Top 80’s Bands by Brynn J.

The 80’s gave us technological breakthroughs like walkmans and gameboys along with progressive TV shows and video games, but possibly one of the greatest inventions of the decade was music. The 70’s were filled with disco, punk rock, and soul music, so people were ready for the rise of 80’s music. 80’s music had bashing basses, electrifying guitars, and vocalizing voices that were perfect for dancing and partying. The 2000s switched to the era of hip-hop and metal. Finally, in 2020, we started going back to our true founding fathers of music.

1. Queen

One band you probably already know is Queen. Even though they rose to the top in 1974, they’re considered an 80’s band for their rock and roll hits. The band members were Freddie Mercury as lead singer and pianist, Brian May, singer and guitarist, John Deacon on bass, and finally Roger Taylor, singer and drummer. They first started in 1970, and after changing their band name from Smile to Queen, soon after signed with EMI records. In 1975 “Bohemian Rhapsody” reached #1 in the UK for a record of nine weeks. Five years later “Another One Bites The Dust” hit #1 in America, and in 1981 “Under Pressure” reached #1 in the UK.

2. Guns N’ Roses

“Guns N’ Roses” are a rock band most famous for some of their songs like “Paradise City” and “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” which was #1 in America for two weeks. The band’s original members were Axl Rose who formed the band and played on it as lead vocalist, Paul Hudson, who changed his name to “Slash,” on guitar, Izzy Stradlin an original member of the band on guitar, Duff McKagan on bass, and Steven Adler on drums. Along with the band’s popular music, they also got publicity for their constant arrests.

3. Bon Jovi

After starting to sing and write songs in his teenage years, Jon Bon Jovi played in multiple bands, one of which recorded “Runaway,” which was first rejected by record labels, but soon after became a big hit. After starting a new band called “Bon Jovi,” he made two big albums. One was “Slippery When Wet,” in which five of the songs reached top-10 in the Billboard's Hot-100. Some of his top hits include “I’ll Be There For You,” “You Give Love A Bad Name,” and “Livin’ on a Prayer.”

4. AC/DC

AC/DC was an Australian band created by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young, who were first only known in Australia and New Zealand. The band started growing in popularity once their chauffeur, Bon Scott, sang as lead vocalist one day while on tour. Soon after he joined the band, they recorded their album “High Voltage,” which became a huge hit. AC/DC recorded their album “T.N.T.” with a new drummer, Phil Rudd, and bass player, Mark Evans. Evans was replaced by Cliff Williams, and a few years later they made “Highway to Hell,” which sold out as soon as it was released. A year later, after Bon Scott died from asphyxiation, AC/DC decided to move on and fill the impossible role Scott passed. They recruited Brian Johnson and after taking a break they went on to tour with their new vocalist and debuted their biggest album yet, “Back in Black,” leading them to do a worldwide tour. Shortly after, they succeeded with the nearly impossible job of making another huge hit, “For Those About To Rock We Salute You.”

Even after 40 years, we’re still rocking out to these legends of rock and roll. So if you ever don’t know what to listen to, these are four bands I recommend.