Rock LegendsEpisodes Guide

With Gwen Stefani as the lead singer, No Doubt have become one the of the most critically acclaimed ska bands world-wide. Discover the story of their lives and the impact they made on popular culture. Using interviews, news archives, and performances, this episode reveals the unique aspect of this iconic band.

In addition to singing lead and backing vocals, Kravitz often plays all the guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, and percussion himself when recording. He won the Grammy Award for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance four years in a row from 1999 to 2002, breaking the record for most wins in that category as well as setting the record for most consecutive wins in one category by a male.

Despite living a tragically short life, Amy had a significant impact on the music industry and is a recognized name around the world. Her unique voice and fusion of styles left a musical legacy that will live long in the memory of everyone her music has touched.

Duran Duran were a successful band of the 1980s and a leading band in the MTV-driven "Second British Invasion" of the US. Using interviews, news archive and performances, this episode reveals the unique aspect of this iconic band.

The perfect punk pop band fronted by the most iconic woman in music. Always creating, never following, always setting trends. After forming in the 1970s, Blondie continue to make music and tour the world.

The Bee Gees their first record deal in 1963 with Festival Records, March 1978 saw the Bee Gees occupy the two top positions on the US charts with "Night Fever" and "Staying Alive". Having won five Grammy awards for Saturday Night Fever, the Bee Gees were a worldwide sensation. Journalists and critics examine the rise of The Bee Gees.

Originally formed as Pectorals, Coldplay has gone on to worldwide fame and has had numerous successful hits.

The Clash began their meteoric rise in 1976, growing out of the early punk scene of West London, The Clash were the ultimate, punk rock band. They combined intelligence with anger and with sheer poetry and beauty. The Clash still influences artists world-wide today.

Journalists examine the life and music of Tina Turner, who rose to fame in the 1960s alongside then-husband Ike Turner, before enjoying a highly successful solo career.

Ranked among the top hard rock bands of all time, Van Halen was known as much for the drama surrounding its members as its larger-than-life stage performances. Interviews, news archives and performances reveal the story of this iconic band.

Prince's life and music are recalled.

Known for the Bat Out of Hell trilogy of albums, Meat Loaf is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time, as well as an accomplished actor. Interviews, archival news footage, and performances reveal this unique, iconic artist.

Interviews, news archives, and performance tell the story of INXS, Australia's all-time most successful rock band, and one of its most important and best-known rock exports.

Stevie Wonder is an American musician and a former child prodigy who became one of the most creative musical figures of the late 20th century. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Stevie Wonder.

James Brown was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer and bandleader. The founding father of funk music and a major figure of 20th century popular music and dance, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Soul". Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of James Brown.

Neil Young is one of the most influential songwriters and guitarists of his generation, known for recording such favorites as 'Old Man,' 'Harvest Moon' and 'Heart of Gold.' Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Neil Young.

The Doors, one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s, were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by UCLA film students Ray Manzarek, keyboards, and Jim Morrison, vocals; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of The Doors.

Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of award-winning American singer songwriter Paul Simon, whose fame, influence and success began as part of duo Simon & Garfunkel.

One of the most innovative bands ever, the Beach Boys invented California rock. Leading music critics cast fresh light on their career.

Named for no apparent reason after an 18th-century British agronomist who invented the machine drill for sowing seed, Jethro Tull has been one of the most commercially successful, and eccentric, progressive-rock bands. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the band's career.

With five number one singles, 14 Top 40 hits, and four number one albums, the Eagles were among the most successful recording artists of the 1970s. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of the Eagles.

Roy Orbison nicknamed the Big O, was an American singer-songwriter and musician, known for his distinctive, impassioned voice, complex compositions, and dark, emotional ballads. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Roy Orbison.

The Who were the godfathers of punk and pioneers of rock opera, and were among the first rock groups to integrate synthesizers. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of The Who.

Janis Joplin rose to fame in the late 1960s and was known for her powerful, blues-inspired vocals. She died of an accidental drug overdose in 1970. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Janis Joplin.

The members of rock's first supergroup each had successful recording careers before coming together: Crosby with the Byrds, Stills and Young with Buffalo Springfield, and Nash with the Hollies. Leading music critics cast fresh light on their career.

