James Brown
8. Little Richard
9. Aretha Franklin
10. Ray Charles
11. Bob Marley
12. Beach Boys
13. Buddy Holly
14. Led Zeppelin
15. Stevie Wonder
16. Sam Cooke
17. Muddy Waters
18. Marvin Gaye
19. The Velvet Underground
20. Bo Diddley
21. Otis Reading
22. U2
23. Bruce Springsteen
24. Jerry Lee Lewis
25. Fats Domino
26. The Ramones
27. Prince
28. The Clash
29. The Who
30. Nirvana
31. Johnny Cash
32. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
33. The Everly Brothers
34. Neil Young
35. Michael Jackson
36. Madonna
37. Roy Orbison
38. John Lennon
39. David Bowie
40. Simon and Garfunkel
41. The Doors
42. Van Morrison
43. Sly and the Family Stone
44. Public Enemy
45. The Byrds
46. Janis Joplin
47. Patti Smith
48. Run-DMC
49. Elton John
50. The Band
51. Pink Floyd
52. Queen
53. The Allman Brothers Band
54. Howlin’ Wolf
55. Eric Clapton
56. Dr. Dre
57. Grateful Dead
58. Parliament and Funkadelic
59. Aerosmith
60. The Sex Pistols
61. Metallica
62. Joni Mitchell
63. Tina Turner
64. Phil Spector
65. The Kinks
66. Al Green
67. Cream
68. The Temptations
69. Jackie Wilson
70. The Police
71. Frank Zappa
72. AC/DC
73. Radiohead
74. Hank Williams
75. Eagles
76. The Shirelles
77. Beastie Boys
78. The Stooges
79 The Four Tops
80. Elvis Costello
81. The Drifters
82. Creedence Clearwater Revival
83. Eminem
84. James Taylor
85. Black Sabbath
86. Tupac Shakur
87. Gram Parsons
88. Jay-Z
89. The Yardbirds
90. Carlos Santana
91. Tom Petty
92. Guns n’ Roses
93. Booker T. and the MGs
94. Nine Inch Nails
95. Lynyrd Skynyrd
96. Diana Ross and the Supremes
97. R.E.M.
98. Curtis Mayfield
99. Carl Perkins
100. Talking Heads
