The Top Ten Musical Performers of the 80's
1. Michael Jackson.
This artist is unquestionably the biggest musical star of the 80s. Musical releases such as: "Thriller, Billie Jean" and "Beat it," all exceeded the standards for success. As the style of music evolved, so did this magnificent entertainer.
2. Prince.
With four albums released from 1981 -1990, Prince was at the top of the charts. Double platinum albums were released in 1982, and in 1984 Purple Rain was released and ranked as No# 1 for 24 consecutive weeks. Prince's sexually suggestive lyrics were totally unprecedented even for the 1980s.
3. Madonna.
Some of her biggest hits were: "Like a Virgin" which ranked No# 1 for six weeks on the billboard 200 rating. Madonna was a pop icon who pushed the boundaries on her musical releases. Her debut album "Madonna" was released in 1983 on Sire Records.
4. Bruce Springsteen.
"Dancing in the dark," and "Born in the USA" helped to rocket Springsteen to fame with numerous hits in the 1980s. Springsteen's number one hits have rivaled most of his musical peers.
5. Run D.M.C.
Run D.M.C. is one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the 80s. This band also released the first rap album to go gold. The band's version of "Walk this way" helped them become a musical success.
6. Van Halen.
In 1984 the albums: "Jump" and "Hot for the teacher" reached the top ten billboards throughout the 80s. After David Lee Roth was replaced by Sammy Hagar, the bands first album after the change was a huge success.
7. Billy Joel.
Singer and songwriter Billy Joel seems to be immortal. Joel scored more No# 1 hits such as: "You may be right," and also "Glass Houses." His worldwide tours and album sales in the 1980s brought Billy Joel proudly to the top ten.
8. The Police.
With only three studio albums released in the 80s, the Police created an exceptionally high percentage of musical tracks. Their album "Synchronicity" was ranked No# 1 in the UK, and the US. This album also sold over 8,000,000 copies in the United States alone.
9. Phil Collins.
No# 1 hits like: "In the air tonight" and also "I don't care anymore," made Phil Collins a superstar in the 1980s. His worldwide sales as a solo artist were estimated in 2002 at 150 million. Collins has won: seven Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes, and one Academy Award for his solo work.
10. Guns N' Roses.
Since this band was formed in 1985, Guns N' Roses have sold over 90 million albums worldwide. The band's major label debut in 1987 sold in excess of 43 millions albums in the United States.
In the 1980s music began to change as CDs were introduced along with MTV and music videos. Now, more influential music was just waiting on the horizon as the 90s quickly rolled into the picture.
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Published by Kevin Lamb
Kevin is 53 years old, and has been married for 25 years. He's spent the last 30 years in the field of visual arts. Now his passions are: writing, getting his books published, and his family. Not necessarily... View profile
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3 Comments
Post a CommentI always find these 80's lists that don't include Def Leppard to be pretty funny. They were 2nd only to Michael Jackson in album sales during the decade, yet no mention. People forget how much of a monster album Hysteria was. They were incredibly popular because they did such a good job crossing the metal/rock/pop lines without all the glam and cheese.
Jakes: I was born in 1956 and have enjoyed music "all" of my life. These artists were picked because they were the most influential artists of the decade. There were so many to chose from, so I picked the artists who produced the highest billboard ratings of the 80's. Check out the facts, this was not an article about "my or your" favorites artists of the 80's. Thanks for you opinion Jakes.
first of all Kevin is too old to have really experienced the 80s music scene. sceond of all his choices of the top ten is biased towards rock and roll and the straight community. The best artist's are not always the most popular artists. The best artist's are not always on the charts, The top ten Artists of the 8o's at least every club that i went to and i went to them all. included the B52's,Culture Club, ABC, Bowie,etc come on Kevin the Charts are bought and sold but dont reflect the choice of the people. get real man.