Artists

From psychedelic parodies to gender-bending voices and cartoon bands, rock’s greatest alter egos let artists escape, experiment, and reinvent themselves—sometimes eclipsing their “real” identities entirely

From folk legends to pop icons, Canada has produced extraordinary talent. Here’s our ranking of the 15 greatest Canadian musicians, celebrating innovation, influence, and timeless artistry.

Some bands shouldn’t have existed: chaotic line-ups, clueless musicians, or impossible personalities. Yet these 15 acts defied the odds — and changed music forever

From Captain Beefheart’s surreal blues to Can’s hypnotic Krautrock, these 11 bands redefined music, creating sounds that were utterly unique

Rock and cinema collided in unforgettable ways. From Beatlemania to Pink Floyd in Pompeii, these 11 films defined how rock looks and feels

Great conductors have sometimes betrayed sexist attitudes when talking about their female colleagues

Seven brilliant bands with unforgettable songs, tangled fates, and heartbreaking near-misses — this is the story of rock’s greatest almost-weres and the stars that never rose

Who was the best pianist of all time? We asked 100 leading pianists to name the performers who have brought the most magic to the keyboard

Jeremy Pound ponders nurture, nature and ancestral trees as he admires the collective talents of history’s most musical families

Paul McGuinness explores the best blues singers of all time, who helped shape and influence the genre

Dennis Brain inspired a generation of musicians and music fans alike. Andrew Green traces the meteoric rise and tragic end of the French horn virtuoso

If a conductor has a tainted personal history, should we still listen to their music? When that conductor is arguably the greatest of all, the dilemma becomes even more problematic...

From Robert Johnson to Nick Drake: 15 brilliant musicians gone too soon—tragic losses that shaped music history and left us wondering what could have been

For many, conductor Otto Klemperer will be remembered as the steady and reliable champion of classic repertoire, but in his youth the German was a dashing advocate of the new, writes Andrew Green

Some British bands found a vast new fanbase Stateside, while other seminal acts failed to crack America. What gives?

Samara Joy is the velvet-voiced jazz star bringing timeless jazz standards to new audience — and winning Grammys while doing it

Some 1970s rock giants lost their way in the '80s—while others reinvented themselves and thrived in bold new directions.