21 September 2020

My 20/20/20 Favorite Musical Acts & Artists of All Time (at this time)

Over the past couple years, I've been focusing less on discovering new artists and spending more time savoring the music of those I already know and love. In doing so, I've been taking special note of those musical acts and artists to which I return again and again, and thus narrowing my short list of favorites. I realize that my "short list" might still seem rather long to other listeners, but these are my circle of friends, really; these are my "go-to" companions with whom I get to commiserate, hang out, and have fun, whenever I'm not working, spending time with my family, or sleeping (and often when I am).

In identifying my favorites of all time at this time, I basically ruled out artists with less then ten years and three albums under their belt, even though there are some up-and-coming artists who will likely be among my "all-time" favorites within another five or ten years, if they keep going.

I've listed my favorites here, more or less in the order they presently stand in my appreciation and enjoyment of their music (their overall output), but that ordering is not hard-and-fast, as it changes over time and often depends on my mood and present circumstances, etc. Therefore, rather than numbering this list from 1 to 60, I've divided these artists into three groups of 20, and within each group of 20 I've further grouped them in blocks of ten.

I love to share the things I love with the people I love, my family and friends. And I welcome, in turn, both feedback on my favorites and similar indications of the interests of others. So, have it!


My Top Twenty


  • Shinedown
  • Joe Bonamassa / Black Country Communion
  • Alter Bridge / Tremonti / Myles Kennedy
  • Ozzy Osbourne
  • Theocracy
  • Bon Jovi
  • Cody Jinks
  • Lori McKenna
  • Black Stone Cherry
  • Megadeth

  • Train
  • Tim McGraw
  • Volbeat
  • Ten (Gary Hughes)
  • Led Zeppelin
  • Eric Church
  • Judas Priest
  • Black Sabbath
  • Jason Isbell
  • Will Hoge


Another Twenty


  • Daughtry
  • Joe Satriani / (Chickenfoot)
  • Matchbox Twenty / Rob Thomas
  • Mat Kearney
  • Taylor Swift
  • Kenny Chesney
  • Scorpions
  • Van Halen / (Sammy Hagar)
  • The Beatles
  • Billy Joel

  • Black Veil Brides / Andy Black
  • U2
  • Linkin Park
  • Elton John
  • Johnny Cash
  • 3 Doors Down
  • Zac Brown Band
  • Slash / Guns ‘n’ Roses
  • Black Star Riders / Damon Johnson
  • Brian Fallon / Gaslight Anthem


And Twenty More


  • Queen
  • The Eagles
  • Dream Theater
  • Iron Maiden
  • Saxon
  • Simon & Garfunkel / (Paul Simon)
  • Switchfoot
  • Amaranthe
  • Sabaton
  • AC/DC

  • Brad Paisley
  • Uncle Kracker
  • Miranda Lambert / Pistol Annies
  • Kid Rock
  • Jorn
  • Dawes
  • Def Leppard
  • Fleetwood Mac
  • Rival Sons
  • Metallica

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