The following list includes notable musicians who were born or have lived in Chicago, Illinois.
The following list includes notable musicians who were born or have lived in Chicago, Illinois.
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma Abbott |  | Dec 9, 1850 | Jan 5, 1891 | Operatic soprano and impresario | Born in Chicago | [1] |
| Lil Hardin Armstrong |  | Feb 3, 1898 | Aug 27, 1971 | Pianist and bandleader | Lived and performed in Bronzeville, Chicago neighborhood | |
| Emilie Autumn |  | Sep 22, 1979 | Violindustrial singer, violinist, poet, and author | |||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patricia Barber |  | Nov 8, 1955 | Jazz singer, songwriter, and pianist | Born in Chicago | ||
| William Beckett |  | Feb 11, 1985 | Musician, associated with The Academy Is... | Lived in Chicago | ||
| Joe Becker (musician) | Jun 23, 1976 | Guitarist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist | Born in Chicago | |||
| Taylor Bennett | Jan 19, 1996 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | |||
| Franz Benteler | 1925 | 2010 | Violinist, "Ambassador of Music for Chicago" | Lived in Chicago | ||
| Andrew Bird |  | Jul 11, 1973 | Singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Zach Blair |  | Guitarist for Rise Against | ||||
| Harold Bradley Jr. |  | Oct 13, 1929 | Apr 13, 2021 | Singer of spirituals and blues, painter, actor, TV host, former football player, founder of Italy's iconic Folkstudio music club | Born in Chicago | |
| Oscar Brown Jr. | Oct 10, 1926 | May 29, 2005 | Musician, poet | Born in Chicago | ||
| Bob Bryar |  | December 31, 1979 | Drummer of My Chemical Romance | Born in Chicago | ||
| Johnny Burke | Oct 3, 1908 | Feb 25, 1964 | Lyricist | Raised in Chicago | [2] | |
| Paul Butterfield |  | Dec 17, 1942 | May 4, 1987 | Blues musician | Born in Chicago | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marty Casey |  | Sep 26, 1973 | Frontman of the rock band Lovehammers | Born in Chicago | ||
| Peter Cetera |  | Sep 13, 1944 | Former singer and bassist of Chicago | Born in Chicago | ||
| Jimmy Chamberlin |  | Jun 10, 1964 | Drummer for The Smashing Pumpkins | |||
| Chance the Rapper (born Chancelor Bennett) |  | Apr 16, 1993 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Gene Chandler |  | Jul 6, 1937 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Chief Keef (born Keith Cozart) |  | Aug 15, 1995 | Rapper | Born and lived in the Washington Park and Englewood neighborhoods on the South Side of Chicago | ||
| Charles W. Clark |  | Oct 15, 1865 | Aug 4, 1925 | Operatic baritone and vocalist teacher | Lived in Chicago | [3] |
| Nat King Cole |  | Mar 17, 1919 | Feb 15, 1965 | Singer | Lived in the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago | [4] |
| Steve Cole | Aug 17, 1971 | Jazz saxophonist | Born in Chicago | |||
| Steve Coleman |  | Sep 20, 1956 | Saxophonist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Sam Cooke |  | Jan 22, 1931 | Dec 11, 1964 | Singer | [5] | |
| Billy Corgan |  | Mar 17, 1967 | Singer and guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins | Lived in Chicago | [6] | |
| James Cotton |  | Jul 1, 1935 | Mar 16, 2017 | Blues musician | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack DeJohnette |  | Aug 9, 1942 | Drummer and pianist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Famous Dex |  | Sep 6, 1993 | Rapper | Lived in Chicago | [7] | |
| Dennis DeYoung |  | Feb 18, 1947 | Singer and keyboardist of Styx | |||
| Bo Diddley (born Ellas Otha Bates) |  | Dec 30, 1928 | Jun 2, 2008 | Rock and roll guitarist, singer, and songwriter | Lived in Chicago | [8] |
| Willie Dixon |  | Jul 1, 1915 | Jan 29, 1992 | Blues songwriter and record producer | ||
