The Best 70s Pop Music Artists
Contents
A list of the best 70s pop music artists would not be complete without the Bee Gees. The brothers Gibb were responsible for some of the era’s most iconic hits.
Introduction
The 70s was a decade filled with great pop music. From disco to soft rock, there were a lot of great artists making great music. Here is a list of some of the best 70s pop music artists.
ABBA was a Swedish pop group that formed in 1972. The group’s four members were Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Agnetha Fältskog. ABBA became one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1982. They have sold over 380 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
Bee Gees were a British-Australian pop group formed in 1958. The group’s three members were Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb, and Maurice Gibb. Bee Gees became one of the most successful pop groups of all time, selling over 200 million records worldwide from 1967 to 2003. They have received numerous awards and accolades, including seven Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards.
Michael Jackson was an American singer-songwriter, dancer, and musician who achieved massive success in the 1970s as a member of The Jackson 5 and as a solo artist. Jackson’s total album sales have been estimated at over 350 million copies worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He won dozens of awards throughout his career, including 15 Grammy Awards and 26 American Music Awards. Jackson is widely considered to be one of the greatest entertainers in history.
These are just a few of the many great pop music artists who emerged in the 1970s. This decade was truly a golden age for pop music.
The Beatles
There is no doubt that The Beatles were the most influential pop music artists of the 1970s. Hailing from Liverpool, England, The Beatles were a quartet consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. Although their career began in the 1960s, The Beatles continued to produce records and tour throughout the 1970s. hits such as “Imagine,” “Let it Be,” and “Yesterday” helped cement The Beatles’ place as one of the most popular and successful pop groups of all time.
Led Zeppelin
Formed in 1968, Led Zeppelin consisted of Robert Plant (vocals), Jimmy Page (guitar), John Bonham (drums), and John Paul Jones (bass guitar). The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound has led them to be cited as one of the progenitors of heavy metal. They were also ranked No. 1 in Classic Rock’s list of the “100 Best Live Bands of All Time.” Led Zeppelin released eight studio albums, totaling 111 million albums sold worldwide.
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd was an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining a following as a psychedelic band, they were distinguished for their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows, and became a leading band of the progressive rock genre. They are one of the most commercially successful and influential groups in popular music history.
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band that formed in London in 1962. The first stable line-up consisted of Brian Jones (guitar, harmonica), Ian Stewart (piano), Mick Jagger (lead vocals, harmonica), Keith Richards (guitar, vocals), Bill Wyman (bass) and Charlie Watts (drums). Stewart was removed from the official line-up in 1963 but continued to work with the band as a contracted musician until his death in 1985. Jones died less than a month after leaving the band. The only original member of the band to remain throughout its entire history has been Richards.
Wyman retired from the band in 1993 and was replaced by Darryl Jones. Watts retired in 2015 but continues to play on Stones’ recordings and performances. Ronnie Wood joined the band in 1975 as their second guitarist and has remained as a member ever since.
The Stones have released 30 studio albums, 23 live albums and numerous compilations. Let It Bleed (1969) followed by Sticky Fingers (1971) and Exile on Main St. (1972) are generally considered to be their best works during this period. They have been described as “the greatest rock and roll band of all time” by magazine polls such as Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Artists of All Time poll in 2004, VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time list in 1998, and Q magazine’s 100 Greatest Bands of All Time list in 2002.
David Bowie
David Bowie was one of the most popular music artists of the 1970s. He was known for his distinctive voice and innovative style of music. Bowie’s hits included “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Ziggy Stardust,” and “Fame.” He was also a successful actor, appearing in films such as “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and “Labyrinth.”
Elton John
Reginald Kenneth Dwight, better known to the world as Elton John, is a Grammy, Golden Globe and Academy Award-winning English singer, composer and pianist who has sold more than 250 million records worldwide. His success in the 1970s was unparalleled with seven consecutive No. 1 albums in the United States. He has continued to be a popular recording artist and touring act throughout the world, though he has not achieved the same level of success in recent years that he did in the 1970s.
Queen
Queen is a British rock band that rose to prominence in the 1970s. The band members were Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (lead guitar, vocals), John Deacon (bass guitar), and Roger Taylor (drums, vocals). Queen’s classic line-up was immortalised in the 1981 film Bohemian Rhapsody.
The band is noted for their musical diversity, multi-layered arrangements, spiritual themes, and ambitious productions. They are also considered to be a highly influential group in the development of pop rock music. Their popularity was further enhanced by their live performances, which featured their highly theatrical style and elaborate stagecraft.
Queen’s popularity began to decline in the late 1980s, but they regained their position as one of the world’s most popular bands in the early 1990s. In 2005, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2018 they received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
ABBA
ABBA was a Swedish pop music group formed in Stockholm in 1972, comprising Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group’s name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names. They became one of the most commercially successful acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1982. ABBA won the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 at The Dome in Brighton, UK, giving Sweden its first triumph in the contest. They are the most successful group to have taken part in the contest. ABBA are also deemed to have been a significant factor in popularising disco music internationally and were honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010. In 2015, their song “Dancing Queen” was inducted into the Recording Academy’s Grammy Hall of Fame.
ABBA rose to prominence in 1974 with their self-titled second studio album and reached their peak with 1979’s Voulez-Vous featuring two of their best-known singles “Chiquitita” and “Does Your Mother Know”. Their popularity began declining in 1982 as musical tastes changed and members began pursuing solo careers; by 1983 they had disbanded. Since ABBA’s break-up, numerous attempts have been made to reunite them; this has included plans for a new album and a stage musical based on their songs. In 1999, ABBA’s music was adapted into Mamma Mia!, a stage musical that became one of London’s longestrunning shows and one of Broadway’s biggest hits. A film adaptation followed two years later. Although ABBA were inactive for most of the 1980s and 1990s, there has continued to be great interest in their work both from fans as well as successive generations of pop musicians influenced by them such as Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears among others who have acknowledged their influence both musically and stylistically.
In 2010 Agnetha Fältskog released My Colouring Book her first solo album for 25 years which entered Swedish Albums Chart at No1 making her only female singer over 60 besides Cher to achieve this. In 2011 she was voted Sweden’s strongest female brand by advertising agency ACNE Production who placed her ahead of other strong female brands such as Pippi Longstocking Barbie The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo Lisbeth Salander ElsaElsa from Disney film Frozen In 2012 it was reported that Abba had sold over 375 million records worldwide which places them among world’s best selling artists ever
Conclusion
In conclusion, the best 70s pop music artists were a varied bunch, with different sounds and styles that appealed to a wide range of audiences. Some of the biggest names in the genre included ABBA, Bee Gees, and Donna Summer, while other popular artists included Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Barbra Streisand. There was something for everyone in the world of 70s pop music, and these artists helped to shape the sound of pop music for generations to come.