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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 5 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 #201)

  1. 201Francis PoulencFrancis PoulencComposer and pianist whose opera Dialogues des Carmélites stands among the most performed French operas of the twentieth century.🇫🇷French · Born January 7, 1899 · Died January 30, 1963View profile
  2. 202Arturo ToscaniniArturo ToscaniniExacting conductor who led La Scala and the NBC Symphony Orchestra, and premiered Puccini's La bohème.🇮🇹Italian · Born March 25, 1867 · Died January 16, 1957View profile
  3. 203Keith RichardsKeith RichardsGuitarist and co-writer with Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, famed for the riff in "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction".🇬🇧British · Born December 18, 1943View profile
  4. 204Arthur HoneggerArthur HoneggerMember of Les Six who composed the orchestral piece Pacific 231 and the oratorio Le Roi David.🇫🇷French · Born March 10, 1892 · Died November 27, 1955View profile
  5. 205Syd BarrettSyd BarrettCo-founded Pink Floyd and wrote most of their debut album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.🇬🇧British · Born January 6, 1946 · Died July 7, 2006View profile
  6. 206Giacomo MeyerbeerGiacomo MeyerbeerComposer who defined French grand opera with works such as Robert le diable and Les Huguenots.Prussian · Born September 5, 1791 · Died May 2, 1864View profile
  7. 20750 Cent50 CentRapper and businessman whose debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' made him one of hip-hop's biggest stars of the 2000s.🇺🇸American · Born July 6, 1975View profile
  8. 208Frank ZappaFrank ZappaProlific composer and guitarist who led the Mothers of Invention and recorded the satirical, genre-defying albums Freak Out! and Hot Rats.🇺🇸American · Born December 21, 1940 · Died December 4, 1993View profile
  9. 209Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenLed the E Street Band and made the albums Born to Run and Born in the U.S.A., among rock's biggest sellers.🇺🇸American · Born September 23, 1949View profile
  10. 210Martha ArgerichMartha ArgerichArgentine pianist who won the 1965 International Chopin Piano Competition and is regarded as one of the finest of her era.🇦🇷Argentine · Born June 5, 1941View profile
  11. 211Nina SimoneNina SimoneRecorded Mississippi Goddam and Feeling Good, blending jazz, soul and classical piano with outspoken civil rights activism.🇺🇸American · Born February 21, 1933 · Died April 21, 2003View profile
  12. 212George MichaelGeorge MichaelSinger who rose to fame in Wham! and then topped charts solo with the album Faith.🇬🇧British · Born June 25, 1963 · Died December 25, 2016View profile
  13. 213Jimmy PageJimmy PageFounder and guitarist of Led Zeppelin, writer of the riff and solo behind Stairway to Heaven.🇬🇧British · Born January 9, 1944View profile
  14. 214Michael GlinkaMichael GlinkaComposer of the operas A Life for the Tsar and Ruslan and Lyudmila, regarded as founding Russian classical music.🇷🇺Russian · Born June 2, 1803 · Died February 2, 1857View profile
  15. 215Zoltán KodályZoltán KodályComposer of the Háry János suite, whose method of music education became widely adopted in schools internationally.🇭🇺Hungarian · Born December 16, 1882 · Died March 6, 1967View profile
  16. 216Ritchie BlackmoreRitchie BlackmoreGuitarist who co-founded Deep Purple and wrote the famous riff to "Smoke on the Water".🇬🇧British · Born April 14, 1945View profile
  17. 217
    ND
    Nick DrakeCult folk guitarist whose album Pink Moon, released in 1972, gained a vast following long after his early death.🇬🇧British · Born June 19, 1948 · Died November 25, 1974View profile
  18. 218Rod StewartRod StewartRaspy-voiced singer with hits such as Maggie May and Sailing, who has sold over 120 million records worldwide.🇬🇧British · Born January 10, 1945View profile
  19. 219Mstislav RostropovichMstislav RostropovichCellist who commissioned dozens of new works and later directed the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington.🇷🇺Russian · Born March 27, 1927 · Died April 27, 2007View profile
  20. 220Mily Alexeyevich BalakirevMily Alexeyevich BalakirevComposer who led the nationalist group The Five and wrote the virtuoso piano fantasy Islamey.🇷🇺Russian · Born December 21, 1836 · Died May 16, 1910View profile
  21. 221Joe CockerJoe CockerGravel-voiced singer who covered With a Little Help from My Friends and performed at Woodstock.🇬🇧British · Born May 20, 1944 · Died December 22, 2014View profile
  22. 222Joe DassinJoe DassinSinger-songwriter who became a French pop star with hits such as Les Champs-Élysées.🇺🇸American · Born November 5, 1938 · Died August 20, 1980View profile
  23. 223Paul HindemithPaul HindemithComposer and violist who wrote the opera Mathis der Maler and the orchestral Symphonic Metamorphosis on themes by Weber.🇩🇪German · Born November 16, 1895 · Died December 28, 1963View profile
  24. 224Francisco TárregaFrancisco TárregaGuitarist and composer whose tremolo piece Recuerdos de la Alhambra remains one of the best-loved works in the classical guitar repertoire.🇪🇸Spanish · Born November 21, 1852 · Died December 15, 1909View profile
