Who Shares My Birthday.

Browse by occupation

Famous Musicians

The most famous singers, composers and performers in our archive, ranked by historical popularity.

907 musicians in our database, ranked by historical popularity. Page 4 of 19.

Most famous musician

Ludwig van Beethoven

Highest historical popularity score (HPI 96.9)

Most common birth month

September

96 of 907 were born in September

Living vs deceased

554 / 353

61% are still living

Most common nationality

American

320 people, 35% of the list

Editor-written profiles

308

34% have a full original profile so far

The ranked list (from #151)

  1. 151Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandSinger and actress who won an Academy Award for Funny Girl and later directed the film Yentl.🇺🇸American · Born April 24, 1942View profile
  2. 152Ray CharlesRay CharlesPianist and singer who blended gospel, blues and jazz on records such as "What'd I Say" and "Georgia on My Mind".🇺🇸American · Born September 23, 1930 · Died June 10, 2004View profile
  3. 153Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneFronted Black Sabbath on albums such as Paranoid, then enjoyed a long solo career as the Prince of Darkness.🇬🇧British · Born December 3, 1948 · Died July 22, 2025View profile
  4. 154André RieuAndré RieuDutch violinist who founded the Johann Strauss Orchestra and fills stadiums around the world with lavish waltz concerts.🇳🇱Dutch · Born October 1, 1949View profile
  5. 155Alban BergAlban BergAustrian composer of the operas Wozzeck and Lulu, who blended Romantic lyricism with the twelve-tone technique.🇦🇹Austrian · Born February 9, 1885 · Died December 24, 1935View profile
  6. 156Leoš JanáčekLeoš JanáčekComposer whose operas, including Jenůfa and The Cunning Little Vixen, drew on the rhythms of Moravian folk speech.🇦🇹Austrian · Born July 3, 1854 · Died August 12, 1928View profile
  7. 157Isaac AlbénizIsaac AlbénizComposed Iberia, a suite of twelve piano pieces drawing on Spanish folk music.🇪🇸Spanish · Born May 26, 1860 · Died May 18, 1909View profile
  8. 158Phil CollinsPhil CollinsDrummer and singer for Genesis who also scored solo hits including In the Air Tonight and the album No Jacket Required.🇬🇧British · Born January 30, 1951View profile
  9. 159Maurice GibbMaurice GibbMulti-instrumentalist of the Bee Gees, who helped write and perform the disco-era hits on the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack.🇬🇧British · Born December 22, 1949 · Died January 12, 2003View profile
  10. 160Arthur RubinsteinArthur RubinsteinCelebrated pianist whose long career made him one of the finest interpreters of Chopin's music.🇵🇱Polish · Born January 28, 1887 · Died December 20, 1982View profile
  11. 161Axl RoseAxl RoseFrontman of Guns N' Roses, whose band's 1987 debut album Appetite for Destruction became one of the best-selling debut records ever.🇺🇸American · Born February 6, 1962View profile
  12. 162
    JP
    Johann PachelbelOrganist and composer whose Canon in D became one of the most recognisable pieces of Baroque music.🇩🇪German · Born September 1, 1653 · Died March 3, 1706View profile
  13. 163Mireille MathieuMireille MathieuChanson singer whose hits include Mon crédo and Paris en colère, recorded in many languages.🇫🇷French · Born July 22, 1946View profile
  14. 164Benny AnderssonBenny AnderssonKeyboardist and composer in ABBA who later co-wrote the stage musical Chess with Björn Ulvaeus and Tim Rice.🇸🇪Swedish · Born December 16, 1946View profile
  15. 165Heinrich SchützHeinrich SchützDresden court composer whose sacred works, including the Musikalische Exequien, bridged the Renaissance and the Baroque in Germany.🇩🇪German · Born October 8, 1585 · Died November 6, 1672View profile
  16. 166Jay-ZJay-ZRapper and businessman who co-founded Roc-A-Fella Records and released the albums Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint.🇺🇸American · Born December 4, 1969View profile
  17. 167Nana MouskouriNana MouskouriGreek singer with trademark thick-rimmed glasses, who recorded in many languages and later served as a member of the European Parliament.🇬🇷Greek · Born October 13, 1934View profile
