Rock & Pop Bands T-Z


Famous American Bands T to Z 🎸🎹 Rock & Pop International Bands List

There are numerous famous American bands and international music groups of all time. At least subjectively – because everyone has their own taste in music. While some consider Nirvana to be one of the famous American Bands ever, others rave over R.E.M. Although these two famous American bands are worlds apart they are now connected in this ADDucation list.

  • Famous American bands list compiled by Robert Junker and last updated 18 Aug 2024

ADDucation Tips: Click column headings with arrows to sort famous American bands. Reload page for original sort order. Resize your browser to full screen and/or zoom out to display as many columns as possible. Click the ➕ icon to reveal any hidden columns.

Key: 🎤Vocals | 🥁Drums / Percussion | 🎸Guitar | 🎹Keyboard | 🎷Saxophone | ⌨️Synthesizer | T=Trombone | B🎸Bass Guitar |  Died

Band (formed / active) Current band line up Ex-members Best Albums and Hits (first release date)
T. Rex
🇬🇧 UK
1967-1977
  • Marc Bolan 🎤🎸† 1977
  • Gloria Jones 🎤🎹
  • Steve Took 🥁† 1980
  • Mickey Finn † 2003
  • Steve Currie B🎸† 1981
Albums: My people were fair (1968), Unicorn (1969), A beard of stars (1970), T. Rex (1970), Electric Warrior (1971), The slider (1972), Tanx (1973), Zinc Alloy (1974), Dandy in the underworld (1977).

Greatest Hits: Hot love (1971), Get it on (1971), Jeepster (1971), Telegram Sam (1972), Metal Guru (1972), Children of the revolution (1972), Solid gold (1973), 20th Century Boy (1973), The Groover (1973).

Take That
🇬🇧 UK
1990
  • Gary Barlow 🎤T
  • Mark Owen 🎤
  • Howard Donald 🎤
  • Jason Orange 🎤
Robbie Williams 🎤 Albums: Take That & Party (1992), Everything changes (1993), Nobody else (1995), Beautiful world (2006), The circus (2008), Progress (2010).

Greatest Hits: Could it be magic (1993), Back for good (1995), Patience (2006), Greatest day (2008), The Flood (2010).

Talking Heads
🇺🇸 USA
1975-1991
  • David Byrne 🎤🎸
  • Tina Weymouth B🎸
  • Jerry Harrison 🎸🎹
  • Chris Frantz 🥁
  • Brian Eno 🎹B🎸
  • Adrian Belew 🎸
  • R. Palmer ⌨️
  • J. Rossy
  • Fela Kuti 🎷
Albums: 77 (1977), More songs about buildings and food (1978), Fear of music (1979), Remain in light (1980), Speaking in tongues (1983), Stop making sense (1984), Little creatures (1985), True stories (1986), Naked (1988). One of the most famous American bands.

Greatest Hits: Psycho killer (1977), Burning down the house (1983), Road to nowhere (1985).

The Stranglers
🇬🇧 UK
1974
  • Jean-Jacques Burnel 🎤B🎸
  • Baz Warne 🎤🎸
  • Jim Macaulay 🥁
  • Jet Black 🥁
  • Hugh Cornwell 🎸
  • Hans Wärmling †
  • Dave Greenfield 🎹† 2020
  • Paul Roberts 🎤
  • John Ellis 🎸
  • Ian Barnard 🥁† 2022
Albums:  Rattus Norvegicus (1977), No More Heroes (1977), Black and White (1978), Live (X Cert) (1979), The Raven (1979), The Gospel According to the Meninblack (1981), La Folie (1981), Feline (1983), Aural Sculpture (1984), Dreamtime (1986), 10 (1990), Stranglers in the Night (1992), About Time (1995), Written in Red (1997), Coup de Grace (1998), Norfolk Coast (2004), Suite XVI (2006), Giants (2012).

Greatest Hits: No More Heroes (1977), Peaches (1977), Golden Brown (1982), Always the Sun (1986), Skin Deep (1984), Big Thing Coming (1984).