| Bill Doerrfeld |  | April 3, 1964 | Classical and jazz pianist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Young Dolph |  | Jul 27, 1985 | Nov 17, 2021 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | |
| Florence Kirsch Du Brul | 1915 | Jul 2, 2005 | Classical pianist | |||
| Lil Durk |  | Oct 19, 1992 | Rapper | Born in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago | ||
| Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kurt Elling |  | Nov 2, 1967 | Singer | Born and began his career in Chicago | ||
| Phil Everly |  | Jan 19, 1939 | Jan 3, 2014 | Singer | Born in Chicago | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Farmer | May 31, 1975 | bassist | Born in Chicago | |||
| Jeremih Felton (a.k.a. Jeremih) |  | Jul 17, 1987 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Paul Filipowicz | Mar 24, 1950 | Chicago blues musician | Born in Chicago | [9] | ||
| Drew Fortier |  | Jul 14, 1987 | Guitarist for Bang Tango, Chuck Mosley, Stephen Shareaux, and Zen From Mars | Born and raised in Chicago | [10] [11] | |
| Bud Freeman |  | Apr 13, 1906 | Mar 15, 1991 | Jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer | Born, worked and died in Chicago | |
| Von Freeman |  | Oct 3, 1923 | Aug 11, 2012 | Jazz saxophonist | Born, worked and died in Chicago | |
| Alexander Frey |  | Oct 5, 1972 | Conductor, pianist, organist, harpsichordist and composer | Born and grew up in Chicago | ||
| Kinky Friedman (born Richard S. Friedman) |  | Nov 1, 1944 | Singer, songwriter, novelist, humorist, politician and former columnist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polo G |  | Jan 6, 1999 | Rapper | Born in the Old Town district of Chicago | ||
| Marla Glen |  | Jan 3, 1960 | Singer | Born and grown up in Chicago | ||
| Benny Goodman |  | May 30, 1909 | Jun 13, 1986 | Bandleader | Born in Chicago | |
| Steve Goodman |  | Jul 25, 1948 | Sep 20, 1984 | Singer | Born in Chicago | |
| Gene Greene |  | Jun 9, 1857 | Apr 5, 1930 | Singer | ||
| Buddy Guy |  | Jul 30, 1936 | Blues guitarist | |||
| Rashawnna Guy (a.k.a. Shawnna) | Jan 3, 1978 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | |||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Hager | Aug 30, 1941 | May 1, 2008 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Jon Hager | Aug 30, 1941 | Jan 9, 2009 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Terry Hanck | 1944 | Blues saxophonist and singer | Born in Chicago | [12] | ||
| Herbie Hancock |  | Apr 12, 1940 | Jazz pianist, bandleader and composer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Eddie Harris |  | Oct 20, 1934 | Nov 5, 1996 | Jazz saxophonist | Born in Chicago | |
| Elizabeth Eden Harris (a.k.a. CupcakKe) |  | May 31, 1997 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Shawntae Harris (a.k.a. Da Brat) |  | Apr 14, 1974 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Jarad Anthony Higgins (a.k.a. Juice Wrld) |  | Dec 2, 1998 | Dec 8, 2019 | Rapper, Singer | Born in Chicago | |
| Art Hodes |  | Nov 14, 1904 | Mar 4, 1993 | Jazz pianist | Raised in Chicago, worked there for many years | |
| Loleatta Holloway | Nov 5, 1946 | Mar 21, 2011 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Miki Howard |  | Sep 30, 1960 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Howlin' Wolf (born Chester Arthur Burnett) | Jun 10, 1910 | Jan 10, 1976 | Musician | [13] | ||
| Jennifer Hudson |  | Sep 12, 1981 | Singer, actress, spokesperson, American Idol finalist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Andy Hurley |  | May 31, 1980 | Drummer for Fall Out Boy | |||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Iha |  | Mar 26, 1968 | Guitarist for The Smashing Pumpkins | Born in Chicago | ||
