Nirvana is credited for bringing the sound and spirit of late 1970's punk rock to the mainstream pop audience. The result of this hybrid of rock, punk and also classic rock, became known as the Seattle sound, or Grunge (something that bands such as Soundgarden and Pearl Jam also played huge parts in). But more so than those previously mentioned, Nirvana seemed to capture the frustration and rebelliousness of teen youth. Unfortunately, Cobain tragically took his own life at the young age of 27 in 1994. In the Top 100 Rock & Roll Albums of All Time, Nirvana was recognized at #2 with "Nevermind."

During his long standing career spanning from the 1970's through the present, Tom Petty wrote a slew of hits reminiscent of the 60's sounds and the classic rock 70's. Petty was the son of a Florida insurance salesman who quit high school at 17 to join the state's top bands, Mudcrutch, with future Heartbreakers Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench. Shortly after Mudcrutch was disbanded, but Petty, who had gone to LA, landed a record deal. After Petty heard a demo that Campbell and Tench were working on with Ron Blair and Stan Lynch, the five formed the Heartbreakers and cut their first record in 1976.

Since their debut in 1969 with "I Want You Back" the Jackson 5 became America's most successful black pop-soul vocal group and one of the most popular, if not the most, family acts in rock & roll history. During their career the Jackson 5 upheld and expanded the R & B/Soul vocal traditions of their idols, while evolving into a self-contained soul, disco and pop powerhouse. The constant media attention on young Michael overshadowed the contributions of his brothers, especially late in their career when they each wrote and produced material on the group's two most critically acclaimed albums, "Triumph" and "Destiny." In the Top 100 Rock & Roll Albums of All Time the Jackson 5 was recognized one time.

Crosby, Stills & Nash are one of those legendary bands that have given birth to hoards of imitators, but all have fallen short of their vocal harmony and soft rock staples that gave way to some of the greatest music in the history of rock & roll. A rare group being that all three (or four when Young was around) are singer/songwriters/guitarist, which could possibly explain the clash of personalities that led to their constant breakup and reunite story that plagued the bands history. The band initially came together when Crosby left the Byrds, Stills and Young left Buffalo Springfield, and Nash the Hollies, all from malcontent of being held back from recording their own songs with their respective bands. In the Top 100 Rock & Roll Albums of All Time, Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young) were recognized one time.

Over the course of their short and tumultuous existence, the group released a single studio album that changed the course of rock and gave rise to punk rock. While they are not regarded as the first punk rock band, which credit goes to the Stooges, they were the most threatening with the most profound impact. The Sex Pistols were everything that rock & roll was not in the mid 1970's, against the star trapping and complacency that had rendered rock & roll irrelevant to the common man. In the Top 100 Rock & Roll Albums of All Time, the Sex Pistols (in their one and done album) were recognized one time.

The Fogerty Brothers were raised in Berkeley CA, where John began to study piano at age 12 and also got his first guitar. In middle school John met Doug Clifford and Stu Cook, his soon to be drummer and base player, and thereafter began playing together at local dances by 1959. By 1964 they had a record contract under the band name Golliwogs and began to put out singles, but it would not be until 1967 that there covers of "Suzie Q" and "I Put A Spell On You" put them on the map; now named Credence Clearwater Revival. By 1969 and 1970, the band was a musical powerhouse and played at Woodstock while boasting seven hit singles, six of them in the top five on the charts.

What would the 80's have been to guitar players if not for the innovative play of Eddie Van Halen? A virtuoso player who was able to push guitar to new heights during the early 80's, Eddie Van Halen and company took the nation by storm in the late 1970's. After playing the Pasadena, Santa Barbara and L.A. bar circuit for a few years, they were spotted by Kiss member Gene Simmons who decided to finance a demo tape. After Warner Brother heard the tape and went to see them live, the band was signed and released their debut that peaked at #19. From this point on Van Halen became one of America's most enduring and popular heavy metal bands of all time.

Do you think that if Orbison had looked like Elvis he could have been the King of Rock & Roll? Most likely not, but fantastic looks or not, Orbison has perhaps the most distinctive voice in rock & roll history. In his first peak period (1961-64), he bounced between snarling blues rock and his romantic ballad staples that have melted hearts millions of times over. With his twanging guitar and quivering tenor voice, Orbison scored a number of top ten and number one hits. Orbison was unfortunately plagued by personal tragedies with the death of his wife in 1966 from a motorcycle accident and the deaths of two of his three children from a fire in his Nashville home, but Orbison never quit. He suffered commercially during the late 60's and 70's, but was in the midst of a comeback when he died suddenly in 1988.

After spending nearly a decade as a college radio favorite, R.E.M. made the rise to bona fide superstars. The quartet is an arty mix of punk energy, folky touches, and oblique lyrics that influenced a generation of alternative rock bands. The bands first full length album in 1983, "Murmur" became an instant classic, containing layers of ringing Byrds-like guitar and passionate and cryptic vocals, atmospheric melodies, and poppy hooks that became the bands signature sound. In the Top 100 Rock & Roll Albums of All Time, R.E.M. was recognized one time.