The Temptations
🇺🇸 USA
1961
  • Dennis Edwards 🎤
  • Eddie Kendricks 🎤 † 1992
  • Melvin Franklin 🎤† 1994
  • Otis Williams 🎤
  • Paul Williams 🎤† 1973
  • “Al” Bryant 🎤† 1975
  • David Ruffin
Albums: Meet the Temptations (1964); The Temptations Sing Smokey (1965), Gettin’ Ready (1966), With a Lot o’ Soul (1967), In a Mellow Mood (1968); Diana Ross & the Supremes (1968), Wish it Would Rain (1968); TCB Takin’ Care of Business (1968), Cloud Nine (1969); The Temptations Show (1969); Puzzle People (1969); Together (1969; Psychedelic Shack (1970); Sky’s the Limit (1971), Solid Rock (1972); All Directions (1972); Masterpiece (1973); 1990 (1974), A Song for You (1975), House Party (1976); Wings of Love (1976); Do The Temptations (1976); Power (1980); Reunion (1982), Surface Thrills (1983), Back to Basics (1983), Give Love at Christmas (1983), Truly for You (1984); To Be Continued (1986), Phoenix Rising (1998), Ear-Resistible (2000); Awesome (2001), Reflections (2006), Back to Front (2007), Still Here (2010). One of the most famous American bands.

Greatest Hits: The Way You Do the Things You Do (1964), My Girl (1965); Get Ready (1966), I’m Gonna Make You Love Me (1968), Cloude Nine (1968); I Can’t Get Next to You (1970); Just My Imagination (1971), Ball of Confusion (1970); Papa Was a Rollin Stone (1972), Masterpiece (1973), Treat Her Like a Lady (1984).

Thin Lizzy
🇮🇪 Ireland
1969
  • Scott Gorham 🎸
  • Tommy Aldridge 🥁
  • Francesco DiCosmo B🎸 ??Ex
  • John Sykes 🎸🎤
  • Phil Lynott 🎤† 1986
  • Gary Moore 🎸
  • Eric Bell 🎸
  • B. Robertson 🎸
Albums: Vagabonds of the Western World (1973), Fighting (1975), Jailbreak (1976), Johnny the Fox (1976), Bad Reputation (1977), Live and Dangerous (1978), Chinatown (1980), Renegade (1981), Thunder and Lightning (1983).

Greatest Hits: Whisky in the Jar (1973), The Boys Are Back in Town (1976).

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
🇺🇸 USA
1976-2017
  • Tom Petty 🎸🎤† 2017
  • Mike Campbell 🎸
  • Ron Blair B🎸
  • Benmont Tench 🎹
  • Scott Thurston 🎸🎹
  • Steve Ferrone 🥁
  • Stan Lynch 🥁
  • Howie Epstein B🎸
Albums: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976), You’re Gonna Get It! (1978), Damn the Torpedoes (1979), Hard Promises (1981), Long After Dark (1982), Southern Accents (1985), Let Me Up (I’ve Had Enough) (1987), Into the Great Wide Open (1991), Songs and Music from “She’s the One” (1996), Echo (1999), The Last DJ (2002), Mojo (2010), Hypnotic Eye (2014). Tom Petty Albums in collaboration with other musicians: Full Moon Fever (1989), Wildflowers (1994), Highway Companion (2006).

Greatest Hits: American Girl (1977), Breakdown (1977), The Waiting (1981), Learning to Fly (1991), Refugee (1980), Mary Jane’s Last Dance (1993) and in his own name: Free Fallin’ (1989), I Won’t Back Down (1989).

Tool
🇺🇸 USA
1990
  • Maynard J. Keenan 🎤
  • Adam Jones 🎸
  • Justin Chancellor B🎸
  • Danny Kerry 🥁
Albums: Undertow (1993); Ænima (1996); Lateralus (2001); 10.000 Days (2006). One of many famous American bands that were primarily successful within the USA.
Toto
🇺🇸 USA
1977-2008
  • Joseph Williams 🎤
  • Steve Lukather 🎸🎤
  • Shem von Schroeck B🎸
  • Simon Philipps 🥁
  • David Paich 🎹
  • Steve Porcaro
  • Bobby Kimball 🎤
  • Mike Porcaro B🎸† 2015
  • David Hungate
  • Jeff Porcaro 🥁†1992
Albums: Toto (1978), Hydra (1980), Turn Back (1981), IV (1982), Isolation (1983), Fahrenheit (1986), The Seventh One (1988), Past to Present (1990), Kingdom of Desire (1992), Tambu (1995), Mind Fields (1999), Through the Looking Glass (2002), Falling in Between (2006), Toto XIV (2015). One of the famous American bands that enjoyed international success.

Greatest Hits: Hold the Line (1979), Rosanna (1982), Africa (1982).

