The Most Important Solo Acts In Rock History

You don't need to be part of a band to change the world through music, as evidenced by the entire history of rock. Some of the following legends started off as part of legendary groups, like Black Sabbath or the Beatles, and went on to find influential success on their own after a split. Others started off as solo artists from the get-go, because their personalities and talents were too big for an artistic collective to contain. Most had supporting musicians at their back. But nobody went to see the E-street Band or the Experience. You go to see Bruce Springsteen and Jimi Hendrix.

So who are the most important solo artists in all of rock? Here's a decidedly non-exhaustive list.

"In many ways, Bruce Springsteen is the embodiment of rock & roll," writes Jackson Browne for Rolling Stone. "Combining strains of Appalachian music, rockabilly, blues and R&B, his work epitomizes rock's deepest values: desire, the need for freedom and the search to find yourself."

That sums it up nicely. From the ripped jean vests to that telecaster to his iconic, raspy voice and those gigantic stadium anthems, Springsteen is the quintessential American rock icon. Everything about him and his music is stripped down to the bare essentials, but that's why it works.

Stephen Metcalf puts it wonderfully for Slate, calling Springsteen "a majestic American simpleton with a generic heartland twang, obsessed with cars, Mary, the Man, and the bitterness between fathers and sons." He goes on to say, "we need to see Springsteen's persona for what it really is: Jon Landau's middle-class fantasy of white, working-class authenticity."

There's no pomp, no glitter, no lasers or dry ice, no elaborate stage personas or layers of makeup. The "Born in the USA" singer is a working man's rocker; to him, those things are gimmicks that separate an artist from his audience. And someone who can connect so intimately with a crowd, and speak to their hearts with lyrics anyone can relate to, needs none of it. Rather than distracting you with fantasy, the Boss meets you right where you are, after work with a few buddies and some cheap beer in a plastic cup. And then he sweeps you away.

Like others music legends, Prince was taken from us too soon. But he'd already left a crater-sized impact on music when he departed. What's interesting is, although he was undeniably a rock icon — undoubtedly one of the most outrageously, infuriatingly talented men who's ever picked up a guitar — his influence on other genres is just as large.

"Prince must be one of the most bootlegged artists of the rock era," writes Amir Thompson for Rolling Stone. "But there must be at least 20 ways to prove that hip-hop is damn-near patterned after Prince, including his genius, blatant use of sexuality and the use of controversy as a way to get attention."

Prince was one of those people who was simply born to play music. CBC notes that he was a multi-instrumentalist who, rather than simply blending his varied influences, used them to push him in new directions altogether. And the songs he wrote, it continues, were simply brilliant. His B-sides could have made other artists, and his biggest, legendary songs are many. 

"When Doves Cry" and "Purple Rain" are all-time classics, of course. But his soaring solo on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," from the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, highlights why his name still rings out with reverence and awe.

Call him whatever you want. Ziggy Stardust. Aladdin Sane. The Thin White Duke. David Bowie's look, and accompanying state persona, never stayed the same for long.

The Los Angeles Times noted Bowie's everchanging looks that kept everyone guessing as a hallmark of his career, really elevating the idea of showmanship in music. 

But the beloved, shapeshifting rock icon never switched it up before leaving a mark. "While many late rock stars are rightly saluted for their influence and impact," writes Joe Lynch for Billboard, "Bowie occupies a higher historical tier entirely. ... Among rock stars, Bowie influenced more musical genres than anyone else, living or dead. He is, in that respect, the most influential rock star."

High praise indeed. And it just might be true. The article points out how Bowie's legacy is felt in everything from glam to industrial rock to pop to electronic music to hip hop and rap. How deliberate this was is debatable. There's no way Bowie could've foreseen how his otherworldly songs and costumes would impact not-yet-existent genres decades down the road. He was just a man in love with the process of making art, touching spirits with music, and proving to outcasts the world over that it was possible to buck the status quo and simply be yourself.

Many musicians have shocked the world by dying young, but John Lennon's demise was in a category of its own. The whole planet mourned the passing of one of his generation's most iconic songwriting poets.

With the Beatles, of course, Lennon changed the world. The group reinvented themselves, and what was possible in music itself, with every record. As Elvis Costello wrote for Rolling Stone, "Lennon, McCartney and Harrison had stunningly high standards as writers. ...These records were events, and not just advance notice of an album release."

Lennon, of course, didn't hang up the guitar and mic when the Beatles split. He continued to speak to the soul with music that defined the counterculture of the day. Said Lenny Kravitz in the same Rolling Stone article, "Lennon was more than just a musician; he was more like a prophet. ... 'Imagine' is one of the greatest songs ever written. It's like a church hymn, and it states his beliefs quite clearly. And more than anything, Lennon was an icon for peace."

That song, and Lennon's mighty anti-war sensibilities, makes his violent death all the more tragic. But it didn't undermine his legacy as one of the 20th century's greatest and most important artists.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone in history who changed a musical instrument as much as Jimi Hendrix changed the electric guitar, as noted by Rolling Stone. You could even say he split the history of the instrument in half. Before him, clean playing and soft riffing was the norm. But Hendrix, as tragically short as his career was, gave birth to the age of the shredding guitar hero. Not even the end of classic rock could dislodge his deep rooted influence. Anyone who picks up a guitar and shreds or wails owes it all to him.

Among his fans, Kerrang notes, are legends in and of themselves: Keith Richards, John Lennon, Jimmy Page. In fact, even Eric Clapton once complained angrily to Hendrix's manager: "You never told me he was that f***ing good."

"I recognize Jimi as –- obviously –- one of the most influential musicians of all time," says Mastodon's Troy Sanders to Kerrang. "I just saw 'Bill & Ted Face The Music' recently, and in that they have to go back in time to get him to save the world through the power of music. I think that's a pretty good display of just how important he was."

He's not called the King of Rock 'n' Roll for nothing. That iconic, unmistakable Memphis drawl. The swinging hips. The timeless music. The legions of goofy Vegas impersonators. Elvis Presley is one of the most iconic figures in modern history, and one of popular music's most influential artists.

A 1977 issue of Rolling Stone featured Elvis on its cover, just a month after his death. In a tribute to the iconic musician, the magazine noted his influence on the other singers and bands that followed in his wake. Naming him "rock's first icon," Rolling Stone also called him a "catalytic force" on his younger fans, helping them to understand and express themselves. 

And even many years later, this still rings true. Elvis was indeed the man who turned popular music into a weapon of youth itself, becoming the first true pop star. And as the Conversation writes, the legend that is Elvis Presley "is still as enigmatic today as when he was alive."

It's hard to imagine where culture itself would be if Elvis hadn't taken the stage all those years ago.