| Daniel Ivankovich |  | Nov 23, 1963 | Blues guitarist and vocalist | Raised and lives in Chicago | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (a.k.a. Lupe Fiasco) |  | Feb 17, 1982 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Ramone Johnson (a.k.a. Cashis) | Oct 10, 1982 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | |||
| Syleena Johnson |  | Sep 2, 1976 | Singer | |||
| Donell Jones |  | May 22, 1973 | Singer and composer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Quincy Jones |  | Mar 14, 1933 | Record producer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Benn Jordan |  | Oct 28, 1978 | Electronic musician | |||
| Name King von | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucy Kaplansky |  | Feb 16, 1960 | Folk singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Terry Kath | Jan 31, 1946 | Jan 23, 1978 | Singer and guitarist of Chicago | Born in Chicago | ||
| Brendan Kelly |  | Sep 8, 1976 | Bassist and vocalist of punk band The Lawrence Arms | |||
| R. Kelly | Jan 8, 1967 | R&B singer-songwriter, record producer and convicted sex offender | Born in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, lived in Douglas' Bronzeville area | [14] | ||
| Chaka Khan |  | Mar 23, 1953 | Singer ("Tell Me Something Good", "Sweet Thing" which she wrote for her then husband Richard Holland, "Ain't Nobody", "I'm Every Woman", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire") | Born in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago | ||
| William Wallace Kimball |  | 1828 | 1904 | Founder of Kimball Piano Company | ||
| Irwin Kostal | Oct 1, 1911 | Nov 23, 1994 | Arranger, composer, conductor | Born in Chicago | ||
| Gene Krupa |  | Jan 15, 1909 | Oct 16, 1973 | Drummer and bandleader | Born in Chicago | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Lamm |  | Oct 13, 1944 | Singer and keyboardist of Chicago | Grew up in Chicago | ||
| Ramsey Lewis |  | May 27, 1935 | Sep 12, 2022 | Jazz pianist and composer | Born in Chicago | |
| Timothy Michael Linton (a.k.a. Zim Zum) |  | Jun 25, 1969 | Guitarist and songwriter for Marilyn Manson, The Pop Culture Suicides | Born in Chicago | ||
| Nils Lofgren |  | Jun 21, 1951 | Member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, former backing musician for Neil Young | Born in Chicago | ||
| Radoslav Lorković |  | Sep 3, 1958 | Croatian American Musician | Lives in Chicago | ||
| Lucki | May 30, 1996 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | |||
| Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. (a.k.a. Common) |  | Mar 13, 1972 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Lil Durk | Oct 19, 1992 | Rapper Singer | Born In Chicago |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ray Manzarek |  | Feb 12, 1939 | May 20, 2013 | Keyboardist of The Doors | Born in Chicago | [15] | |
| Richard Marx |  | Sep 16, 1963 | Singer and songwriter | Born in Chicago | |||
| Curtis Mayfield |  | Jun 3, 1942 | Dec 26, 1999 | Songwriter and guitarist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Vic Mensa |  | June 6, 1993 | Rapper and activist | Born in Chicago | |||
| Tim McIlrath |  | Nov 3, 1978 | Lead singer and guitarist for Rise Against | ||||
| Carl Terrell Mitchell (a.k.a. Twista) |  | Nov 27, 1973 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | |||
| Tom Morello |  | May 30, 1964 | Guitarist | ||||
| McKinley Morganfield (a.k.a. Muddy Waters) |  | Apr 4, 1913 | Apr 30, 1983 | Blues musician | Lived in Chicago | [13] | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Nelson | Jun 1, 1950 | Lead singer of Little River Band | ||||
