Choosing 10 top bands to choose as your top rock groups of all time is a difficult task, and you are probably wondering how each of the rock artists on my list got there. So I'll share my factors with you before we get into the list.

Personal preference played a large role in choosing my top rock bands but there was more to consider than that. In fact, I'm not above putting an artist on my list that I don't even listen to, if they have had a big impact on the music world. In order to be a top rock artist of all time the band has to have had a big impact on the rock genre as it is today. So I also put a heavy weight on how many other rock bands they have influenced and how groundbreaking their work was for their time. If they opened the door to a new style that wasn't popular before they came along, they get big points in my book whether I like that style or not.

I didn't number this list or place them in any particular order, because who am I to say who the very best rock band of all time is? The best I can do is narrow it down to my picks for the top ten rock artists to date. I don't expect everyone to agree with my picks so I'd love to know what you think. Please take a moment to vote on who you think is the best rock artist is from my list and use the comments section of the bottom of the page to tell me who you think I missed. I hope you enjoy reading this list as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Another important note about this list is that it covers all rock and it's categories. You may see these artists repeated on another list of mine as I delve deeper into the all the categories that the term "rock" includes. If you want to see other genres check out my top tens of music homepage.

Led Zeppelin started in 1968 consisting of Jimmy Page on guitar, Robert Plant doing vocal), John Paul Jones playing bass guitar, and keyboard and John Bonham on drums. Led Zeppelin was known for a heavy guitar sound, and are known to be one of the first heavy metal bands. However, they have a unique style that by many genres. They are known to have a rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres that also incorporates reggae, rockabilly, funk^, classical, soul, Indian, Celtic, Arabic, Latin, pop, and country. Led Zeppelin preferred the concept of album oriented rock so the popular songs of their first albums were not released as singles.

After Bonham died in 1980, the group disbanded. However, they continue to be held in high regard for their boad influence in the music world, their artistic achievements, and commercial success. Led Zeppelin has sold an estimated 200 million albums worldwide and all of their original studio albums reached the top 10 of the Billboard album chart in the U.S., six of those hit #1. Rolling Stone magazine has labeled Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time" and "the biggest band of the '70s".

The Beatles formed in Liverpool, England in 1960. The band's makup consisted of four members, all of which participated in the groups vocals, John Lennon on rhythm guitar, Paul McCartney on bass guitar, George Harrison on lead guitar and Ringo Starr on drums. Thier initial sound was based on the rock and roll and skiffle of the 1950's. However, the rock band experimented with several different music genres including psychedelic rock and Tin Pan Alley. The Beatles became trend setter in the fashion world with their style of clothing and they had a signifigant influence on the cultural and social revolutions of the 1960's. The band continued with enthusiastic popularity until 1970 when the members parted way and went on to each have successful solo careers.

The Beatles sold more than one billion records and enjoyed one of the most commercially successful careers in the history of popular music. Rolling Stone magazine ranked The Beatles number one in its list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time in 2004 and they also cite that The Beatles' innovative music and cultural impact helped define the 1960s, and their influence on pop culture is still evident today. In 2008, The Beatles secured the number one spot in Billboard magazine's list of top-selling Hot 100 artists to celebrate the chart's fiftieth anniversary.

Pink Floyd started in London in 1965 after Syd Barrett from Cambridge  moved there and joined The Tea Set. The Tea Set wasa small group made up of Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Bob Klose who were Regent Street Polytechnic architecture students. Pink Floyd was met with moderate success in the mainstream but became one of the most popular bands in the London underground toward the end of the 1960s. The rock psychedelic rock band was originally led by Sid Barrett. However, Barrett's erratic behavior eventually led the group to replace him with guitarist and singer David Gilmour. Roger Walter's grew as the band's leader throughout the 1970's and reamined so until he left the group in 1985. Althought the group held continued popularity in England throughout their career. However, they did not achieve worldwide success until the release of The Dark Side of the Moon in 1973, Wish You Were Here in 1975, Animals in 1977, and the rock opera The Wall in 1979.

Pink Floyd is known today for their psychedelic and space rock music during thier early career followed the the progressive rock music they became popular for in thier later years. Their songs included sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics, elaborate live shows, and innovative album cover art. The rock band has sold more that two-hundred million albums world and are one of rock music's most successful acts. Many popular rock bands have been influenced over the years including Nine Inch Nails, Genesis, Dream Theatre and Yes.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience started in London in 1966 and had both English and American influences. The original members included Jimi Hendrix, an American singer, songwriter and guitarist, Noel Redding, the band's backing vocalist and bassist Mitch Mitchell on drums. The Jimi Hendrix Experience released three successful albums before Redding left the band in June of 1969.

After Redding's departure from the rock band, Hendrix and Mitchell joined up with Billy Cox, a bassist and a few other musicians to Gypsy Sun and Rainbows, a short-lived band that played at Woodstock. Hendrix went on with Cox to have another brief steint in a rock band called The Band of Gypsys. After which Hendrix reformed The Jimi Hendrix Experience with both Cox and Mitchell.

Van Halen started Pasadena, California in 1972. This hard rock band became successful following the release of their debut album in 1978 named Van Halen. The group has sold over 80 million albums worldwide and have had more number one hits on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart than many other rock bands. And in the 1980s they took the record for more Billboard Hot 100 hits than any other heavy metal band or hard rock band up to that point.  Van Halen has been noted as the 19th best selling band/artist of all time by the Recording Industry Association of America. Thier sales have topped over 56 million albums in the USA and they are one of only five rock bands to date that have sold more than 10 million copies of two different albums in the US and were one of the best paid acts in the world in 2008.

