California has long been a musical powerhouse with many of the world’s most successful musicians calling the Golden State home. In California, you’ll find everything from rock legends, hip-hop icons, country artists, and pop stars. But which musicians from California have sold the most albums? In this article, I’ll break down 15 top-selling California musicians and bands of all time. Let’s dive right in!
1. Eagles
Record Sales: 200 million+
There’s something uniquely Californian about the Eagles. Formed in Los Angeles in 1971, their sound distilled the “chill” spirit of the West Coast. As one of California’s most iconic bands, the Eagles melded rock, country, and folk into smooth, harmony-rich perfection. “Hotel California” is their signature song, but certainly not the band’s only hit. The Eagles have a stacked catalog of hits, including “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” and “Life in the Fast Lane.”
What blows my mind is that their Greatest Hits Album is the best-selling album in U.S. history, selling more than 38 million copies. With more than 200 million record sales and 6 Grammy Awards, the Eagles are easily one of the most successful bands in the world, let alone California.
2. Metallica
Record Sales: 150 million+
When Metallica released Kill ‘Em All in 1983, they reshaped the heavy metal genre. The Los Angeles-based band pioneered modern heavy metal music and brought distorted guitar solos and heavy vocals to the mainstream.
All the members of Metallica are insanely talented. Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield are two of the best metal guitarists of all time. And the band’s original bassist, Cliff Burton, should never be left off any list of top-tier bass players.
Throughout the 1980s, Metallica released several thrash-metal albums like Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, and …And Justice for All. But it was their 1991 self-titled release—The Black Album—that launched them into the stratosphere. With more than 150 million album sales, Metallica is easily one of the best-selling music groups in California.
3. Fleetwood Mac
Record Sales: 120 million+
Fleetwood Mac’s story is one of chaos and chemistry. The band helped pioneer the “California Sound” of the 1970s, a blend of rock, folk, and blues that became a machine for producing smash hits.
Originally formed in London in 1967, the band didn’t become the California legends we know today until Lindsey Buckingham and Arizona-native Stevie Nicks joined the lineup in the mid-’70s.
Fleetwood Mac’s 1977 album Rumours marked a new era for the band as they shifted from a more traditional bluesy sound to a “pop” sound. The album topped the Billboard 200 charts for 31 weeks, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and sold more than 10 million copies within the first month it was released.
Fleetwood Mac remains one of California’s most iconic bands, leaving a lasting influence on musicians such as Haim and Harry Styles.
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers
Record Sales: 120 million+
Likely some of the most quintessentially “Californian” musicians of all time, Red Hot Chili Peppers have more than deserved their place on this list. The band created a sound that uniquely belongs to them. From funky-fresh bass lines from Flea to the rap-like vocals from Anthony Kiedis, RHCP helped shape an entire generation of alternative rock.
The band has stayed active since 1982, touring consistently and releasing 13 studio albums. RHCP has won several Grammy Awards and remains one of the most successful California bands of all time.
5. Maroon 5
Record Sales: 120 million+
Love them or not, Maroon 5’s place among California’s best-selling artists is undeniable. The pop-rock group was formed in Los Angeles in the late ’90s by Adam Levine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, Adam Salzman, and Ryan Dusick. When Maroon 5 started making music together, the founding members were still in high school! The band found massive mainstream success with their debut album Songs About Jane in 2002. Hits like “This Love” and “She Will Be Loved” launched them into global fame, and they never really left the charts after that.
Maroon 5 has consistently dominated pop radio for more than two decades and was one of the top bands of the early 2000s. The band has released 7 studio albums, 6 of which have gone platinum.
6. The Beach Boys
Record Sales: 100 million+
One of the most influential bands of all time, The Beach Boys helped cultivate the surf rock genre and had a major influence on early rock n’ roll. The Beach Boys got their start in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group blended complex vocal harmonies with sunny, nostalgic themes that captured the essence of Southern California. The band’s catalog is extensive, with 29 studio albums released over the span of 6 decades. Their biggest hits were “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Kokomo”, “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, and “Good Vibrations.”
The 1966 album Pet Sounds is still widely regarded as one of the most innovative albums ever recorded. It so happens to be one of my favorite albums of all time!
7. Cher
Record Sales: 100 million+
More than just a famous pop star, Cher is a full-blown cultural icon. Born in El Centro, California, she first broke through in the 1960s as one-half of Sonny & Cher with the hit “I Got You Babe.” But what really impresses me about this California musician is how she’s reinvented herself decade after decade, dominating everything from folk-pop and disco to rock and electronic dance music.
Her 1998 single “Believe” was a global smash hit that sent her straight back into the spotlight at age 52. “Believe” sold over 10 million copies and spent a whopping 21 weeks at the number one spot on the Billboard.
