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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 7 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 #301)

  1. 301Lou ReedLou ReedLed the Velvet Underground and later released the solo album Transformer, which included the song "Walk on the Wild Side".🇺🇸American · Born March 2, 1942 · Died October 27, 2013View profile
  2. 302Rouget de LisleRouget de LisleArmy officer who wrote La Marseillaise in 1792, a song that became the French national anthem.🇫🇷French · Born May 10, 1760 · Died June 26, 1836View profile
  3. 303Robert PlantRobert PlantPowerful lead vocalist and lyricist of Led Zeppelin, whose songs include Stairway to Heaven and Whole Lotta Love.🇬🇧British · Born August 20, 1948View profile
  4. 304AdeleAdeleSinger-songwriter whose albums 21 and 25 sold in huge numbers, with the ballad Someone like You among her signature songs.🇬🇧British · Born May 5, 1988View profile
  5. 305Diana RossDiana RossLed the Supremes through a run of Motown chart-toppers, beginning with "Where Did Our Love Go", before pursuing a solo career.🇺🇸American · Born March 26, 1944View profile
  6. 306Teresa TengTeresa TengMandarin pop singer whose ballad "The Moon Represents My Heart" became beloved across the Chinese-speaking world.🇹🇼Taiwanese · Born January 29, 1953 · Died May 8, 1995View profile
  7. 307João GilbertoJoão GilbertoGuitarist and singer who helped create bossa nova, notably on the album Chega de Saudade.🇧🇷Brazilian · Born June 10, 1931 · Died July 6, 2019View profile
  8. 308Dave MurrayDave MurrayIron Maiden guitarist who has played on every album the band has released, from the self-titled debut onwards.🇬🇧British · Born December 23, 1956View profile
  9. 309Georges EnescouGeorges EnescouComposer whose Romanian Rhapsodies made his name, and who taught the young violinist Yehudi Menuhin.🇷🇴Romanian · Born August 19, 1881 · Died May 4, 1955View profile
  10. 310Charlie WattsCharlie WattsSteady, jazz-minded drummer who powered the Rolling Stones on records and stages for nearly six decades.🇬🇧British · Born June 2, 1941 · Died August 24, 2021View profile
  11. 311César CuiCésar CuiComposer and music critic who belonged to The Five, the group of Russian nationalist composers, and wrote operas including William Ratcliff.🇷🇺Russian · Born January 6, 1835 · Died March 13, 1918View profile
  12. 312Sid ViciousSid ViciousBassist who joined the Sex Pistols in 1977, becoming a notorious symbol of British punk.🇬🇧British · Born May 10, 1957 · Died February 2, 1979View profile
  13. 313Enrique IglesiasEnrique IglesiasSpanish pop star whose Latin chart-topper Bailando became one of the biggest Spanish-language hits of the 2010s.🇪🇸Spanish · Born May 8, 1975View profile
  14. 314Nancy SinatraNancy SinatraHer 1966 number one single These Boots Are Made for Walkin' became a defining pop record of the decade.🇺🇸American · Born June 8, 1940View profile
  15. 315Quincy JonesQuincy JonesProducer of Michael Jackson's Thriller, and arranger and composer who earned dozens of Grammy nominations.🇺🇸American · Born March 14, 1933 · Died November 3, 2024View profile
  16. 316Till LindemannTill LindemannDeep-voiced frontman and lyricist of Rammstein, the German band known for pyrotechnic stage shows.🇩🇪German · Born January 4, 1963View profile
  17. 317Iannis XenakisIannis XenakisComposer who pioneered mathematically driven stochastic music in works like Metastaseis and also worked as an architect with Le Corbusier.🇬🇷Greek · Born May 29, 1922 · Died February 4, 2001View profile
  18. 318Gigliola CinquettiGigliola CinquettiSinger who won the 1964 Eurovision Song Contest for Italy with the ballad Non ho l'età.🇮🇹Italian · Born December 20, 1947View profile
  19. 319Duke EllingtonDuke EllingtonBandleader and composer who led his jazz orchestra for five decades and wrote "Mood Indigo".🇺🇸American · Born April 29, 1899 · Died May 24, 1974View profile
  20. 320Robert JohnsonRobert JohnsonDelta blues guitarist whose 1936 and 1937 recordings, including Cross Road Blues, shaped generations of rock and blues players.🇺🇸American · Born May 8, 1911 · Died August 13, 1938View profile
  21. 321AnastaciaAnastaciaSinger with a powerful voice whose debut single I'm Outta Love became an international hit in 2000.🇺🇸American · Born September 17, 1968View profile
  22. 322Krist NovoselicKrist NovoselicBassist and co-founder of Nirvana, who played on the album Nevermind alongside Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl.🇺🇸American · Born May 16, 1965View profile
  23. 323David GuettaDavid GuettaDance producer behind chart hits such as Titanium with Sia and When Love Takes Over with Kelly Rowland.🇫🇷French · Born November 7, 1967View profile
  24. 324Nicki MinajNicki MinajRapper whose debut album Pink Friday and singles such as Super Bass made her one of hip-hop's most successful women.Trinidadian · Born December 8, 1982View profile
  25. 325Gary MooreGary MooreNorthern Irish guitarist who combined hard rock and blues, scoring a hit with "Still Got the Blues" in 1990.🇬🇧British · Born April 4, 1952 · Died February 6, 2011View profile