  25. 225Klaus MeineKlaus MeineLead singer of the Scorpions, who wrote the lyrics to the power ballad "Wind of Change".🇩🇪German · Born May 25, 1948View profile
  26. 226Kurt CobainKurt CobainFronted Nirvana and wrote the grunge anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit" from the album Nevermind.🇺🇸American · Born February 20, 1967 · Died April 5, 1994View profile
  27. 227Ram NarayanRam NarayanSarangi virtuoso who established the instrument as a solo concert voice in Hindustani classical music.🇮🇳Indian · Born December 25, 1927 · Died November 9, 2024View profile
  28. 228Ella FitzgeraldElla FitzgeraldJazz singer admired for her pure tone and scat improvisation, and for her Verve Songbook albums.🇺🇸American · Born April 25, 1917 · Died June 15, 1996View profile
  29. 229EminemEminemRapper whose album The Marshall Mathers LP and Oscar-winning song "Lose Yourself" made him one of hip-hop's biggest stars.🇺🇸American · Born October 17, 1972View profile
  30. 230Brian JonesBrian JonesFounded the Rolling Stones and gave their recordings colour by playing instruments such as sitar, marimba and dulcimer.🇬🇧British · Born February 28, 1942 · Died July 3, 1969View profile
  31. 231Harry NilssonHarry NilssonSinger-songwriter whose recording of Without You reached number one in both Britain and America in 1972.🇺🇸American · Born June 15, 1941 · Died January 15, 1994View profile
  32. 232Jennifer LopezJennifer LopezSinger and actress who starred in the film Selena and topped charts with the debut album On the 6.🇺🇸American · Born July 24, 1969View profile
  33. 233Robert FrippRobert FrippGuitarist who founded the progressive rock band King Crimson and remained its one constant member through many line-up changes.🇬🇧British · Born May 16, 1946View profile
  34. 234György LigetiGyörgy LigetiAvant-garde composer whose works, including Atmosphères, featured in Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey.🇭🇺Hungarian · Born May 28, 1923 · Died June 11, 2006View profile
  35. 235Manuel de FallaManuel de FallaComposed the ballet The Three-Cornered Hat and the opera La vida breve, defining Spanish art music in the early twentieth century.🇪🇸Spanish · Born November 23, 1876 · Died November 14, 1946View profile
  36. 236Chuck BerryChuck BerryGuitarist and songwriter whose songs "Johnny B. Goode" and "Maybellene" helped define the sound of rock and roll.🇺🇸American · Born October 18, 1926 · Died March 18, 2017View profile
  37. 237Stevie WonderStevie WonderSinger, musician and producer who rose from child prodigy at Motown to one of popular music's most celebrated songwriters.🇺🇸American · Born May 13, 1950View profile
  38. 238John LydonJohn LydonFronted the Sex Pistols as Johnny Rotten, snarling through Anarchy in the UK and God Save the Queen.🇮🇪Irish · Born January 31, 1956View profile
  39. 239Antônio Carlos JobimAntônio Carlos JobimCo-wrote "The Girl from Ipanema", the bossa nova standard that became one of the most recorded songs in the world.🇧🇷Brazilian · Born January 25, 1927 · Died December 8, 1994View profile
  40. 240Cliff BurtonCliff BurtonBassist whose melodic, distorted playing shaped Metallica's albums Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning and Master of Puppets.🇺🇸American · Born February 10, 1962 · Died September 27, 1986View profile
  41. 241Ian GillanIan GillanSinger who fronted Deep Purple on Smoke on the Water and the album Machine Head.🇬🇧British · Born August 19, 1945View profile
  42. 242Miles DavisMiles DavisTrumpeter whose 1959 album Kind of Blue became one of the best-selling jazz records ever.🇺🇸American · Born May 26, 1926 · Died September 28, 1991View profile
  43. 243Billie HolidayBillie HolidayJazz singer, nicknamed Lady Day, whose haunting recording of Strange Fruit became a landmark protest song.🇺🇸American · Born April 7, 1915 · Died July 17, 1959View profile
  44. 244Ice CubeIce CubeRapper and former N.W.A member who co-wrote and starred in the comedy film Friday.🇺🇸American · Born June 15, 1969View profile
  45. 245Françoise HardyFrançoise HardySinger-songwriter whose melancholic ballad "Tous les garçons et les filles" made her a leading figure of French yé-yé pop.🇫🇷French · Born January 17, 1944 · Died June 11, 2024View profile
  46. 246Vladimir HorowitzVladimir HorowitzCelebrated for his dazzling virtuosity, he became one of the twentieth century's most acclaimed concert pianists.🇺🇸American · Born September 18, 1903 · Died November 5, 1989View profile
  47. 247Salvatore AdamoSalvatore AdamoSinger-songwriter of romantic ballads, best remembered in French-speaking countries for the song Tombe la neige.🇮🇹Italian · Born November 1, 1943View profile
  48. 248Amália RodriguesAmália RodriguesFado singer whose recording of Barco Negro, heard in a 1950s French film, helped carry the genre abroad.🇵🇹Portuguese · Born July 23, 1920 · Died October 6, 1999View profile
  49. 249Adolphe AdamAdolphe AdamComposer best remembered for the ballet Giselle and the Christmas song Minuit, chrétiens, known in English as O Holy Night.🇫🇷French · Born July 24, 1803 · Died May 3, 1856View profile
  50. 250Dean MartinDean MartinCrooner who hit with That's Amore and hosted the long-running television series The Dean Martin Show.🇺🇸American · Born June 7, 1917 · Died December 25, 1995View 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

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