  18. 168Luigi BoccheriniLuigi BoccheriniCellist and composer of Classical-era chamber music, especially his many string quintets and the famous minuet from one of them.Republic of Lucca · Born February 19, 1743 · Died May 28, 1805View profile
  19. 169Luigi CherubiniLuigi CherubiniComposer of the opera Médée and a celebrated Requiem, and director of the Paris Conservatoire.🇬🇧British · Born September 8, 1760 · Died March 13, 1842View profile
  20. 170
    SJ
    Scatman JohnJazz pianist turned dance-music star whose 1994 hit Scatman (Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop) blended scat singing with Eurodance.🇺🇸American · Born March 13, 1942 · Died December 3, 1999View profile
  21. 171Brian WilsonBrian WilsonPrincipal songwriter and producer of the Beach Boys, he created the celebrated 1966 album Pet Sounds.🇺🇸American · Born June 20, 1942 · Died June 11, 2025View profile
  22. 172David GilmourDavid GilmourGuitarist whose solos on Comfortably Numb and Time helped define the sound of Pink Floyd.🇬🇧British · Born March 6, 1944View profile
  23. 173John WilliamsJohn WilliamsComposed the scores for Star Wars, Jaws and Jurassic Park, winning multiple Academy Awards across his career.🇺🇸American · Born February 8, 1932View profile
  24. 174Ronnie James DioRonnie James DioHeavy metal vocalist who fronted Rainbow and Black Sabbath, then formed his own band Dio, popularising the metal horns gesture.🇺🇸American · Born July 10, 1942 · Died May 16, 2010View profile
  25. 175Olivier MessiaenOlivier MessiaenComposed Quartet for the End of Time, first performed in a prisoner-of-war camp, and drew heavily on birdsong.🇫🇷French · Born December 10, 1908 · Died April 27, 1992View profile
  26. 176Björn UlvaeusBjörn UlvaeusABBA member who co-composed the stage musical Chess with bandmate Benny Andersson.🇸🇪Swedish · Born April 25, 1945View profile
  27. 177Nusrat Fateh Ali KhanNusrat Fateh Ali KhanQawwali singer who introduced Sufi devotional music to Western audiences through collaborations with Peter Gabriel and Eddie Vedder.🇵🇰Pakistani · Born October 13, 1948 · Died August 16, 1997View profile
  28. 178Carl CzernyCarl CzernyWrote countless piano studies still used for teaching, and taught Liszt after being a pupil of Beethoven.🇦🇹Austrian · Born February 20, 1791 · Died July 15, 1857View profile
  29. 179Nino RotaNino RotaWrote the music for The Godfather and for many of Federico Fellini's films, including La Strada.🇮🇹Italian · Born December 3, 1911 · Died April 10, 1979View profile
  30. 180Jacques BrelJacques BrelBelgian chansonnier whose songs, such as Ne me quitte pas, became standards of French-language music.🇧🇪Belgian · Born April 8, 1929 · Died October 9, 1978View profile
  31. 181John CageJohn CageExperimental composer whose piece 4′33″, made up of silence, challenged ideas of what music could be.🇺🇸American · Born September 5, 1912 · Died August 2, 1992View profile
  32. 182Tom PettyTom PettyFrontman of the Heartbreakers, he wrote rock staples such as "Free Fallin'" and "American Girl".🇺🇸American · Born October 20, 1950 · Died October 2, 2017View profile
  33. 183Albano CarrisiAlbano CarrisiItalian singer known as Al Bano, who won wide acclaim for his powerful voice and his long duo with Romina Power.🇮🇹Italian · Born May 20, 1943View profile
  34. 184Pierre BoulezPierre BoulezComposer and conductor who founded IRCAM in Paris and wrote the serial landmark Le marteau sans maître.🇫🇷French · Born March 26, 1925 · Died January 5, 2016View profile
  35. 185Sade AduSade AduLead vocalist and songwriter of the band Sade, known for the smooth, understated hit Smooth Operator.Born January 16, 1959View profile
  36. 186Ruggero LeoncavalloRuggero LeoncavalloComposer of the one-act opera Pagliacci, which remains a staple of the repertoire despite his many other works.🇮🇹Italian · Born April 23, 1857 · Died August 9, 1919View profile
  37. 187Leonard BernsteinLeonard BernsteinConductor and composer who led the New York Philharmonic and wrote the score for the musical West Side Story.🇺🇸American · Born August 25, 1918 · Died October 14, 1990View profile