U2
🇮🇪 Ireland
1976
  • Bono (Paul David Hewson) 🎤
  • The Edge (David Howell Evans)🎸
  • Adam Clayton B🎸
  • Larry Mullen junior 🥁
Albums: Boy (1980), October (1981), War (1983), The Unforgettable Fire (1984), The Joshua Tree (1987), Rattle and Ham (1988), Achtung Baby (1991), Zooropa (1993), All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000), How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (2004), No Line on the Horizon (2009), Songs of Innocence (2014), Songs of Experience (2017).

Greatest Hits: Sunday Bloody Sunday (1983); With or Without You (1987); I Still Haven‘t Found What I‘m Looking for (1987); Desire (1988), The Fly (1991); One (1992); Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me (1995), Discothèque (1997), Beautiful Day (2000); Vertigo (2004); The Saints are Coming (2006); Get on Your Boots (2009); Ordinary Love (2013).

UB 40
🇬🇧 UK
1978
  • Duncan and Robin Campbell 🎸🎤
  • Earl Falconer 🎤B🎸
  • Tony Mullins 🎹
  • Brian Travers 🎷
  • James “Jim” Brown 🥁
Alistaire “Ali” Campbell 🎤🎸 Albums: Present Arms (1981), Labour of Love (1983), Geffrey Morgan (1984), Rat in the Kitchen (1988), Labour of Love II (1989), Promises and Lies (1993), Love Songs (2009).

Greatest Hits: Red Red Wine (1983), I Got You Babe (1985), Kingston Town (1990);I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight (1990), Falling in Love With You (1993), Higher Ground (1993).

Uriah Heep
🇬🇧 UK
1970
  • Bernie Shaw 🎤
  • Mick Box 🎸🎤
  • Trevor Bolder 🎤B🎸
  • Phil Lanzon 🎹🎤
  • Russell Gilbrook 🥁
  • David Byron 🎤 † 1985
  • Ken Hensley 🎹
  • Gary Thain B🎸† 1975
  • John Lawton 🎤
Albums: Very´eavy, Very ´umble (1970); Salisbury (1971); Look at Yourself (1971); Demons and Wizards (1972); The Magician‘s Birthday (1972); Sweet Freedom (1973); Wonderworld (1974); Return to Fantasy (1975); High and Mighty (1976); Firefly (1977); Innocent victim (1978); Fallen Angel (1979); Abominog (1982); Head First (1983); Equator (1985); Sea of Light (1995); Wake the Sleeper (2008); Into the Wild (2011), Outsider (2014), Totally Driven (2015).

Greatest Hits: Gypsy (1970); Gypsy (1970), Lady in Black (1971); Spider Woman (1972), Easy Livin‘ (1972); Free Me (1977).

Van Halen
🇺🇸 USA
1974
  • David Lee Roth 🎤
  • Wolfgang Van Halen B🎸
  • Alex Van Halen 🥁
  • Eddie Van Halen 🎸T 🎹 † 2020
  • Sammy Hagar 🎤🎸
  • Michael Anthony B🎸
Albums: Van Halen (1978), Van Halen II (1979), Fair Warning (1981), 1984 (1984), 5150 (1986), OU812 (1986), For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (1991), Balance (1995), Van Halen III (1998), A Different Kind of Truth (2012). One of the famous American bands that enjoyed international success.

Greatest Hits: You Really Got Me (1978), Runnin’ With the Devil (1978); Jump (1984); I‘ll Wait (1984); Why Can‘t This Be Love (1986).

Velvet Underground
🇺🇸 USA
1965-1973
  • Lou Reed 🎤🎸† 2013
  • John Cale 🎹 B🎸
  • St. Morrison 🎸🎤B🎸† 1995
  • “Moe” Tucker 🥁
Doug Yule 🎤🎸B🎸🥁 Albums: The Velvet Underground & Nico (Banana-Album, 1967), White Light/White Heat (1968), The Velvet Underground (1969), Loaded (1970), Squeeze (1973), VU (1984), Another View (1985). One of the most famous American bands.

Greatest Hits: Sunday Morning (1967), Who Loves the Sun (1970), Sweet Jane (1970).