8. The Doors
Record Sales: 100 million+
Though the band had a rather short tenure, The Doors had an undeniable impact on rock music. The Doors were led by frontman Jim Morrison, whose wild and erratic performances helped bring the band into the spotlight in the late 60s.
Despite Morrison’s untimely death in 1971, The Doors are one of California’s best-selling bands, selling more than 100 million records, with their debut self-titled album selling more than 20 million copies!
The Doors had an iconic sound that blended psychedelic rock, blues, and poetic lyricism in a way that felt both dangerous and hypnotic.
9. Journey
Record Sales: 100 million+
Journey is one of those bands where even if you don’t think you know them, you do. One of the most iconic 1970s rock bands, Journey got their start in San Francisco. The band’s sound is the epitome of arena rock, with lead singer Steve Perry’s belting vocals being the centerpiece of the band.
Their 1981 hit “Don’t Stop Believin’” is the band’s biggest hit, reaching 18 times ARIA platinum status. The hit single is also one of the most popular karaoke songs of all time.
The band has sold over 100 million records worldwide, with their two most successful albums being Escape and Frontiers. Journey was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2017.
10. Guns N’ Roses
Record Sales: 87 million+
Guns N’ Roses took the world by storm in the late 80s. The California “hair metal” band exploded onto the scene with the kind of raw intensity the world had never seen before, with a loud, gritty, and totally unforgettable sound.
The band’s 1987 debut, Appetite for Destruction, remains, to this day, the best-selling debut album of all time and one of the best-selling albums ever in the USA, with more than 30 million copies sold. Despite several lineup changes and long hiatuses, Guns N’ Roses’ influence on hard rock is impossible to ignore.
11. Green Day
Record Sales: 85 million+
When it comes to California musicians, few have made a bigger global impact than Green Day, the best-selling punk band of all time. Green Day formed in 1987 when lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong was just 15 years old. That said, the band didn’t break into the mainstream until the release of Dookie in 1994, an album that sold over 20 million copies and brought pop-punk to the masses.
While Green Day was certainly one of the most successful 90s punk bands, they stayed relevant with the rock opera album, American Idiot, which became a smash hit and even won 2 Grammy Awards!
12. Mötley Crüe
Record Sales: 80 million+
If I had to choose one band that personifies the excess and energy of 1980s Los Angeles, it would probably be Mötley Crüe.
Throughout the 1980s, Mötley Crüe became synonymous with extremely loud guitars, wild outfits, and even wilder behavior. Their 1989 album Dr. Feelgood was their biggest commercial success, going 6x platinum and producing hits like “Kickstart My Heart” and “Girls, Girls, Girls.”
Beyond the music, the Southern California band’s notorious lifestyle became the stuff of rock legend—and their 2001 memoir The Dirt was later turned into a successful Netflix biopic.
13. Van Halen
Record Sales: 77 million+
One of the best selling California rock bands of all time is none other than Van Halen. Formed in Pasadena in the early ’70s, Van Halen exploded into fame with their 1978 self-titled debut album, powered by Eddie Van Halen’s unbelievable guitar work and lead singer David Lee Roth’s over-the-top showmanship. Eddie Van Halen famously engineered a unique rock guitar sound using modified instruments and equipment that he referred to as “brown sound”.
Van Halen sold over 80 million records worldwide and became one of the biggest bands of the ’80s. The band stayed active from 1973 until Eddie Van Halen’s death in 2020.
14. Tupac Shakir
Record Sales: 75 million+
No list of famous California musicians is complete without Tupac Shakur. While Tupac was born in New York, he was the defining voice of West Coast rap in the ’90s and a central figure in the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry.
Tupac’s lyrics were raw, political, poetic, and deeply personal, tackling topics like systemic injustice and life in the “hood”.
Despite only having a short 7-year career, Tupac is one of the most influential hip hop musicians of all time and the best-selling California rapper.
15. Santana
Record Sales: 70 million+
Blending Latin music with rock, blues, and jazz, Santana created a sound that was completely unique and truly Californian. Led by Mexican-born guitar legend Carlos Santana, the band first gained major attention with a fiery performance at Woodstock in 1969. Their early hits like “Black Magic Woman” and “Oye Como Va” helped bring Latin rock to a global audience.
Decades later, in 1999, Santana pulled off one of the greatest comebacks in music history with Supernatural, which won 9 Grammy Awards and featured chart-topping hits like “Smooth” and “Maria Maria”.
Wrapping up
California has produced some of the biggest names in music history, but it’s not the only state with serious talent. If you enjoyed this list, check out my deep dives into the best musicians from Texas and the best musicians from Arizona.
