It’s time to start the first round of voting for the John Lennon Region. You will have 48 hours to make your selection. I’ll give a brief rundown of each band and include my vote in a spoiler alert.
1 Beatles- To no one’s surprise the Beatles grabbed the #1 seed in the region named after their former singer. They started out as an English rock band before making their way into the US charts. They are the best-selling band in history with estimated sales of over 800 million albums sold worldwide.
16 Dave Matthews Band- Coming out of Virginia in the early 90’s, DMB just squeaks into the tournament. Known for their expanded band that includes saxophones, violins and more as well as improvisational renditions of their songs while on tour.
2 Tom Petty- Tom is one of the best-selling artist of all time, selling more than 80 million albums worldwide. Known for such songs as “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” his rock and roll passion began when he met Elvis at the age of ten.
15 Doobie Brothers- The Doobie Brothers have been active for five decades despite going through several lineup changes. They’ve sold more than 40 million albums.
3 Eagles- Selling over 150 million records worldwide and winning six Grammy Awards they are one of the most successful bands in history. Their lineup has featured some great musicians such as Don Henley and Joe Walsh.
14 Fleetwood Mac- Formed in London, they found major success in the US after adding Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Their second album featuring the duo would become the 8th best-selling album of all time.
4 Pink Floyd- Another one of our English band friends, PF is known for their elaborate live shows and their sonic experimentation. They let us know that you can’t have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat.
13 Steely Dan- After finding commercial success in the early 70’s Steely Dan broke up in 1981. Known for their harmonies and chord sequences, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
5 U2- Coming from Dublin U2 has two of the most well know musicians in the world, Bono and the Edge. They are one of the most critically successful bands in the tournament with 22 Grammy awards.
12 James Taylor- Repping NC, Taylor moved to Chapel Hill in the early 50’s. With over 100 million records sold it’s clear that he has a friend.
6 Dire Straits- Yet another one of our British friends to invade this bracket, Dire Straits has also cracked the 100 million mark. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year.
11 Billy Joel- Our first pianist in this region is none other than Billy Joel. Breaking the 150 million record mark he has 33 top 40 hits in the US. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
7 Styx- With four consecutive albums certified multi-platinum, Styx and their synthesizers make it into the tournament as the 7 seed.
10 Elton John- Our second piano man in this bracket and yet another English entry, Elton John has sold over 300 million albums and has a streak that includes 7 consecutive #1 albums.
8 CCR- Even though CCR was only together for slightly more than a decade, they are a staple on rock stations across the US. Lead by the Fogerty brothers, they were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
9 Stevie Wonder- Our final piano man and surprise entry of the group is Stevie Wonder. Despite being blind for almost all of his life he has become one of the most successful artist of all time selling over 100 million albums and winning 25 Grammys.
1 Beatles- To no one’s surprise the Beatles grabbed the #1 seed in the region named after their former singer. They started out as an English rock band before making their way into the US charts. They are the best-selling band in history with estimated sales of over 800 million albums sold worldwide.
16 Dave Matthews Band- Coming out of Virginia in the early 90’s, DMB just squeaks into the tournament. Known for their expanded band that includes saxophones, violins and more as well as improvisational renditions of their songs while on tour.
While DMB is one of my personal favorites, you can’t deny the Beatles musical influence. My vote goes to the Beatles.
2 Tom Petty- Tom is one of the best-selling artist of all time, selling more than 80 million albums worldwide. Known for such songs as “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” his rock and roll passion began when he met Elvis at the age of ten.
15 Doobie Brothers- The Doobie Brothers have been active for five decades despite going through several lineup changes. They’ve sold more than 40 million albums.
This one is an obvious choice for me since I grew up listening to him even though he’s not in my age bracket. He also had a great cameo in the Simpsons. Tom Petty for the win.
3 Eagles- Selling over 150 million records worldwide and winning six Grammy Awards they are one of the most successful bands in history. Their lineup has featured some great musicians such as Don Henley and Joe Walsh.
14 Fleetwood Mac- Formed in London, they found major success in the US after adding Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks. Their second album featuring the duo would become the 8th best-selling album of all time.
I heard the mission bell and I was thinking to myself that I have to vote for the Eagles.
4 Pink Floyd- Another one of our English band friends, PF is known for their elaborate live shows and their sonic experimentation. They let us know that you can’t have your pudding if you don’t eat your meat.
13 Steely Dan- After finding commercial success in the early 70’s Steely Dan broke up in 1981. Known for their harmonies and chord sequences, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Going with Pink Floyd here. Just too many great songs to ignore.
5 U2- Coming from Dublin U2 has two of the most well know musicians in the world, Bono and the Edge. They are one of the most critically successful bands in the tournament with 22 Grammy awards.
12 James Taylor- Repping NC, Taylor moved to Chapel Hill in the early 50’s. With over 100 million records sold it’s clear that he has a friend.
How can you vote against Bono? I can’t, so I’m going with U2.
6 Dire Straits- Yet another one of our British friends to invade this bracket, Dire Straits has also cracked the 100 million mark. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame later this year.
11 Billy Joel- Our first pianist in this region is none other than Billy Joel. Breaking the 150 million record mark he has 33 top 40 hits in the US. He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The piano man is singing me a song, I’m going with Billy Joel.
7 Styx- With four consecutive albums certified multi-platinum, Styx and their synthesizers make it into the tournament as the 7 seed.
10 Elton John- Our second piano man in this bracket and yet another English entry, Elton John has sold over 300 million albums and has a streak that includes 7 consecutive #1 albums.
Going with Elton John. In addition to not really liking Styx, I also don’t want to be called a homophobe.
8 CCR- Even though CCR was only together for slightly more than a decade, they are a staple on rock stations across the US. Lead by the Fogerty brothers, they were inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
9 Stevie Wonder- Our final piano man and surprise entry of the group is Stevie Wonder. Despite being blind for almost all of his life he has become one of the most successful artist of all time selling over 100 million albums and winning 25 Grammys.
No way can I vote against someone who has overcome what Stevie has.
