Arizona may not be the first state that comes to mind when you think of famous artists. However, there are several successful bands and musicians with roots in this Southwestern state. Arizona music talent spans many genres and styles. From some of the best-selling pop artists of all time to lesser-known gems, here are my top picks for the best musicians from Arizona that you need to know!
1. Alice Cooper
An innovator of “shock rock”, a theatrical rock genre with horror and provocative elements, Alice Cooper, is one of the most famous Arizona native musicians. Cooper often uses props in his live shows, such as fake blood and dummy severed limbs. Alice Cooper was born in Detroit, Michigan, but he spent his formative years in Phoenix, where he started his first band in 1964. He rose to fame in the early 1970s with his band’s breakthrough album, Love It to Death. The artist’s biggest hits are “School’s Out”, “No More Mr. Nice Guy”, and “Poison”.
With a career spanning more than six decades, Alice Cooper has cemented his legacy as one of the most unique and creative musicians of the 20th century.
2. Stevie Nicks
One of the most influential female rock artists of all time, Stevie Nicks, was born in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1948. While she spent less than a year of her life in the state, she still considers herself an “Arizonan”.
In 1975, Stevie Nicks became the lead singer for Fleetwood Mac and helped catapult the band into the spotlight. Her contributions to the band’s 1977 album Rumours, one of the best-selling albums of all time, helped define an era of rock music. Nicks wrote songs “Dreams” and “Rhiannon”, both of which became some of the band’s most successful songs.
After 5 years with Fleetwood Mac, Nicks launched her solo career. She is the only woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice—once with Fleetwood Mac in 1998 and again as a solo artist in 2019.
3. Charles Mingus
Born in Nogales, Arizona, in 1922, Charles Mingus is widely regarded as one of the greatest jazz bassists of all time. He revolutionized jazz bass playing and pushed the boundaries of the instrument, incorporating new techniques such as double-stop chords, harmonics, and the use of a bow, which hadn’t been used much in jazz bass playing prior.
Over his three-decade career, Mingus collaborated with other jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis. Additionally, as an accomplished composer, Mingus led several of his own ensembles. While Mingus spent most of his years based in Los Angeles, Arizona still claims him as one of the best and brightest musical minds in the state.
4. Jimmy Eat World
One of the most popular pop-punk bands from the early 2000s, Jimmy Eat World, was formed in Mesa, Arizona. Jimmy Eat World built a small but dedicated following in the Arizona punk scene in the 1990s, but their major breakthrough came with the release of Bleed American in 2001. The album, which featured their major hit song, “The Middle”, became their first and only platinum record. While Jimmy Eat World hasn’t had any major hits in the last few decades, they are still active to this day and remain a respected name in alternative rock with an influence that extends far beyond their early 2000s success.
5. Linda Ronstadt
One of the most versatile and best-selling artists of all time, Linda Ronstadt was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1946. The artist has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and earned 11 Grammy Awards. She grew up in a musical family and was exposed to a wide range of styles. This background shaped her genre-blending career, which spanned rock, pop, country, folk, and Latin music.
Linda Ronstadt was a pioneer in bringing Latin music to mainstream audiences in the USA. Her 1987 album Canciones de Mi Padre sold more than 2.5 million copies and became the best-selling non-English album in U.S. history.
6. Chester Bennington
The lead singer of the ultra-successful alternative rock band Linkin Park, Chester Bennington is one of the most iconic musicians from Arizona. Born and raised in Phoenix, Bennington struggled with his music career throughout the 1990s until he successfully auditioned for Linkin Park in 1999. The band released their debut album, Hybrid Theory, in 2000, which catapulted them to fame and sold more than 10 million copies. In fact, Hybrid Theory is one of just 92 albums to reach ARIA Diamond status.
Bennington is one of the most influential modern musicians and had an undeniable impact on 2000s alternative rock. In 2017, Bennington tragically committed suicide at the age of 41.
7. Gin Blossoms
The Gin Blossoms were a prominent 90s rock band from Tempe, Arizona. While the band formed in 1987, they didn’t experience much mainstream success until the release of their second studio album, New Miserable Experience, in 1992. The album eventually went multi-platinum, establishing the Gin Blossoms as one of the biggest bands to come out of Arizona.
Despite internal struggles and a brief breakup in the late ‘90s, the band reunited and continued making music. While they never quite replicated the massive success of New Miserable Experience, they continue to tour regularly and release new music.
8. Meat Puppets
This Arizona band produces a unique blend of psychedelic rock, punk, and country. Meat Puppets was formed in Phoenix in 1980 and is one of the state’s most iconic bands. While Meat Puppets saw some success throughout the 1980s, it wasn’t until the early 90s that the band entered the mainstream spotlight. In 1993, Meat Puppets played on-stage with Kurt Cobain at the iconic MTV Unplugged concert. After a few hiatuses in the 90s and 2000s, Meat Puppets reunited in 2006 and continue to release new music and tour to this day. The band’s experimental songwriting and genre-blending sound have cemented their status as one of Arizona’s most influential and enduring musical acts.
9. Mega Ran
Raheem “Mega Ran” Jarbo is a Phoenix-based rapper who has carved out a unique niche in hip-hop. Mega Ran blends nerd culture with socially conscious rap lyrics, often sampling video game tracks for his beats. Dubbed Arizona’s “godfather of nerdcore,” Mega Ran gained recognition for rapping about video games, anime, and comic books, often incorporating chiptune beats and 8-bit sounds into his music. His breakout moment came in 2007 when he released Mega Ran, an album inspired by the Mega Man video game series.