| Anastacia Lyn Newkirk (a.k.a. Anastacia) |  | Sep 17, 1968 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Francis Warren Nicholls, Jr. (a.k.a. Frankie Knuckles) |  | Jan 18, 1955 | Mar 31, 2014 | House music pioneer, called the "Godfather of House" | Lived in Chicago, developed Chicago house genre | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim O'Rourke |  | Jan 18, 1969 | Experimental musician | Born in Chicago | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keke Palmer |  | Aug 26, 1993 | Singer actress | |||
| Chuck Panozzo |  | Sep 20, 1948 | Bass guitarist for Styx | Born in Chicago | ||
| John Panozzo | Sep 20, 1948 | Jul 16, 1996 | Drummer for Styx | Grew up in the Roseland neighborhood of Chicago | ||
| Walter Parazaider |  | Mar 14, 1945 | Woodwind player for Chicago | Born in Chicago | ||
| Sol Patches | Rapper and poet | Born and resides in Chicago | [16] | |||
| Tom Paxton |  | Oct 31, 1937 | Folk singer, songwriter | Born in Chicago | ||
| Jim Peterik |  | Nov 11, 1950 | Founding member of Survivor and member of The Ides of March | Born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn | ||
| Liz Phair |  | Apr 17, 1967 | Singer | |||
| Rachel Barton Pine |  | Oct 11, 1974 | Violinist | Born in Chicago | ||
| Omar Jeffery Pineiro |  | May 15, 1997 | Rapper, known professionally as Smokepurpp | Born in Chicago | ||
| Joe Principe |  | Nov 14, 1974 | Bassist for Rise Against | Born in Chicago | ||
| John Prine |  | Oct 10, 1946 | Apr 7, 2020 | Folk singer, songwriter | Born in Chicago | |
| Vicky Psarakis |  | Jun 22, 1988 | Vocalist for The Agonist | Born in Chicago |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Kal" David Raskin |  | Jun 15, 1943 | Guitarist, singer, songwriter, Illinois Speed Press | Born in Chicago | ||
| Elizabeth Reiter | Operatic soprano | Born in Chicago | ||||
| Ryan Raddon (a.k.a. Kaskade) |  | Feb 25, 1971 | Electronic musician | Born in Chicago | ||
| Mishon Ratliff | Feb 3, 1993 | Singer and actor | ||||
| Lou Rawls |  | Dec 1, 1933 | Jan 6, 2006 | Singer | Born in Chicago | [8] |
| Lil Reese | Jan 6, 1993 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | |||
| Minnie Riperton |  | Nov 8, 1947 | Jul 12, 1979 | Singer | Born in Chicago | |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fredo Santana | Jul 4, 1990 | Jan 19, 2018 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Danny Seraphine |  | Aug 28, 1948 | Drummer of the band Chicago | Born in Chicago | ||
| Peniel D. Shin | Mar 10, 1993 | Rapper and vocalist for BtoB | ||||
| Silver Sphere | Aug 26, 1999 | Singer-songwriter | Born and raised in Chicago | [17] | ||
| Matt Skiba |  | Feb 24, 1976 | Lead singer and guitarist of Alkaline Trio and blink-182 | Born in Chicago | ||
| Che Smith (a.k.a. Rhymefest) |  | Jul 6, 1977 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Patti Smith |  | Dec 30, 1946 | Singer, songwriter and poet | Born in Chicago | ||
| Horatio Spafford |  | Oct 20, 1828 | Oct 16, 1888 | Composer | ||
| Donita Sparks |  | Apr 8, 1962 | Lead singer, rhythm guitarist and founder of bands L7 and Donita Sparks and the Stellar Moments; one of the founders of the pro-choice organisation Rock for Choice and of CASH Music | Born in Chicago | [18] | |
| Mavis Staples |  | Jul 10, 1939 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Patrick Stump |  | Apr 27, 1984 | Lead singer and guitarist for Fall Out Boy | Born in the Chicago suburb of Evanston | ||
| Todd Sucherman |  | May 2, 1969 | Drummer for the band Styx | Born in Chicago | ||
| Johnny Suh | Feb 2, 1995 | Lead dancer, sub vocalist and sub rapper for NCT 127. | Born in Chicago | |||
| William Susman |  | Aug 29, 1960 | Composer | |||
| Earl Sweatshirt |  | Feb 24, 1994 | Rapper, producer, and songwriter | Born and raised in Chicago | ||