  38. 188ShakiraShakiraColombian pop star whose hit "Hips Don't Lie" topped charts worldwide and who performed the 2010 World Cup anthem "Waka Waka".🇨🇴Colombian · Born February 2, 1977View profile
  39. 189Pietro MascagniPietro MascagniComposed the one-act opera Cavalleria rusticana, which launched the verismo style and remains a staple of opera houses.🇮🇹Italian · Born December 7, 1863 · Died August 2, 1945View profile
  40. 190Roger WatersRoger WatersBassist and principal lyricist of Pink Floyd, who wrote most of The Wall and Animals.🇬🇧British · Born September 6, 1943View profile
  41. 191Mikis TheodorakisMikis TheodorakisComposer whose score for Zorba the Greek brought the sirtaki dance music to worldwide audiences.🇬🇷Greek · Born July 29, 1925 · Died September 2, 2021View profile
  42. 192Kate BushKate BushSinger-songwriter who topped the UK chart at eighteen with "Wuthering Heights" and later made the album Hounds of Love.🇬🇧British · Born July 30, 1958View profile
  43. 193Arvo PärtArvo PärtInvented the tintinnabuli style and wrote spare, meditative works such as Spiegel im Spiegel and Fratres.Estonian · Born September 11, 1935View profile
  44. 194Sinéad O'ConnorSinéad O'ConnorIrish singer whose recording of "Nothing Compares 2 U" topped charts in 1990.🇮🇪Irish · Born December 8, 1966 · Died July 26, 2023View profile
  45. 195Bill HaleyBill HaleyRock and roll pioneer whose song Rock Around the Clock, recorded with the Comets, topped charts in 1955.🇺🇸American · Born July 6, 1925 · Died February 9, 1981View profile
  46. 196Carl Philipp Emanuel BachCarl Philipp Emanuel BachCourt keyboardist to Frederick the Great, he wrote the influential treatise Essay on the True Art of Playing Keyboard Instruments.🇩🇪German · Born March 8, 1714 · Died December 14, 1788View profile
  47. 197Marilyn MansonMarilyn MansonFounded the shock rock band Marilyn Manson, which gained notoriety with the 1996 album Antichrist Superstar.🇺🇸American · Born January 5, 1969View profile
  48. 198Carlos SantanaCarlos SantanaGuitarist who led the band Santana, blending rock with Latin rhythms, and won a Grammy-winning comeback with the 1999 album Supernatural.🇲🇽Mexican · Born June 20, 1947View profile
  49. 199James BrownJames BrownFunk pioneer whose hits include I Got You (I Feel Good) and Papa's Got a Brand New Bag.🇺🇸American · Born May 3, 1933 · Died December 25, 2006View profile
  50. 200Iggy PopIggy PopFronted the proto-punk band the Stooges before a solo career that produced Lust for Life.🇺🇸American · Born April 21, 1947View profile

How we rank and select

  • Ranking: people are ordered by their Historical Popularity Index (HPI) from Pantheon. HPI combines how many Wikipedia language editions have an article about a person, how many page views those articles get, how evenly the views are spread across languages and how long ago the person lived. People Pantheon does not yet cover are listed after them, ordered by our own popularity score (the number of Wikipedia language editions with an article about them).
  • Membership: each person appears in one occupation list only, based on their primary occupation as classified by Pantheon (for example, a queen who wrote poetry is listed as royalty, not as a writer). Kings, queens, emperors, sultans and royal consorts are not listed as politicians or writers: anyone who held a monarch's office on Wikidata, and never served as a president or head of government, counts as royalty. For the few people Pantheon does not cover, we use the primary field recorded in our database.
  • One-line summaries: each summary is an original line written for this site with AI assistance under our editorial rules, then checked against the Wikipedia introduction so no wording is copied.
  • Statistics: every figure on this page is calculated live from our database each time the page loads, so it changes as we add people.

Further reading

Reviewed by the Who Shares My Birthday editorial team.

Last reviewed: October 2026

More occupations