The Waterboys
🇬🇧 UK
1981
  • Mike Scott 🎤🎸
  • Marc Arciero B🎸
  • Ralph Salmins 🥁
  • Melvin Duffy 🎸
  • Anthony Thistlethwaite 🎸🎷🎹
  • Richard Naiff 🎹
  • & more than 60 others.
Albums: A Pagan Place (1984), This Is the Sea (1985), Fisherman’s Blues (1988),Room to Roam (1990), Dream Harder (1993), A Rock in the Weary Land (2000), Universal Hall (2003), Book of Lightning (2007), An Appointment with Mr Yeats (2011), Modern Blues (2015), Out of All This Blue (2017).

Greatest Hits: The Whole of the Moon (1981), The Return of Pan (1993), Love Anyway (1997).

Wham!
🇬🇧 UK
1982-1986
Albums: Fantastic (1983), Make it Big (1984), Music from the Edge of Heaven (1986), The Final (1986).

Greatest Hits: Young Guns (1982); Bad Boys (1983), Careless Whisper (1984); Freedom (1984); Wake me Up Before You Go Go (1984); Last X-Mas (1984), I’m your Man (1985), The Edge of Heaven (1986).

The Who
🇬🇧 UK
1964
  • Pete Townshend 🎤🎸
  • Roger Daltrey 🎤
  • Simon Townshend 🎤
  • Pino Palladino B🎸
  • Zak Starkey 🥁
  • John Bundrick 🎹
  • John Entwistle B🎸†2002
  • Keith Moon 🥁† 1978
  • Kenny Jones
Albums: My generation (1965), A quick one (1966), The Who sell out (1967), Tommy (1969), Live at Leeds (1970), Who’s next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), The Who by numbers (1975), Who are you? (1978), Face dances (1981), It’s hard (1982), Endless wire (2006).

Greatest Hits: My Generation (1965); Happy Jack (1966), Pictures of Lily (1967); Magic Bus (1968); Pinball Wizard (1969); I‘m Free (1969); Baba O‘Riley (1971); Join Together (1972); Who are You? (1978); You Better you Bet (1981).

Yello
🇨🇭 Switzerland
1978
  • Dieter Meier 🎤
  • Boris Blank ⌨️(Ex:)
  • Carlos Perón ⌨️
Albums: Solid Pleasure (1980), Claro que si (1981), You Gotta Say Yes to Another Excess (1983); Stella (1985); One Second (1987); Flag (1988); Baby (1991); Zebra (1994), Pocket Universe (1997); Motion Picture (1999), The Eye (2003); Touch Yello (2009), Toy (2016).

Greatest Hits: Bostich (1980), Lost Again (1983), Desire (1985); Viscious Games (1985); Oh Yeah (1987); The Race (1988).

Yes
🇬🇧 UK
1968
  • T: Jon Davison 🎤🎸
  • Steve Howe 🎸
  • Billy Sherwood B🎸
  • Geoff Downes 🎹
  • Alan White 🥁
  • Jon Anderson 🎤🎸
  • Trevor Rabin 🎸
  • T. Kaye 🎹
  • Chris Squire B🎸† 2015
  • Bill Bruford 🥁
  • Rick Wakeman 🎹
  • Patrick Moraz
  • Vangelis
Albums: Yes (1969); Time And A Word (1970); The Yes Album (1971); Fragile (1972); Close to the Edge (1972); Yessongs (Live 1973); Tales from Topographic Oceans (1973); Relayer (1974); Going for the One (1977); Tormato (1978); Paris Session (Live 1979); Drama (1980); 90125 (1983); Big Generator (1987); Union (1991); Talk (1994); Open your Eyes (1997), The Ladder (1999), Magnification (2001), Fly from Here (2011), Heaven & Earth (2014).

Greatest Hits: Wonderous Stories (1977), Owner of a Lonely Heart (1983); Hearts (1983).

ZZ Top
🇺🇸 USA
1969
  • Billy Gibson 🎤🎸
  • Dusty Hill 🎤B🎸
  • Frank Beard 🥁
Albums: ZZ Top’s First Album (1970), Rio Grande Mud (1972), Tres Hombres (1973), Tejas (1976), Degüello (1979), El Loco (1981), Eliminator (1983), Afterburner (1985), Recycler (1990), Antenna (1994), XXX (1999), Mescalero (2003), La Futura (2012). One of the most famous American bands.

Greatest Hits: La Grange (1975); Tush (1975); Gimme all Your Lovin (1983); Sharp Dressed Man (1984); Legs (1984), Viva Las Vegas (1992).

See also: A-D Famous American Bands… | E-K Famous American Bands… | L-Q Famous American Bands… | R-S Famous American Bands…

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