| Smokepurpp. | May 15, 1997 | Rapper, Singer, Songwriter | Born In Chicago and raised Miami |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Taylor Jr. | Mar 27, 1972 | Mar 8, 2019 | Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter | Born in Chicago | [19] | |
| Koko Taylor |  | Sep 28, 1928 | Jun 3, 2009 | Singer | Lived and died in Chicago | |
| Theodore Roosevelt Taylor (a.k.a. Hound Dog Taylor) | Apr 12, 1915 | Dec 17, 1975 | Guitarist | |||
| Kim Thayil |  | Sep 4, 1960 | Guitarist of Soundgarden | |||
| Doug Timm |  | Jun 14, 1960 | Jul 21, 1989 | Composer and songwriter | Born in Chicago | |
| Giorgio Tozzi | Jan 8, 1923 | May 30, 2011 | Basso | Born in Chicago | ||
| Lennie Tristano |  | Mar 19, 1919 | Nov 18, 1978 | Pianist | Born in Chicago | |
| Joe Trohman |  | Sep 1, 1984 | Guitarist for Fall Out Boy | |||
| Jeff Tweedy |  | Aug 25, 1967 | Singer and songwriter, member of Wilco and Uncle Tupelo | |||
| Twista |  | Nov 27, 1973 | Rapper | Born In Chicago |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eddie Vedder |  | Dec 23, 1964 | Lead singer for the band Pearl Jam | |||
| King Von | Aug 9, 1994 | Nov 6, 2020 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Jacob Walker |  | Sep 17, 1985 | Bassist for Panic at the Disco | |||
| Christian Ward (a.k.a. Yung Berg) |  | Sep 9, 1986 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Dinah Washington |  | Aug 29, 1924 | Dec 14, 1963 | Singer | [5] | |
| Jody Watley |  | Jan 30, 1959 | Singer | Born in Chicago | ||
| DeAndre Cortez Way (a.k.a. Soulja Boy) |  | Jul 28, 1990 | Rapper | Born in Chicago | ||
| Pete Wentz |  | Jun 5, 1979 | Bassist and lyricist for Fall Out Boy | |||
| Paul Wertico |  | Jan 5, 1953 | Jazz drummer | Born in Chicago | ||
| Kanye West |  | Jun 8, 1977 | Rapper and producer | Grew up in the South Shore neighborhood of Chicago | ||
| Verdine White | Jul 25, 1951 | Bassist and Founding member for Earth Wind & Fire | Born in Chicago | |||
| Pharez Whitted |  | Aug 26, 1960 | Jazz trumpeter, composer, educator | |||
| Wesley Willis |  | May 31, 1963 | Aug 21, 2003 | Singer | born in Chicago | |
| Dion Wilson (a.k.a. No ID) |  | Hip hop and R&B record producer | Born in Chicago | |||
| D'arcy Wretzky |  | May 1, 1968 | Bassist for Smashing Pumpkins | |||
| Herbert Wright (a.k.a. G Herbo) | Oct 8, 1995 | Rapper | Born in Chicago |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camille Yarbrough | Jan 8, 1938 | Singer, author, actress | Born in Chicago | |||
| James Young |  | Nov 14, 1949 | Guitarist for Styx | Born in Chicago | ||
| Yomo | Jun 17,1980 | Regueton Singer | Born in Chicago |
| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Zevon |  | Jan 24, 1947 | Sep 7, 2003 | Singer | Born in Chicago |
| Name | Image | Founded | Disbanded | Music | Association | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 Fingers Louie | 1993 | 2011 | Punk band | Founded in Chicago | ||
| Alacranes Musical | 1999 | Duranguense | Founded in the Chicago suburb of Aurora | [20] | ||
| Beach Bunny |  | 2015 | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | ||
| Big Black |  | 1981 | 1987 | Punk/noise rock band | Founded in Chicago suburb of Evanston | |
| The Buckinghams |  | 1966 | present | Sunshine pop band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Cheap Trick |  | 1973 | present | Rock group | Founded in Chicago, Cheap Trick plans to open a music complex on Motor Row in Chicago's South Loop | [21] |
| The Chi-Lites | 1959 | present | R&B soul vocal quartet | Founded in Chicago | ||
| Chicago |  | 1967 | present | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Cobalt & the Hired Guns |  | 2003 | Punk rock band | Based in Chicago | [22] | |
| Disturbed |  | 1994 | present | Heavy metal band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Do or Die (a.k.a. D.O.D.) | 1995 | present | Rap trio | Originally from the west side of Chicago | ||