While not nearly as successful as many of the other Arizona musicians on this list, Mega Ran is certainly one of the most unique artists from the state.
10. The Maine
Another Arizona rock band from the artsy college town of Tempe, The Maine is one of the state’s most successful music groups. The band formed in 2007 while the members were still in high school. Thanks to social media platforms like MySpace, The Maine was able to break into the mainstream without the help of a major record label. The band’s debut release Can’t Stop Won’t Stop sold 12,000 copies in it’s first week and even made it on the billboard top 200 charts.
The Maine has remained active, releasing 9 full-length albums since their initial breakthrough. Additionally, the members prioritize maintaining creative control over their music. The band’s sound continues to evolve with each new release.
11. The Refreshments
The Refreshments are yet another band that originated in Tempe, Arizona (are you starting to see a theme here?). Formed in 1993, the band gained national recognition with their 1996 album Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy, which featured their biggest hits, “Banditos” and “Down Together”. The Refreshments are known for their signature blend of Southwestern rock, alternative, and a touch of humor. While they certainly didn’t sell as many albums as other artists on this list, they had a cult following in the late 90s alternative scene.
Although they disbanded in 1998, their influence lives on. Lead singer Roger Clyne went on to form Roger Clyne & The Peacemakers, another popular Arizona rock band.
12. Jordin Sparks
After winning the 6th season of American Idol in 2007, Jordin Sparks went on to become an extremely successful artist. The Phoenix native singer’s self-titled debut album sold more than 1 million copies and charted on billboards around the world. Sparks even performed at Barack Obama’s first inauguration in 2009.
Her biggest hit, “No Air”, a duet with Chris Brown, became one of the best-selling singles by an American Idol winner, even earning a Grammy nomination.
13. Michelle Branch
Michelle Branch grew up in Sedona and is one of the most successful female musicians in Arizona. Her music style can best be described as pop or singer-songwriter soft rock. Her debut major-label album, The Spirit Room, was released in 2001 and went double platinum.
In 2003, Michelle Branch won a Grammy Award for the single “The Game of Love,” which she co-wrote with Santana. Branch later formed the country duo The Wreckers and earned another Grammy nomination.
14. Marty Robbins
A man of many talents, Marty Robbins, was a trailblazer of the outlaw country and one of Arizona’s most beloved country musicians. Robbins was born in Glendale in 1925 and was a prolific singer, instrumentalist, and even a decorated NASCAR driver!
Marty Robbins recorded more than 500 songs throughout his more than three-decade career, but his biggest hits were on his 1959 album Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs. This album included his hit songs like “Big Iron” and “El Paso”, the latter of which won him a Grammy Award. Robbins was a world-renowned country singer who has influenced countless artists throughout the decades.
15. CeCe Peniston
CeCe Peniston was born in Dayton, Ohio, but raised in Phoenix, Arizona, and quickly became one of the most successful dance and house music artists of the 1990s. Her 1991 hit “Finally” became an international dance anthem, topping the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and reaching the top 10 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. To this day, “Finally” is song one of the most iconic dance tracks of the decade.
While “Finally” is by far Peniston’s biggest hit, she had several other charting tracks throughout the 90s, such as “He Loves Me 2” and “Eternal Love”.
16. Waylon Jennings
While Waylon Jennings was born in Littlefield, Texas, the musician spent a lot of his childhood and adult life in Arizona. Jennings was one of the godfathers of “outlaw” country, along with Texas music legend Willie Nelson. Like many country artists of his time, Waylon Jennings got his start in Nashville before moving to Texas in 1971 in protest of the corporatization of Nashville’s country music scene. He worked with artists like Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson to bring back a more raw and unrefined sound to country music.
Despite starting his career in Nashville and spending his most successful years in Texas, Jennings always maintained a residence in Arizona and considered the state his home.
17. Calexico
Formed in Tucson in the mid-1990s, Calexico blends indie rock with Americana, Latin, and desert-inspired soundscapes. The band’s core members, Joey Burns and John Convertino were originally in the band Giant Sand before starting Calexico as a side project. Their 2003 album Feast of Wire earned the band critical acclaim and helped cement their reputation as one of Arizona’s most innovative and unique bands.
Calexico’s music is creative, often incorporating elements like mariachi horns, acoustic guitar, and rhythms that reflect Southern Arizona. The band takes inspiration from the culture on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
18. Dierks Bentley
Country star Dierks Bentley was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. After moving to Nashville, Bentley quickly signed with Capitol Records and released his self-titled debut album in 2003. The album produced the number-one hit “What Was I Thinkin’” and set the tone for the Arizona musician’s country music career.
Bentley has released multiple platinum albums and earned dozens of award nominations, including even several Grammy nominations. Dierks Bentley combines his country music roots with comical lyrics and bluegrass rhythms to create an entertaining and unique genre.
Wrapping up
Arizona may not always be the first place people think of when it comes to music, but the state has produced a surprisingly diverse mix of talent. From classic rock and pop-punk to jazz and country, Arizona’s music scene has something to offer for just about every listener.
Want to explore more regional talent? Check out my list of the top musicians from Arkansas.