  26. 326Bryan AdamsBryan AdamsHad a huge hit with (Everything I Do) I Do It for You, which spent sixteen weeks at number one in Britain.🇨🇦Canadian · Born November 5, 1959View profile
  27. 327John ColtraneJohn ColtraneRecorded the landmark 1965 jazz album A Love Supreme, a spiritual suite that shaped modern saxophone playing.🇺🇸American · Born September 23, 1926 · Died July 17, 1967View profile
  28. 328Lady GagaLady GagaPop star who broke through with the album The Fame and later won an Oscar for "Shallow".🇺🇸American · Born March 20, 1986View profile
  29. 329Peter GabrielPeter GabrielFronted Genesis in elaborate costumes before going solo with the 1986 album So and its hit Sledgehammer.🇬🇧British · Born February 13, 1950View profile
  30. 330Dolly PartonDolly PartonWrote "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You", and lent her name to the Dollywood theme park.🇺🇸American · Born January 19, 1946 · Died August 25, 2026View profile
  31. 331Cyndi LauperCyndi LauperPop singer whose debut album She's So Unusual included the hits Girls Just Want to Have Fun and Time After Time.🇺🇸American · Born June 22, 1953View profile
  32. 332Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMulti-instrumentalist who made Tubular Bells, the first album on Virgin Records, whose theme featured in The Exorcist.🇬🇧British · Born May 15, 1953View profile
  33. 333Michel LegrandMichel LegrandComposer who wrote the music for The Umbrellas of Cherbourg and won Academy Awards for Summer of '42 and Yentl.🇫🇷French · Born February 24, 1932 · Died January 26, 2019View profile
  34. 334PsyPsyRapper whose 2012 single Gangnam Style, with its horse-riding dance, became the first YouTube video to pass a billion views.🇰🇷South Korean · Born December 31, 1977View profile
  35. 335Paul SimonPaul SimonSongwriter who wrote The Sound of Silence and Bridge over Troubled Water with Simon & Garfunkel, then released the solo album Graceland.🇺🇸American · Born October 13, 1941View profile
  36. 336Luciano BerioLuciano BerioComposed the Sequenza series of solo pieces and the 1968 orchestral work Sinfonia.🇮🇹Italian · Born October 24, 1925 · Died May 27, 2003View profile
  37. 337Neil YoungNeil YoungSinger-songwriter whose albums Harvest and Rust Never Sleeps, and work with Crazy Horse, shaped folk rock and grunge.🇨🇦Canadian · Born November 12, 1945View profile
  38. 338Angus YoungAngus YoungLead guitarist of AC/DC, famous for his schoolboy uniform and frantic stage antics on songs like "Highway to Hell".🇬🇧British · Born March 31, 1951View profile
  39. 339Harry BelafonteHarry BelafonteSinger whose album Calypso, featuring "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", became a huge success and brought calypso to a global audience.🇺🇸American · Born March 1, 1927 · Died April 25, 2023View profile
  40. 340Mercedes SosaMercedes SosaFolk singer known as the voice of Latin America, who championed the nuevo cancionero movement and recorded Gracias a la Vida.🇦🇷Argentine · Born July 9, 1935 · Died October 4, 2009View profile
  41. 341John BonhamJohn BonhamDrummer of Led Zeppelin, celebrated for his powerful sound on tracks such as When the Levee Breaks.🇬🇧British · Born May 31, 1948 · Died September 25, 1980View profile
  42. 342Roy OrbisonRoy OrbisonSinger with a soaring voice behind operatic ballads such as Only the Lonely and Oh, Pretty Woman.🇺🇸American · Born April 23, 1936 · Died December 6, 1988View profile
  43. 343Pete SeegerPete SeegerFolk singer and banjo player who co-wrote If I Had a Hammer and helped popularise the protest anthem We Shall Overcome.🇺🇸American · Born May 3, 1919 · Died January 27, 2014View profile
  44. 344Gustav HolstGustav HolstComposer of the orchestral suite The Planets, which remains by far his most celebrated work.🇬🇧British · Born September 21, 1874 · Died May 25, 1934View profile
  45. 345Buddy HollyBuddy HollyWrote and recorded rock and roll classics such as That'll Be the Day and Peggy Sue with his band the Crickets.🇺🇸American · Born September 7, 1936 · Died February 3, 1959View profile
  46. 346Nat King ColeNat King ColeVelvet-voiced singer whose recordings such as Unforgettable made him a mainstay of mid-century popular music, after starting as a jazz trio pianist.🇺🇸American · Born March 17, 1919 · Died February 15, 1965View profile
  47. 347Philip GlassPhilip GlassMinimalist composer of the opera Einstein on the Beach and many film scores, including The Hours.🇺🇸American · Born January 31, 1937View profile
  48. 348Bruce DickinsonBruce DickinsonLead singer of Iron Maiden, whose powerful voice featured on albums such as The Number of the Beast.🇬🇧British · Born August 7, 1958View profile
  49. 349Laura BraniganLaura BraniganSinger whose 1982 English-language cover of "Gloria" became a million-selling American chart hit.🇺🇸American · Born July 3, 1952 · Died August 26, 2004View profile
  50. 350SelenaSelenaTejano singer known as the Queen of Tejano music, whose album Amor Prohibido became a landmark Latin success.🇺🇸American · Born April 16, 1971 · Died March 31, 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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