| Earth, Wind & Fire |  | 1971 | present | Band spanning various genres such as soul, R&B, pop, jazz, funk, disco, rock, Latin and African | Founded in Chicago | [23] |
| The Emotions | 1962 | present | Soul/R&B vocal group | Founded in Chicago | ||
| Enuff Z'Nuff | 1984 | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | [24] | ||
| Fall Out Boy |  | 2001 | present | Rock band | Founded in the Chicago suburb of Wilmette | [25] |
| Hope in Ghosts | 2001 | Rock band | From Chicago | |||
| The Jesus Lizard |  | 1987 | present | Alternative/noise rock band | Moved to Chicago in 1989, originally from Austin, Texas | |
| Kids These Days | 2009 | 2013 | Hip hop band | Founded in Chicago | ||
| Kill Hannah |  | 1993 | 2015 | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Krewella |  | 2007 | present | Electronic trio | Founded in Chicago | |
| Lakeside Singers | Ensemblé | From Chicago area | ||||
| Louis the Child | 2013 | present | Electronic duo | Founded in Chicago | [26] | |
| Ministry |  | 1981 | present | Pioneering industrial metal band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Naked Raygun |  | 1980 | present | Punk rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| OK Go |  | 1998 | present | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Paul Butterfield Blues Band |  | 1963 | 1971 | Blues rock band, performed at Woodstock | Founded in Chicago by Paul Butterfield and Mike Bloomfield | |
| Plain White T's |  | 1997 | present | Pop punk band | Founded in the Chicago suburb of Lombard | |
| Rise Against | | 1999 | present | Punk-rock group | Founded in Chicago | |
| Rufus | 1970 | 1983 | Funk and R&B band | Founded in Chicago | ||
| Screeching Weasel | 1986 | present | pioneering pop punk band | Founded in the Chicago suburb of Prospect Heights | ||
| Slow Motion Crash |  | 2006 | Rock band | From Chicago | [27] | |
| The Smashing Pumpkins |  | 1988 | present | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Smith Westerns |  | 2007 | present | Garage/indie rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| The Staple Singers | 1948 | 1994 | R&B singing group | Founded in Chicago | ||
| TRS-80 | 1997 | present | Electronic | Founded in Chicago | ||
| Twin Peaks |  | 2012 | present | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Urge Overkill |  | 1986 | present | Rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| The White Tie Affair |  | 2006 | 2012 | Pop-rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Whitney |  | 2015 | present | Indie folk/indie rock/soul band | Founded in Chicago | |
| Wilco |  | 1994 | present | Alternative rock band | Founded in Chicago | |
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It originated from African American music such as jazz, rhythm and blues, boogie-woogie, electric blues, gospel, jump blues, as well as country music. While rock and roll's formative elements can be heard in blues records from the 1920s and in country records of the 1930s, the genre did not acquire its name until 1954.
Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to African Americans, at a time when "rocking, jazz based music ... [with a] heavy, insistent beat" was becoming more popular. In the commercial rhythm and blues music typical of the 1950s through the 1970s, the bands usually consisted of a piano, one or two guitars, bass, drums, one or more saxophones, and sometimes background vocalists. R&B lyrical themes often encapsulate the African-American history and experience of pain and the quest for freedom and joy, as well as triumphs and failures in terms of societal racism, oppression, relationships, economics, and aspirations.