Van halen isn't just known for it's success, the exits of their former members has been dramitc and widely publicized throughout the years. David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar both left the band several times. Each departure from the group was met with controversy and mass press coverage. The confusing press coverage showed highly contrasting statements made by the former members and the band. More recently, the band kicked member Michael Anthony for controversial reasons. The band took a brief hiatus from 2004 until September of 2006 when they hired Wolfgang as their new bass guitarist. And finally, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 12, 2007, amidst rumors of Roth reuniting with the group.

Queen started in London in 1970 following the break up of the band Smile, the English rock band was made up of Freddie Mercury as the lead vocalist, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon playing bass and Roger Taylor on drums. Queen was known for their vocal harmonies, multi-layered arrangements, musical diversity, and pulling in the audience to participate in their live performances. An industry poll found their Live Aid performance in 1985 to be the best live rock performance of all time.

At the start of the 1970's the rock band found success with the albums Queen and Queen II. However, the release of Sheer Heart Attack in 1974 and A Night at the Opera in 1975 brought the group out into view and they became an international success. During their career, Queen has released fifteen recorded albums, five live albums, and many compilation albums. This band is noted for their big impact on the live performance aspect of the music world.

Eagles started in Los Angeles, California in the early 1970s. Several of the groups members had previously been a part of the band The Byrds, so the name Eagles was chosen for the new rock group as a tribute to that. Bernie Leadon was a founding member, coming to the band with experience in Dillard & Clark along the former Byrds singer Gene Clark he also spent some time in The Flying Burrito Brothers with Gram Parsons, Chris Hillman, and Michael Clarke who were also former Byrds members. Frey was very particular about the rock band being referred to as Eagles and not The Eagles and that request was even noted in comedian Steve Martin's autobiography, Born Standing Up.

The Eagles were one of the most successful bands of the decade with six number one albums and five number one singles. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, two of their albums, Hotel California and Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975, were ranked among the 10 best-selling albums by the end of the 20th century. Rolling Stone magazine included their best-selling album, Hotel California in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time is rated in the 37th spot. The group appeared again the the magazine's 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time taking the number 75 spot on that list. And they have enjoyed holding the record for the best selling album in the U.S. to date with Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975.

The Eagles reunited in 1994 for Hell Freezes Over, after a 14 year long spearation folling their break up in 1980. Hell Freezes Over contained a mix of both new studio tracks and previously recorded live ones. The band continued to stay loosely together following that release, touring intermittenly, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. The group continues to work together and have recently released their first studio album in 28 years, Long Road out of Eden.

Metallica was formed in Los Angeles, California, formed in 1981 as a heavy metal rock band. It all started when Lars Ulrich, the band's drummer posted an advertisement in a local newspaper, The group's members have consisted primarily of Ulrich, James Hetfield a vocalist and rhythm guitarist, Kirk Hammett, the groups lead guitarist.The spot for Metallica's bass position has undergone a large turnover and has most recently been held by Robert Trujillo.

The the early years following the groups formation they released music that featured included fast tempos, instrumentals, and aggressive musicianship that earned the a spot in the thrash metal subgenre as one of the "big four" alongside of Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax. Master of Puppets, released in 1986 was described by critics as on of the most "heavy" and influential thrash albums of the time, and won the band a growing fan base in the underground community. They finally found widespread success in 1991 with the release of Metallica, debuting in the number one spot on the Billboard 200.

U2 started in Dublin, Ireland. This alternative rock band consists of Bono singing vocals and playing guitar, The Edge on guitar, keyboards, and vocals, Adam Clayton playing bass guitar, and Larry Mullen, Jr. on drums.

The groups members were all teenagers at the time the band was born in 1976 and they had  limited musical knowledge and skills. However, by the mid-1980s, U2 was a top act internationally. They found a great deal more success with their live performances than they did with record sales until the release of their hit album, The Joshua Tree in 1987. That album elevated the alternative band's stature "from heroes to superstars", according to Rolling Stone. U2 reinvented themselves with their 1991 release of the album Achtung Baby in response to the dance and alternative rock revolution and a sense of stagnation musicially that was shared by the band members. This release was accompanied by the Zoo TV tour.  The alternative band has turned to a more conventional rock sound since the year 2000, this sound, however, retains the evidence of their earlier works..

Bob Marley & The Wailers was formed by Bob Marley in 1974, the reggae band included Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer who left their former band. The Wailers to join Marley's group. It also included two brothers Carlton on drums and Aston "Family Man" Barrett on bass who had been members of The Wailers for four years, following their time in Lee "Scratch" Perry's studio band The Upsetters, during their time with Perry, the brothers were supporters of The Wailers and chose to stay with Marley when the band merged with him.

The Wailers performed as the backup band to lead singer Bob Marley in the new group. Marley also played guitar and was the main song writed for the band. The final makeup of The Wailers Band included the brothers Carlton and Aston Barrett on drums and bass, Junior Marvin and Al Anderson playing lead guitar, with keyboards played by both Tyrone Downie and Earl "Wya" Lindo, and Alvin "Seeco" Patterson on droms. The I Threes, made up Marley's back up singers and consisted of Bob Marley's wife Rita Marley, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths.