You have been inspiring us for more than 40 years. The pop stars in this top 10 list had their beginnings in the 70s, some also only from 1980. This musician or music group prove that time can not harm them.
In this list, we made sure that the first major breakthrough was more than forty years ago and we are aware that there are many artists who deserve to be included in this list.
Depeche Mode
The British synthipop group was founded in 1980 and songs such as “Personal Jesus”, “People Are People” and “Just Can’t Get Enough” made Depeche Mode unforgettable. But even 40 years later you can still see Depeche Mode on the stages of this world. Their “Global Spirit Tour” (2017-2018) was the most successful of the band with 2.3 million fans (spread over 130 concerts). To date, the boys have released 14 studio albums and sold more than 100 million records.
Sting
Sting started in 1977 with the band The Police, with which the Brit became known worldwide through singles like “Roxanne” from the album “Outlandos D’Amour”. With “Message In A Bottle”, “Can’t Stand Losing You” and “So Lonely” they established themselves as promising newcomers. In 1986 the three-piece band took a break after their successful Synchronicity tour and Sting tried it as a solo artist. From 1987 on he was able to immortalize himself in music history with “Englishman In New York”, “Fields of Gold” and “Shape of My Heart”.
Police celebrated reunification 20 years later, but Sting continued to produce solo albums. Most recently “44/876” was released in 2018 and a new edition of the most famous songs called “My Songs” (2019). To date, his best of album “Fields of Gold” is his most successful with over six million records sold.
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John was born in 1947 and gained worldwide fame in 1970 with “Your Song”, the second release of his second album “Elton John”.
To date, the Brit has released 34 studio albums and several soundtracks (“The Lion King” and “Gnomeo and Julia”). In total, he sold more than 300 million records. In 2024 Elton received the Oscar for his single “I’m Gonna Love Me Again!” From the film about his life “Rocketman”.
Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney, born in 1942, founded the Beatles in 1962 with John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison and also works as a songwriter. For example, Paul created “Yesterday” (1965), the most covered and played song of all time. The Brit has also been a solo artist since 1970 and released his 18th studio album “Egypt Station” in 2018.
McCartney has released a total of 47 albums with the Beatles, solo and through projects with other artists.
Peter Maffay
In 1970 Peter Maffay’s first single “Du” was released. At that time he was still a pop singer. With the album “Steppenwolf” the singer made his breakthrough in the late 70s and from then on went towards rock music. Hits like “Nessaja” (1983) from the Tabaluga series, “Tiefer” (1989) and “Ewig” (2008) followed.
By 2024 Maffay had released a total of 26 studio albums, the current one is titled “Jetzt!” 13 of his albums have sold more than a million copies and you can regularly see Peter on a tour of Germany.
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen has been on the move musically since the mid-1970s. It wasn’t long before he got the nickname “The Boss”. With “Born To Run” (1975), “Steets of Philadephia” (1994) and “Born in the USA” (1984), the American created unforgettable works.
Bruce most recently lent his smoky voice to the album “Western Stars”, which was released in 2019. A total of 135 million of his records have been purchased worldwide. The boss won a total of 20 Grammys, two Golden Globes and an Oscar for his music.
Sir Rod Stewart
In 1969 Rod Stewart’s first solo album “An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down” was released, which started the successful career of the 1945-born Brit with the socket hairstyle. This was followed by songs such as “Sailing” (1975), “Baby Jane”, which reached number 1 in Germany in 1983.
In 2016 Rod was awarded the Knight Bachelor title by the Queen and two years later his last album “Blood Red Roses” was released. The rocker has sold more than 150 million records to date.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton (* 1946) has been in the music business since 1967 and has sold more than 100 million records in her 53-year career. The songs “Jolene”, “9 to 5” and “Here You Come Again” have become classics of the country genre.
What many don’t know, Dolly created the hit “I Will Always Love You” in 1974, which later made Whitney Houston famous. In 2016 her 50th studio album “Pure & Simple” was released. She is the artist who published the most albums on this list.
Udo Lindenberg
Udo Lindenberg was born in Gronau in 1946 and in 1973 published the hits “Alles Klar auf der Andrea Doria” and “Cello”, which are included on his successful album “Andrea Doria”. With songs like “Das Mädchen aus Ost-Berlin” (1973), “Sonderzug nach Pankow” (1983) and “Coole Socke” (2016). With his 34th studio album “Stark wie Zwei”, the Hamburg-based artist also topped the German charts for the first time in his career in 2008. Udo’s last album “Stronger than Time” (2016) also reached first place.
Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne, born in 1948, is not only known for his role as a front man at Black Sabbath. The rocker with the iconic black eyeliner has also had numerous solo successes to date. In addition to “Crazy Train” (1980), “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (1991) and “Dreamer” (2001), Ozzy also produced the song “Take What You Want” with the rapper Post Malone in 2019. The Brit released his last album “Ordinary Man” on February 21, 2024.
