Music

Top 40 British artists of all time revealed

The top 40 British artists have been revealed ahead of the Brits 2017.

With Adele, Calvin Harris, One Direction and Stormzy up for nomination among others, a survey has revealed a definitive top 40 of all time, with The Beatles topping the list followed by Queen, David Bowie, Elton John and the Rolling Stones.

The survey, conducted by streaming music service Deezer, landed Adele in sixth place with George Michael and The Who close behind.

Rock band Pink Floyd only just made it into the top ten in ninth place, with Brit rockers Oasis coming in in 15th and Led Zeppelin a measly 18th.

Deezer’s Music Editor Dom Wallace said: “Even though the British music industry is in rude health – as proven by Adele’s presence at sixth on the list – most of the top 10 best artists in history have come from decades gone by.

“In fact, you have to look further down the top 40 to find more artists who started recording this millennium, like Amy Winehouse and Ed Sheeran.

“This shows that the British appetite for the classics is as strong as ever, and the enduring appeal of the Beatles in particular, who have been topping these kinds of polls for close to five decades.”

THE TOP 40 BRITISH ARTISTS OF ALL TIME

  1. The Beatles
  2. Queen
  3. David Bowie
  4. Elton John
  5. Rolling Stones
  6. Adele
  7. George Michael
  8. The Who
  9. Pink Floyd
  10. Eric Clapton
  11. The Bee Gees
  12. Status Quo
  13. Rod Stewart
  14. Phil Collins
  15. Oasis
  16. Amy Winehouse
  17. Coldplay
  18. Led Zeppelin
  19. Cliff Richard
  20. Paul McCartney
  21. Dire Straits
  22. Ed Sheeran
  23. Take That
  24. Robbie Williams
  25. Black Sabbath
  26. The Police
  27. Coldplay
  28. Eurythmics
  29. T-Rex
  30. Spice Girls
  31. Duran Duran
  32. Radiohead
  33. Blur
  34. The Verve
  35. James Blunt
  36. Dido
  37. Travis
  38. Keane
  39. Leona Lewis
  40. The Kinks
Jack Peat

Jack is a business and economics journalist and the founder of The London Economic (TLE). He has contributed articles to VICE, Huffington Post and Independent and is a published author. Jack read History at the University of Wales, Bangor and has a Masters in Journalism from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

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