A popular brother-and-sister team, the Carpenters sold millions of hit records in the early '70s. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of The Carpenters.

The Mamas and Papas were a four-piece folk act whose high harmonies and blend of easygoing, trippy originals with nicely stylized covers virtually soundtracked the late '60s. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of The Mamas and Papas.

Exploring the life and career of musician and actor David Bowie, who returned to the top of the charts in 2013 with The Next Day, his first album in a decade. Music critics and DJs offer their thoughts on the London-born artist's colorful career and enduring success.

Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Velvet Underground and although they achieved no immediate success in their career, are now regarded as one of the most influential bands of all time and Nico, Cale and Reed each enjoyed solo success on the back of its legacy.

This documentary follows Elton John's journey from budding songwriter to his 70s peak as the one of the most prolific artists of his generation, his flamboyant costumes and classic songs and closing with being one of the very few musicians who can still top the charts 45 years into their career.

Formed in Los Angeles in 1965 for the American television series The Monkees, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork and British actor and singer Davy Jones. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of The Monkees.

Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Tom Petty, one of the great American songwriters.

Hailed by Rolling Stone as the greatest guitarist of all time, Jimi Hendrix was also one of the biggest cultural figures of the Sixties, a psychedelic voodoo child. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Jimi Hendrix.

Rock Legends U2 tells the story of one of the world's biggest bands, featuring insights from music critics and showcasing classic music videos.

Rock Legends Red Hot Chili Peppers features insights from music critics and showcasing classic music videos.

Rock Legends Pearl Jam tells the story of one of the world's biggest bands, featuring insights from music critics and showcasing classic music videos.

A documentary that sweeps you along with the flow of musical genius that is Johnny Cash. From his family's poverty in the Great Depression to touring with Elvis and becoming a legend in his own right. We see his reinvention for a whole new generation with Rick Rubin and how 'Hurt' became the epitaph to his amazing life and career.

Classic videos and leading music critics tell the story of Billy Joel, one of the world's most popular recording artists.

Classic music videos, news archives and leading music critics shine a spotlight on the long and storied career of New Jersy's Bon Jovi.

Archive material, music videos, and exclusive insights from music critics and journalists tell the story of Phil Collins from his time as a member of Genesis to his career as one of only three solo artists to sell over 100 million records.

Archive material, music videos, and exclusive insights from music critics and journalists tell the story of Radiohead, one of the most influential bands of the modern rock era.

Archive material, music videos and exclusive insights from music critics tell the story of the Beastie Boys, the first rap rock punk band and one of the most important alternative acts of the last 30 years.

Green Day first appeared on the California punk scene as the band Sweet Children. Friends Billie Joe Armstrong and Mike Dirnt formed the group when they were only 15, playing gigs across the state, and the band are still going strong today.

Hailed as Britain's "best ever pop singer" by Rolling Stone, the English-born Dusty Springfield charted several 1960s hits, including "Son of a Preacher Man." Leading music critics cast fresh light on her career.

Archive material, music videos, and exclusive insights form leading music critics tell the story of Genesis, from the band's beginnings as progressive rock pioneers to their later shift towards a more pop-oriented sound as music video icons.

Leading music critics cast a fresh light on the career of psychedelic pioneers Jefferson Airplane from helping define the San Francisco Sound to headlining some of the biggest rock festivals of the 1960s.

Leading music critics tell the story of Santana, the San Francisco-based Latin rock band that exploded onto the music scene with their breakthrough performance at 1969's Woodstock music festival.

Leading music critics tell the story of the Grateful Dead and how their blend of psychedelia, blues, rock 'n' roll, country, folk, and jazz came together to create their own unique sound.

Thanks largely to John Fogerty's rough, inimitable voice and seemingly bottomless supply of great melodies, Creedence Clearwater Revival were the preeminent American singles band of the late Sixties and early Seventies.

Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Neil Diamond. Rock and roll took American youth by storm in the 1950s and Neil, too, fell under its spell.

The Police became globally popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s and are regarded as one of the first new-wave groups to achieve mainstream success, playing a style of rock influenced by punk, reggae, and jazz. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the band.

Talking Heads were an American rock band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, and Jerry Harrison. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Talking Heads.

