For this weeks’ Time Machine, we are jumping all over the place! From the 80s to the 90s, and today to see which rock artist Americans say is the greatest of all time.
Rolling Stone first asked in 1987 who Americans 18-44 thought were the five most important rock artists of all time.
The “King” took the crown — 47% said Elvis Presley. The Beatles were close behind (44%) followed by The Rolling Stones (18%), the “Boss” Bruce Springsteen (12%), and John Lennon (10%).
Four years later, Lifetime Television/Troika Productions and Princeton asked Americans over 18 what their favorite rock and roll performer of all time was… but they only offered 4 choices.
This time Elvis won again but with only 16%. Just 13% said The Beatles and only 1% chose The Stones and Chuck Berry.
This post was written by Marist Poll Media Team member Athen Hollis.
So, who won? A whopping 48% said other or someone that was not on the pollster’s list.
Now, let’s jump forward to 2018 when the Monmouth Poll asked Americans what they thought the greatest rock and roll band or group of all time was.
This time, Elvis barely registered, getting just 1%. The Beatles topped the list at 23% and the Stones came in at 8%. Other bands (each getting 1%-4%) and “I don’t know” took the biggest share — 33%.
It seems that over the past 30 or so years, Elvis has lost his luster while The Beatles have maintained their legendary status.
But maybe the real takeaway is Americans want more options on this list. After all, nearly 70 years after the birth of rock and roll, there are a LOT of choices.
This post was written by Marist Poll Media Team member Athen Hollis.