Top 10 Groovy Artists & Bands from the 60s That Made Pop Culture History
Calling all music buffs! Is the ’60s your favorite time for music? Do you often find yourself turning to the oldies station to listen to it? Well, you’ll love this article because we’ve found all the artists who put the “swinging” in the Swinging Sixties!
Aretha Franklin
Dubbed “The Queen of Soul”, Aretha Franklin had a whopping 112 singles chart on Billboard. Franklin is still number one on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the Greatest Singers of All Time, where her voice is described as “a work of genius” and “a gift from the heavens.” We couldn’t agree more! The “Respect” singer was actually the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And while her record label tried to make her fit neatly in the lounge singer box, Franklin resisted, due in part to the influence of another entry on our list: Bob Dylan. “Neither of us was what you call—ah—mainstream,” the Queen of Soul once told music journalist Gerri Hirshey.
The Beach Boys
Formed in sunny Southern California in 1961, this American rock group was a fixture of the decade. While they broke onto the charts with “Surfin’ U.S.A”, 1966’s Pet Sounds proved the band’s versatility. Brian Wilson created Pet Sounds in response to his rival group, The Beatles, and their 1965 album Rubber Soul. Paul McCartney has cited “God Only Knows” as one of his personal favorite songs and even went so far as to label it “the greatest song ever written.” High praise from a Beatle!
The Beatles
Often regarded as the most influential band of all time, this English rock quartet needs no introduction. It took only four years for the Beatles to achieve international success, launching the British Invasion that took the United States by storm. The Beatles are still the best-selling musical act of all time. With so many timeless hits like “Hey Jude” and “In My Life”, it’s not hard to see why!
Bob Dylan
When Bob Dylan dropped out of college and moved to New York in 1960, he probably didn’t expect to become one of the most celebrated singer-songwriters of all time. By the autumn of 1961, he’d signed a contract with Columbia Records and adopted his stage name. While many people considered Dylan the voice of their generation, the man himself felt uncomfortable with the title. “I think of myself more as a song and dance man, y’know,” he once stated in 1965.
Elvis Presley
If Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, then Elvis Presley is the undisputed King of Rock and Roll. Presley’s success from the late 1950s carried over into the new decade, spawning numerous film roles and the accompanying soundtrack albums. And while Presley’s movie career took center stage over his music, the decade still saw the release of some of the crooner’s most beloved ballads. Namely, the timeless “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and unforgettable “Return to Sender.”
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 didn’t have their breakout moment until the end of the decade, but the group was formed in 1964. Comprised of 5 brothers, this pop group captured the hearts of fans everywhere with their massively successful hit “I Want You Back.” They continued to be popular throughout the 70s, with more hits like “ABC” and “I’ll Be There.” Of course, it goes without saying that the most successful member of the group was the youngest brother, Michael. But that’s a story for another article.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Described as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music” by The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, American guitarist Jimi Hendrix continues to inspire musicians decades after his death. Though his life was short, his impact on the 1950s music scene was huge. Even Eric Clapton was blown away by Hendrix’s talent. “He played just about every style you could think of, and not in a flashy way,” Clapton later recounted. “I mean he did a few of his tricks, like playing with his teeth and behind his back, but it wasn’t in an upstaging sense at all, and that was it … He walked off, and my life was never the same again.”
The Monkees
Did you know that The Monkees were actually a fictional band created for the TV show of the same name? One magazine even reported that they outsold the Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined. While this claim was later debunked, The Monkees were still popular! In fact, “Last Train to Clarksville” spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard 200 album chart until it was ousted by their next album, More of the Monkees. With hitmakers like Carole King and Neil Diamond writing songs for the band, we can see why this fictional band enjoyed real-life success!
The Rolling Stones
We can thank the UK for yet another generation-defining rock band! Breaking away from their cover-band roots in record time, The Rolling Stones released three songs that became international hits. A lot of people consider “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” one of the greatest rock songs of all time. The British music press often pitted The Rolling Stones against The Beatles, which neither band seemed to appreciate. In a 2015 interview with Esquire, Stones member Keith Richards even referred to Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band as “a mishmash of rubbish.” Yikes!
Simon & Garfunkel
As one of the best-selling musical acts of the 1960s, this folk-rock duo is behind hits such as “Sounds of Silence” and the Grammy-winning “Mrs. Robinson.” Though the two friends met when they were both cast in their school’s production of Alice in Wonderland, their bond was hardly as harmonious as their music. The pair actually went their separate ways in 1957 after Simon recorded solo material without telling Garfunkel. Fortunately, they reunited long enough to record some of their most iconic hits before breaking up for good in 1970. “We were really best friends up until ‘Bridge over Troubled Water,” Simon stated in the MGM+ documentary series In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon. “[Afterwards], it didn’t have the harmony of the friendship…that was broken.”
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Originally published September 19, 2024
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