The Pretenders, originally three Englishmen and an American woman, emerged at the close of the '70s as one of the new wave's most commercially successful groups. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of The Pretenders.

Earth, Wind & Fire is an American band that has spanned the musical genres of R&B, soul, funk, jazz, disco, pop, rock, Latin and African. They are one of the most successful bands of all time. Leading music critics cast fresh light on their career.

Known as the voice of soul music, Otis Redding died in a plane crash at 26 years old. His song "(Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay" hit No. 1 in 1968. Leading music critics cast fresh light on the career of Otis Redding.

This program features archive material, music videos "I Want Your Sex" and "Too Funky" and exclusive insights from music critics and journalists.

The Yardbirds may not have been as famous as their British Invasion contemporaries the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and the Who, but the pioneering blues-based combo introduced three of the most famous and influential guitarists of the rock era: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page. Their innovations - a revved-up instrumental attack, controlled use of feedback, distortion and fuzz paved the way for psychedelic rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, Southern boogie and even punk

The Byrds pioneered folk-rock, combining traditional acoustic music with early Sixties pop. The group's signature sunny melodies, lush harmonies, and ringing 12-string guitars - as well as their eventual exploration of psychedelic rock - made for some of the decade's best singles. The band continued to do strong work (including foray into country), establishing a sonic model for many of the Seventies biggest rock bands, including the Eagles, Tom Petty, and the latter-day Fleetwood Mac.

Fronted by Eric Clapton, Cream was the prototypical power trio, playing a mix of blues, rock and psychedelia while focusing on chunky riffs and fiery guitar solos. In a mere three years, the band sold 15 million records, played to SRO crowds throughout the U.S. and Europe, and redefined the instrumentalist's role in rock.

Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, responsible for hits such as "Both Sides Now" and "Big Yellow Taxi," is widely considered 1960s and '70s folk royalty. Leading music critics cast fresh light on her career.

Blind musician Ray Charles was a pioneer of soul music, integrating rhythm and blues, gospel, pop and country to create hits like "Unchain My Heart," "Hit The Road" and "Georgia on My Mind."

With his signature vocal hiccup and hits like "That'll Be the Day," "Rave On," "Peggy Sue" and "Not Fade Away," Buddy Holly was a rock 'n' roll pioneer, as well as one of the genre's first great singer-songwriters.

Run-DMC is a Grammy®-nominated hip-hop trio from Queens, New York. Founded in 1981, they are considered among the most influential artists in hip-hop and helped usher in the genre's increasing popularity in the 1980s. Run-DMC was the first hip-hop group to go platinum and double-platinum, securing them a spot in music history!

Then, we explore the life and career of Aretha Franklin. This multiple Grammy® winner is also known as the reigning and undisputed "Queen of Soul." Franklin has created an amazing legacy that spans an incredible six decades, from her first recording as a teenage gospel star to her current RCA Records release. She was even the recipient of the U.S.A.'s highest civilian honor, The Presidential Medal Of Freedom!

The self-described "rock and roll band with horns," Chicago is one of the longest-running and most successful rock groups, and one of the world's best-selling groups of all time, having sold more than 100 million records. In 1971, Chicago was the first rock act to sell out Carnegie Hall for a week.

The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1966 in San Francisco, California. The band is led by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals. It is best known today for a string of (mainly) mid-to late-1970s hit singles that are staples of classic rock radio, as well as several earlier psychedelic rock albums.

Journey is an American rock band that formed in San Francisco in 1973, composed of former members of Santana and Frumious Bandersnatch. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between 1978 and 1987.

By the dawn of the 1970s, progressive rock allowed musicians to evolve a single track over a whole side of vinyl, draw on classical sources, and create music in more complex time signatures.

The US heavy metal sound has big hooks, melodic choruses, and monster ballads, with nearly every song featuring one guitar solo; they also include extensive used of harmonies, particularly in the ballads.

Songwriters have their roots in the folk-acoustic traditions of Celtic European troubadours from the Middle East and blues and country in the United States; the genre emerges again in the 1960s against the backdrop of political change.

With The Cars, Go-Go's, and Huey Lewis and the News. New Wave and post-punk were the successors of the raw nihilism of punk. New Wave was brighter, more pop, synth-heavy, and very dance-able. The Pop Rock sound of the 1970s and 1980s was a tune heavy blend of punk minimalism, art rock synthesizer and pop melodies.

