First, the group that probably can lay claim to kicking off the classic rock era: The Beatles. From “Love Me Do” (their first big hit) to “Real Love” (their last big hit), their music has influenced not only their generation but the generations that followed.

The Beatles

They have had twenty #1 singles on the Billboard charts in America; they have won 10 Grammys and an Academy Award; they have estimated record sales worldwide of more than 1.3 billion. Not dollars, but 1.3 billion records! Far and away they are the best-selling musical artists of all time.

What made them so great and so influential? Some would say it was timing, but I tend to think it was the four individuals that came together to form the group. John, Paul, George, and Ringo each had somewhat different backgrounds but shared one important thing: a passion for music. Listen to those early recordings. Albums like Meet the Beatles or Beatles ’65. Their music was as tight as anyone’s from the time they spent perfecting their craft in Germany and Liverpool.

They also stretched the boundaries of what music could be. They were one of the first bands (if not the first) to use sitar in their songs (“Norwegian Wood”). They were the first to use a synthesizer (“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer”). They were one of the first to use a recorded track played backwards in a song (“I’m Only Sleeping”). Their ability to perform anything from country (“Act Naturally”) to blues “I Want You (She’s so Heavy)”) to mellow love songs (“I Will”) to hard rocking numbers (“Helter Skelter”) and anything in between showed the virtuosity as musicians, song writers, and singer. Without them, hundreds of musical artists we have enjoyed over the past fifty years may never have ventured into the musical world.

Next is a band that I feel defined hard rock better than any early on: Led Zeppelin. Even though they were based in the blues, as many British bands were (Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones, Cream), their sound was something new and powerful when they broke big in the U.S.

Led Zepplin

Again, four individuals came together with their unique talents to create a sound that has been mimicked by hundreds of struggling bands over the course of the past several decades. The driving force behind the massive sound was often John Bonham and his drumming, although Jimmy Page’s searing guitar licks and Robert Plants vocals were at the forefront of almost every tune. And how can you not love the band that gave us the ultimate classic rock song (“Stairway to Heaven”)? And don’t forget, this band could lay down the funk (“The Crunge”), play reggae (“D’yer Maker”), and could lay down the ballad (“The Rain Song” “Going to California”) as well as or better than any other “hard rock” band of the time. And of course, they were probably the best blues band of their time as well.

Third is the band that I feel brought the best of the seventies music to millions of fans worldwide: The Eagles. Sure, you can call them country-rock at times, but they are like The Beatles in that respect: they can play anything and play it well. If you want country rock (“Take it Easy” “New Kid in Town”) or harder rock (“Victim of Love” “Life in the Fast Lane”) or ballads (“Best of My Love” “Peaceful Easy Feeling”), the band can deliver all of it.

The Eagles

Through all of their trials and tribulations, radio stations all over the world kept their music alive for millions of fans. To see them reunite in 1994 and go out on tour (I saw them in Tacoma AND Portland) was a dream come true for many of us fans.