Welcome to my corner. I believe that the most important thing in our world is music. It gives people such strong emotion. So in this column you will see my list for my Top 10 Bands, and the reasons why they are there.

10. Ben Harper

Honestly I had never heard of this man until this year. I was listening to the radio, and the song ‘Homeless Child’ by Ben Harper came on. It started off with a good blues slide riff, mixed with heavy distortion. It was a great mix with the rest of the band. It deserved a spot on this list.             

9. The Doors

Lead by frontman Jim Morrison, the Doors are one of the leaders of psychedelic rock. Their odd lyrics, and messy time signatures make them the perfect band for this spot. Plus, no one really notices this, but they don’t have a bass player. That is done with pedals done by the organist Ray Manzarek.

8. Robin Trower

I feel that people don’t give enough credit to this innovator. His hit song, and album ‘Bridge of Sighs’, is a masterpiece. Also the song ‘Too Rolling Stoned’ is one of the most creative songs ever featuring multiple time changes, and incredible guitar parts, shows that he and his band, deserve a spot on this list.

7. Boston

This band was created by Tom Schols. He started this band in his dorm, at MIT. He made all of the music himself, by recording all of the parts separately and putting them together. Then others joined this one man band, and made this one of the greatest classic rock bands of all time.

6. Allman Brothers

Lead by the two brothers themselves Duane and Greg Allman made the southern rock band known as The Allman Brothers Band. Alongside Duane, Dickey Betts also played guitar. Greg Played piano, and sang, Barrie Oakley on bass, and Butch Trucks, and Jaimoe on Drums. Sadly Duane was taken from us when he was hit by a peach truck while riding his motorcycle. The band named their next album, Eat a Peach

5. Queen

I personally think that Freddy Mercury is one of the greatest singers ever. He has a great range, and his voice is perfect for the heavy tone of guitarist Brian May. He’s one of the smartest guitarists ever. He has a doctorate in Astronomy, and his guitar, the Red Special, is one that he made himself. Those two together made possibly the greatest rock song ever. Bohemian Rhapsody. Enough said.

4. AC/DC

This is one of the most well known band of the 70’s. Even if you’ve never heard of the name, you definitely heard one of their many hit songs: “Highway to Hell,” ” Back in Black,” or “Thunderstruck.” They all include the lead guitarist Angus Young. He’s famous for wearing the schoolboy outfit, wearing and losing the hat, having guitar seizures, and that awesome Gibson guitar.

His brother Malcolm was the backbone of the band until their newest album, Rock or Bust when he was diagnosed with dementia. Then on November 18 2017, he was taken from us at age 69. He was replaced by their other brother Stevie Young, until he died also.

Now there has been news of a new album by the hard rock band with most of then original members including, Angus Young, Brian May, Cliff Marks, and Phil Rudd. Plus, Before he died, Malcolm had recorded parts with Angus, and Angus has chosen the best ones to be put into all of the songs. So even in death Malcom is going to be a part of this album.

3. Pink Floyd

This was one of the greatest bands of the 80’s and 90’s. Originally led by lead singer Syd Barrett until he literally went crazy and was replaced by lead singer and guitarist David Gilmour. Their hit albums include; Animals, Dark Side of the Moon, Welcome the Machine, and the Wall. Their song Comfortably Numb has been put in first place many times because of the two blistering solos by David. Plus, two of their songs were written about Syd Barrett. Shine on You Crazy Diamond, and Wish you were here. We will never forget you Syd, and we’ll never forget the band Pink Floyd

2. Led Zeppelin

The classic rock band from Britain known as Led Zeppelin rocked straight through the 80’s with lead singer Robert Plant, lead and rhythm guitarist Jimmy Page, Bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. Roberts unique voice captured the attention of former Yardbirds guitarist Jimmy Page. They then found friends they knew and started a band. Jimmy was very creative when he played, playing guitar with a violin bow. John Bonham was one of the greatest drummers ever. Especially on the live version of their song Moby Dick where he has a 20 minute drum solo. Sadly he had a drinking problem, and died from it. He was replaced by his son Jason Bonham. Keep on rocking man.

1.Jimi Hendrix Experience

This powerful band with only three members paved the way for psychedelic rock. With Noel Redding on bass, Mitch Mitchell on drums, and the legendary Jimi Hendrix on guitar, there was no limit to what they could do. When Noel tried out for the band he was originally playing guitar, but Jimi thought he would benefit better playing the bass. Mitch Mitchell was a jazz drummer and brought that aspect into the band.

It is near impossible for most drummers to play his riff from the song Fire. Then there is Jimi Hendrix. He was the real showman of the entire thing. He played with his teeth behind his head, and at one show where he opened for the Monkees, he burned his guitar and smashed it onstage. He often made weird sounds with the guitar putting it next to the amp to create feedback.

Then at Woodstock of 1969, he did an amazing version of the Star Spangled Banner that is still unmatched by any other guitar. He was taken from us at 27 from reasons that probably shouldn’t be mentioned in a column. I think that it’s safe to say that we will never forget Jimi, or his incredible guitar playing.

Well that’s all for me, thank you for joining me in Music, The Heartbeat of our World. See you later.