Protest songs are written using traditional folk, hillbilly and bluegrass traditions. Music artists overthrow 1950s attitudes, bringing civil rights, poverty and other issues into focus. With Joan Baez, Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.

Created by a small group of iconoclastic artists in the 1970s and early 1980s, Outlaw Country represents freedom from the Nashville establishment that dictated the sound of most country music of the era. Outlaw Country has its roots in earlier subgenres like Western, honky tonk, rockabilly and progressive country, and is characterized by a blend of rock and folk rhythms, country instrumentation, and introspective lyrics.

Both a descriptor used for the bars that provide country music for the entertainment of their patrons, and a style of music played in such establishments, honky tonk is a multifaceted musical experience. Most-common in the South and Southwest of the United States, honky tonks have served as vital proving grounds where some of country music's most prominent artists cut their teeth on the pathway to superstardom.

Counting Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Brian Jones, and Amy Winehouse among its members, the 27 Club is equal parts exclusive and tragic—standing as a sombre reminder of the incredible talent whose lives and careers were cut short at the age of 27.

Before songs were concocted by committee, with an algorithmic hive mind to produce the perfect beat, melody, and lyrics, they were written by songwriters. You may know every lyric to your favorite songs, but do you know who wrote them? From those who toiled behind the scenes to those who were performers themselves but never made the marquee, here are just a few of the secret songwriters responsible for some of the greatest hits.

Yacht rock (originally known as the West Coast sound or adult-oriented rock) is a broad music style and aesthetic commonly associated with soft rock one of the most commercially successful genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. Drawing on sources such as smooth soul, smooth jazz, R&B, and disco common stylistic traits include high-quality production, clean vocals, and a focus on light, catchy melodies. The term yacht rock was coined in 2005 by the makers of the online video series Yacht Rock, who connected the music with the popular Southern Californian leisure activity of boating. It was considered a pejorative term by some music critics.

The love affair between rock and roll and the guitar originally began with the blues, but the real key to the success of the guitarist in rock and roll was amplification. Once the guitar could be properly amplified, it took over—and from the very early days of the genre, it was the sound of rock and roll.

Though bordering America, the home of rock and roll, Canadian artists such as Neil Young, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Arcade Fire have each carved out a sound and style that is uniquely their own—leaving an indelible mark that continues to influence and inspire generations of musicians.

A great drummer must have impeccable timing, rhythm, and co-ordination. Perhaps more importantly, however, they also must have passion—something unique that makes them stand out. This is a celebration of those percussion pioneers with the perfect blend of talent, passion, and the drive to be legendary.

Doo-wop is a genre of acapella rhythm and blues music, which originated in the ‘30s and ‘40s across African American communities in Philadelphia and Chicago, among others. Focusing on vocal harmonies, doo-wop provides a beautiful layering between a lead vocal and strong underlying voices mimicking instruments.

First forged in the ‘70s and ‘80s, Heartland Rock displays poetic, socially-conscious lyrics very much rooted in Americana. Themes of teenage nostalgia, isolation, and small-town decline are prevalent—but there is a feeling of optimism as well, often told through the eyes of the white working-class of America's mid-West.

From the word modernist, Mod is a subculture that began in the late 1950s and spread throughout Great Britain, before ultimately influencing trends in other countries. Elements of the mod subculture include fashion, music (primarily jazz), and motor scooters.

Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music—typically producing short, fast-paced songs with hard-edged melodies and stripped-down instrumentation, and lyrical themes that challenge authoritarianism and the establishment.

This underground feminist punk movement began during the early 1990s in Olympia, Washington, and has since expanded to at least 26 other countries. Combining feminism, punk music, and politics, it expresses emotions considered socially acceptable for male songwriters but that are less common for women.

Roots rock looks back to rock's origins as a response to the perceived excesses of the dominant psychedelic and progressive rock scenes. Roots music (Americana) is often used to mean folk and world musical forms, and is often applied to any rock music that incorporates these elements.

Associated with movements for protest and social change, protest music is part of the broader category of topical songs (or songs connected to current events). It came to prominence in the United States during the 1960s Vietnam War Era, and may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre.