Aerosmith are the highest-selling American rock band of all time, not including individuals such as Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson. They have sold over 150 million albums worldwide. They have 25 gold albums, 18 platinum albums and 12 multi-platinum albums, the most certifications for an American rock band. They have 21 songs that charted in the top 40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Some of their big hits include "Dream on," "Walk This Way," "Angel" and "Jaded."
A big part of their success was Steven Tyler's voice. His Boston accent gives his voice a very unique flavor in the rock and roll world. He is known as "The demon of screamin'." He and guitarist Joe Perry wrote many hit songs together. They had a reputation for fighting a lot and they were known as "The Toxic Twins," but they got in the Songwriters' Hall of Fame together. Tyler once advised young songwriters to make each other angry because it worked for him and Perry.
2. Michigan
Answer: Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder is arguably the most famous blind musician of all time (it's him or Ray Charles). He blends rock and roll music with gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz and other styles. He has sold over 100 million albums worldwide. He has been inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. He is known for his singing voice as well as his ability to play multiple instruments such as the drums, harmonica, and the keyboards. His hits include "Superstition," "Higher Ground," and a duet with Paul McCartney called "Ebony and Ivory."
3. Minnesota
Answer: Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is widely considered to be the greatest songwriter of all time. He ranks number one on most published lists of greatest songwriters of all time. He has sold over 125 million albums worldwide and has been inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He has won ten Grammy Awards, and Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, and a Nobel Prize.
One thing he was famous for was protest songs. His 1963 song "Blowin' in the Wind" was a theme song of the Civil Rights Movement of 1964. The line "How many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free" resonated with many African Americans at the time. His song "Rainy Day Women" was written to protest the mistreatment of women. At the time, according to Dylan, women would get stoned for just about anything. His song "Maggie's Farm" protests mistreatment in the workplace as he laments about a time he worked somewhere where all of his bosses treated him badly. His messages resonated with many people and his songs were oft-covered.
He was also one of the first musicians to blend folk music with electric guitars. This was controversial at the time. Folk music usually only used acoustic guitars not electric guitars. Fans of folk music did not like the sound of the electric guitar. Dylan started incorporating them in his music in 1965. Opinions were mixed at first, but over time electric guitars become more commonplace in folk music.
One problem with Dylan: his subpar live shows. Live versions of his songs have completely different arrangements compared to the studio versions, making them almost unrecognizable. Many people have expressed disappointment in his live shows.
4. Mississippi
Answer: Elvis Presley
Elvis was born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He is known as "The king of rock and roll." He has sold over 500 million albums worldwide, making him the highest-selling musician in history. He is known for being a Caucasian man who sings songs written by African Americans. In the 1950s, many people refused to listen to African American music. When it was performed by a Caucasian man, that's when people began to pay attention. He is also known for doing many different styles, such as rock, pop, country, and gospel. He won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36.
Elvis is famous for his very distinctive voice. It's hard to describe. He just sounds like Elvis. No one else sounds like him, although many have tried. More people love his voice than anyone else's voice. He is also known for shaking his hips a lot. This got him in trouble with the media, but women loved him for it.
All rock and roll after him was influenced by him. He heavily influenced the Beatles, who then went onto influence just about every rock musician after them.
5. Missouri
Answer: Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry is one of the founding fathers of rock and roll. He was one of the first people ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is known for being one of the first musicians to incorporate electric guitars into rock music. Before him, rock and roll was mostly piano-driven. Since him, most of it has been guitar-driven and it's because of him. He is also known for his "duck walk" a memorable dance move he did onstage, and for his witty comments at live shows.
His hit songs include "Maybelline," "Nadine," "Roll Over Beethoven," "School Days," and "Rock and Roll Music."
6. Montana
Answer: Colin Meloy
Meloy is the lead singer of the Decemberists, perhaps my all-time favorite band. He is one of the greatest musical story-tellers of all time. He writes fictional stories, most of which are about some kind of abuse. The rest of the Decemberists are very skilled musicians who help bring his stories to life.
My personal favorite song is "The Mariner's Revenge Song," a story in which a young man's mother dies, she blames the man's stepfather, she tells her son to brutally kill her stepfather, and he does so, but then he dies by being eaten by a whale.
My favorite album is "The Hazards of Love" a love story. In the story, the main character is a deer that shapeshifts into a man. He falls in love with a nun named Margaret and she falls in love with him. They conceive a child together. The man's mother forbids this relationship until he makes a deal with her. The deal says that he gets to spend one night with Margaret, then he must spend the rest of his life with his mother and never again see his true love. It is later revealed that the mother is actually the forest. The forest has the ability to shapeshift into a woman. It also has the ability to resurrect dead people. An evil man known as "the rake" kidnaps Margaret and the faun's mother helps the rake take Margaret across the Annan river. The faun sneaks away from his mother to find Margaret. When he gets to the river he makes a deal. The river allows him to cross one time, then it can kill him when he comes back. The river accepts this deal. Just as the rake is about to abuse Margaret, the faun comes in and saves her. The rake recognizes the faun as his son Isaiah, whom he had burned to death but the queen resurrected him. When the faun and Margaret return to the river to try and cross it again, they both drown.
7. Nebraska
Answer: Matthew Sweet
Sweet is from Lincoln. His 1991 album "Girlfriend" was certified gold by RIAA. The title song charted at number 71 on the ARIA (Australia) chart, number four on the U.S. Alternative Airplay Chart, and number ten on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Chart. The song was about his then-recent divorce from his first wife.
8. Nevada
Answer: Brandon Flowers
Flowers is the lead singer of The Killers. They are an American band that may have had more success in the U.K. than in the U.S. They have seven studio albums, each of which went to number one on the U.K. Albums chart. Their debut album "Hot Fuss" has been certified eight times platinum in the U.K. compared to just six times platinum in the U.S. Their second album "Sam's Town" has been certified five times platinum in the U.K. compared to just platinum in the U.S. Their third album "Day & Age" has been certified four times platinum in the U.K. compared to just platinum in the U.S.
Their big hits include "Mr. Brightside," "Somebody Told Me," "All These Things That I've Done," "When You Were Young," "Human," and "Runaways."
9. New Hampshire
Answer: Ronnie James Dio
Ronnie James Dio replaced Ozzy Osbourne in Black Sabbath in the 1980s. He changed their sound drastically. They had been known for slow, brooding songs that start quiet and build up to something loud. He made faster songs that started fast and didn't really build. Black Sabbath had moderate success with him, albeit less success than they had with Ozzy. Dio then had a solo career, where he made hits like "Holy Diver." He's famous for making the "devil horns" sign with his hand and popularizing it in heavy metal.
10. New Jersey
Answer: Jon Bon Jovi
He is famous for a band that he founded and named after himself. Bon Jovi have sold over 130 million albums worldwide and played in over 3000 concerts in 50 countries with over 34 million people watching them. They are famous for bridging the gap between heavy metal and pop music.
Jon Bon Jovi is in the Songwriters' Hall of Fame. He's famous for his voice, which had such a unique tone and such power that a lot of people loved it. He also owns the Arena Football League team the Philadelphia Soul.
Bon Jovi's hits include "Livin' on a Prayer," "You Give Love a Bad Name," "Wanted Dead or Alive," "Runaway," and "Who Says You Can't Go Home?"
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