Rolling Stone Names 50 Greatest Rock & Roll Artists

When did Rock & Roll begin? Rock historians have debated this for decades. Recently, however, Rolling Stone drew its line in the sand, settling on July 5, 1954, the day a 19-year-old truck driver named Elvis Presley recorded It’s All Right at Sun Studio in Memphis.

Then, to mark what is sure to be a memorable 50 th anniversary, the magazine asked 55 artists, critics, historians, and industry executives from Jackson Browne to Slash to chime in with their choices for the best of the best, the 50 greatest Rock & Roll artists of all time.

After a thorough selection process, Rolling Stone ranked the choices and then asked a variety of critics and fellow musicians to contribute articles about the fabulous 50. The tribute, appropriately titled The Immortals, is quite impressive. Elvis Costello, for example, writes an eloquent, affectionate tribute to the Beatles. “Michael Jackson can sell records until the end of time,” Costello notes, “but he'll never matter to people as much as the Beatles did .” And writing about Little Richard’s career is a person intimately connected with it, Little Richard himself.

The Immortals, declares Rolling Stone, is about “the singers, songwriters, record makers and performers who are continually in the music – as pioneers, teachers and stars; touching our souls and pulling us to our feet, on a daily basis – even when they are no longer with us.” More than merely a list, it is, the magazine continues, “a fundamental lesson in the history of Rock & Roll and its continuing power to inspire and transform.”

Who are the immortals, and where do they rank in Rolling Stone’s selection?

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. The Beach Boys
13. Buddy Holly
14. Led Zepplin
15. Stevie Wonder
16. Sam Cooke
17. Muddy Waters
18. Marvin Gaye
19. The Velvet Underground
20. Bo Diddley
21. Otis Redding
22. U2
23. Bruce Springsteen
24. Jerry Lee Lewis
25. Fats Domino
26. The Ramones
27. Nirvana
28. Prince
29. The Who
30. The Clash
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

www.rollingstone.com