This Canadian-American band was the shortest-lived on our list, spanning a life of only two years, from 1966 to 1968. Buffalo Springfield was formed in Los Angeles by Stephen Stills, Bruce Palmer, Dewey Martin, and Neil Young. The band evolved in their two albums from folk-rock to psychedelia and hard rock. Also, the band grew to include Richie Furay, David Crosby, Jim Fielder, Ken Koblun, and Jim Messina.
The band’s members disbanded in 1968, with Stills going on to form Crosby, Stills & Nash, and the others forming their own bands. The band has since done a 2011 reunion tour which was planned to continue until the end of 2012 but was put on pause and inevitably led to an indefinite hiatus. However, back in 1997, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Recommended Listening: With only three official albums spanning from 1966 to 1968, there is, unfortunately, not a great deal of choice for those who want to enjoy the band to the fullest. Regardless, we highly recommend listening to “For What It’s Worth,” a song that still gets played to this day as a protest song.
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Bruce Springsteen is a household name at this point. With iconic American songs such as "Born in the U.S.A." and "Streets of Philadelphia," the singer, songwriter, and musician has been rocking for the last five decades and has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. What makes Springsteen's songs so unique and relatable is the way the songs relate to working-class Americans who are proud of their country.
His songs include a vast array of social, religious, and political themes, but are all approached with true respect and love for man and country.
Recommended Listening: Written in a rented cottage in New Jersey and worked on for six months until perfection, the song "Born to Run" is known by many to be one of Springsteen's best works.
Heart
Although Heart originally came from the United States, the band ironically found its success when the members moved to Canada to avoid the draft. The band rose to fame for their folk-rock and light metal music themes. The heart was formed in Seattle by Steve Fossen, Roger Fisher, David Belzer, and Jeff Johnson, and its female sister vocalists, Ann and Nancy Willson. The band has sold over 35 million records worldwide to date and has been ranked as one of the greatest hard rock bands of all time. Also, in 2013, Heart was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
One of the band's main features is its diverse set of musical styles, which caused the band to be labeled as everything from heavy metal to easy listening, and more. Their famous album, Dog and Butterfly, was a mix of hard rock tunes on the "Dog" side of the album and folk ballads on the "Butterfly" side.
Recommended Listening: Our favorite Heart song is 'Barracuda.' An angry ballad with galloping folk beats about Ann Wilson's rage over Mushroom Records’ publicity stunt that involved putting out a rumor about a romantic relationship between Ann and her sister. It's a must-listen if you're looking for some good old heavy rock.
Journey
Like many bands on our list, Journey was formed in San Francisco during the early '70s by former Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch members. The band was most popular and successful between the late '70s and the late '80s. During this period, the band released some of their most famous songs, which included "Don't Stop Believing," "Open Arms," and "Faithfully."
The band's style is regarded as a combination of arena rock and progressive rock, and jazz. In 2017, their unique talent and sound got Journey members Steve Perry, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, Gregg Rolie, Ross Valory, Aynsley Dunbar, and Steve Smith inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The journey is often heard of or referred to in various films, TV shows, video games, and even theater. The band was featured in 'The Sopranos,' 'Glee,' and 'Family Guy.' USA Today ranked the band as the 5th best rock band in history.
Recommended Listening: Everyone's favorite inspirational song, "Don't Stop Believin'," is a perfect entry into the band's iconic music, with an incredible mix of hard rock roots and sweet pop vocals and melody. This song was covered and featured in numerous musical and entertainment media and is the best-selling catalog track of the digital music era, with more than 5 million digital sales.
Kansas
Kansas began in 1973 and has had plenty of different members over the years. You almost certainly know Kansas from their song “Carry On Wayward Son,” but the band has achieved plenty more, including three multi-platinum albums.
Kansas combined hard rock, southern rock, and progressive rock and was inspired by Yes and Genesis, though Livgren also cited the 60's band Touch as foundational. The classic era lasted until the mid-80s when the band reformed as a somewhat harder pop metal band.
Recommended listening: Kansas's most popular album is Leftoverture, thanks to “Carry On Wayward Son.” Also, hear “Dust in the Wind,” the band's only top-ten single.