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active across seven decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pioneered the gritty, rhythmically driven sound that came to define hard rock. Their first stable line-up consisted of vocalist Mick Jagger, guitarist Keith Richards, multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones, bassist Bill Wyman, and drummer Charlie Watts. During their early years, Jones was the primary leader of the band. After Andrew Loog Oldham became the group's manager in 1963, he encouraged them to write their own songs. The Jagger–Richards partnership became the band's primary songwriting and creative force.
McKinley Morganfield, known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of modern Chicago blues". His style of playing has been described as "raining down Delta beatitude".
Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became popular for dancing and listening, where U.S. record labels such as Motown, Atlantic and Stax were influential during the Civil Rights Movement. Soul also became popular around the world, directly influencing rock music and the music of Africa. It also had a resurgence in the mid-to late 1990s with the subgenre neo-soul, which added modern production elements and influence from hip-hop.
Traditional pop is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards or American standards. The works of these songwriters and composers are usually considered part of the canon known as the "Great American Songbook". More generally, the term "standard" can be applied to any popular song that has become very widely known within mainstream culture.
The British Invasion was a cultural phenomenon of the mid-1960s, when rock and pop music acts from the United Kingdom and other aspects of British culture became popular in the United States with significant influence on the rising "counterculture" on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. UK pop and rock groups such as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Who, the Kinks, the Zombies, Small Faces, the Dave Clark Five, The Spencer Davis Group, Herman's Hermits, the Hollies, the Animals, Gerry and the Pacemakers, the Searchers, the Yardbirds, Them, and Manfred Mann, as well as solo singers such as Dusty Springfield, Cilla Black, Petula Clark, Tom Jones and Donovan, were at the forefront of the "invasion".
Dinah Washington was an American singer and pianist, one of the most popular black female recording artists of the 1950s. Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues". She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
The United States' multi-ethnic population is reflected through a diverse array of styles of music. It is a mixture of music influenced by the music of Europe, Indigenous peoples, West Africa, Latin America, Middle East, North Africa, amongst many other places. The country's most internationally renowned genres are traditional pop, jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, rock, rock and roll, R&B, pop, hip-hop/rap, soul, funk, religious, disco, house, techno, ragtime, doo-wop, folk, americana, boogaloo, tejano, reggaeton, surf, and salsa, amongst many others. American music is heard around the world. Since the beginning of the 20th century, some forms of American popular music have gained a near global audience.
Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from British and American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle, traditional pop and music hall. It rose to mainstream popularity in the UK and Europe by 1963 before spreading to North America in 1964 with the British Invasion. The beat style had a significant impact on popular music and youth culture, from 1960s movements such as garage rock, folk rock and psychedelic music.
"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards' songwriting partnership, it features a guitar riff by Richards that opens and drives the song. The riff by Richards is widely considered one of the greatest hooks of all time. The song's lyrics refer to sexual frustration and commercialism.
John Sanford Gilliland Jr. was an American radio broadcaster and documentarian best known for the Pop Chronicles music documentaries and as one of the original members of The Credibility Gap. He was born and died in his hometown of Quanah, Texas. He worked for a number of radio stations in Texas and California including KOGO in San Diego (1961–1965), KRLA 1110 in Los Angeles (1965–1970), and KSFO (AM) in San Francisco (1971–1978).
The Pop Chronicles are two radio documentary series which together "may constitute the most complete audio history of 1940s–60s popular music." They originally aired starting in 1969 and concluded about 1974. Both were produced by John Gilliland.
"Susie Q" is a rockabilly song co-written and performed by American musician Dale Hawkins released in 1957. The song was a commercial success, and became a classic of the early rock and roll era being recorded by many other performers in subsequent years.
This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1950s.
Music of the United Kingdom developed in the 1960s into one of the leading forms of popular music in the modern world. By the early 1960s the British had developed a viable national music industry and began to produce adapted forms of American music in Beat music and British blues which would be re-exported to America by bands such as The Beatles, The Animals and the Rolling Stones. This helped to make the dominant forms of popular music something of a shared Anglo-American creation, and led to the growing distinction between pop and rock music, which began to develop into diverse and creative subgenres that would characterise the form throughout the rest of the twentieth century.
