Queen

Queen has made a lasting impact on the world. This impact was due in some part to their music, but it was also due to vocalist Freddie Mercury's death. His death showed the power of AIDS as his death was due to the deadly disease. But Queen lives on.

In 1971, Mercury joined guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon to form Queen. Their first album, Queen, didn't yield that much success, but Queen II did, producing the hit "Killer Queen". The group climbed from there, producing hits such as "Another One Bites the Dust" (#1), "Bicycle Race", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You", and "We Are the Champions". Queen also worked with David Bowie on "Under Pressure", which topped the U.K. charts but only reached #29 on the U.S. charts. The band also set a record that still stands: most paying fans to attend a concert by a single band. In 1981, 131,000 and 120,000 fans attended back-to-back concerts by Queen in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Unfortunately, Mercury died before Queen achieved more success, dying of AIDS-related causes in 1991. Queen was later inducted into the Rock Hall in 2001. Their hits "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions" are sports anthems around the world. Queen's legacy will forever live.

Guns 'N Roses

One of the greatest bands that didn't last very long, up there with The Experience and Nirvana, Guns 'N Roses still has a legacy. But the legacy really only hinges on one of the most influential rock albums in history: Appetite for Destruction.

The group got together in 1986. The main stars of the band were lead vocalist Axl Rose, who is the only remaining member still with GNR, and co-lead guitarist Slash, who joined Velvet Revolver and formed Slash's Snakepit. GNR released its debut album in 1987. This album was by far their best ever, producing such hits as "Sweet Child O' Mine" (#1), "Paradise City", and "Welcome to the Jungle", which most professional sports teams use to get themselves fired up. The album's title was Appetite for Destruction, in case you didn't guesss it already.

The years that followed were rough on the group. They did produce more hits, such as "Patience" (#5), and great covers (remakes) of Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die", Aerosmith's "Mama Kin", and Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". They also produced more albums, but none matched the success of Appetite for Destruction. Nirvana came along and stole their thunder. Axl became a kind of dictator and took charge of the band. These last two events caused the band to break up. Slash was the last to leave in 1995, leaving Axl stranded with GNR. The group has never done a reunion tour or anything of the sort, but I have a feeling that they're going to do one soon.

Jimi Hendrix

Self-taught Jimi Hendrix is perhaps the greatest guitar player ever. Although he died when he was only 27 years old (a death he helped cause due to drug addictions), he still made a lasting impact on the rock world. He was born to an Army officer. In fact, he joined the army in 1961. After receiving an honorable discharge in 1962, he started playing guitar. He taught himself, and he started his greatest band he played with, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, in 1966.

The Experience released its first album, Are You Experienced?, in 1967. It included hit singles "Hey Joe", "Purple Haze", and "The Wind Cries Mary". But it was in this year that Hendrix started a path that no one should follow, addiction to drugs. Yet a great performance was to come in this year. The Experience performed at the Monterey Pop Festival. The performance was amazing and reached its climax when Hendrix set his guitar on fire--literally. Then The Experience released Axis: Bold As Love and Electric Ladyland in 1967 and 1968, respectively. Axis was not as good as Electric Ladyland, which included "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", "Crosstown Traffic", and a cover (remake) of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower". Hendrix quit The Experience and set off on a new venture with Band of Gypsys. It didn't turn out great, as Hendrix's addictions took their toll on his playing. He died in 1970, at the age of 27. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock Hall in 1992, and his legacy lives on.

Eric Clapton

One of the greatest guitarists ever, Eric Clapton still is rocking. He is so great that he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES. That still stands as the record for most times to be inducted into the Rock Hall.

Clapton started with the Yardbirds, an old blues rock group out of Britain. The group was mildly successful for the period that Clapton was with them. Clapton left the group in 1965. The next major band that he was a part of was Cream, which he joined the next year. He made more success with them, producing "Sunshine of Your Love (#5) and "Crossroads, which has the #10 guitar solo of all time according to Guitar World. Cream broke up in 1968, and Clapton's next endeavor was with Derek and the Dominoes, which produced a classic with "Layla". Clapton went solo and made some more hits, including "After Midnight", "Blues Power", and "Let it Rain". Clapton got addicted to drugs. After coming clean, he released 461 Ocean Boulevard in Miami. This album went #1, along with his cover (remake) of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff". Clapton made some more minor endeavors after that, but he still keeps rocking.

Michael Jackson

The King of Pop still lives even though he's dead. Michael Jackson is one of the greatest artists of all time. He has made countless hits, including "Bad", "Thriller, "Billie Jean", "Smooth Criminal", "Black or White", "Man in the Mirror", and "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough". He changed lives with "We Are the World". He has worked with legends, including Vincent Price, Slash of Guns N' Roses, Diana Ross, and many more. He performed at the Super Bowl XXVII Halftime Show. He made the "Moonwalk" dance move famous. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the same year as Aerosmith. His Album Thriller was certified 26 times platinum. He has produced three #1 albums. He is a legend hat would have gone on do have even more success had he not died a tragic death in 2009. His legacy is to great to surpass. The world will always remember him for his great achievements. Although he's not really a rock artist, he does have one song that I classify as rock: "Beat It", a #1 hit. This song features a mind-blowing guitar solo done by the one and only Eddie Van Halen. Here's the music video for the legendary number.

Journey

Journey is one of the greats of rocks. It all began in 1973 when guitarist Neal Schon, bassist Ross Valory, guitarist George Tickner, and  drummer Prairie Prince joined together to form the band. They were all instrumental. They released their debut album Journey in 1974. Tickner left the band to attend medical school and Journey was without a second guitarist. They moved on and their next three albums all charted higher than their debut.

Enter Steve Perry, their lead vocalist. With him, the band soared to new heights and produced their hits. These include "Any Way You Want It", "Don't Stop Believin'", "Lights", "Open Arms", "Faithfully",  "Girl Can't Help It", "Searate Ways (Worlds Apart)", "Who's Cryin' Now", "Lovin', Touchin', Sueezin'", and "Only the Young". The group continued to achieve more success, as they toured with a man who would become an "American Idol" judge, bassist Randy Jackson. They also gained popularity as another Fox TV show, "Glee", used their song "Don't Stop Believin'" as a lauching point. Journey has also inspired a video game. Journey still remains popular and remains forever among rock legends. Here is one of their greatest hits off of their album Departure, "any Way You Want It".

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