Fame is elusive for performing artists, and for only a select few, fame is enduring. For musicians, fame was once measured by record and concert ticket sales as well as the chart position of their singles and albums on the Billboard.

With the advent of online media and streaming services, the distribution of music has changed dramatically, as well as the way we gauge fame.

To determine today’s most famous musician born each year since 1930, 24/7 Wall St. created an index based on Wikipedia page views, Spotify listeners, and Billboard chart performance.

Click here to see the most famous musicians born the year you were born.
Click here to see our detailed findings and methodology.

1930
> Musician: Ray Charles
> Spotify followers: 1.21 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.47 million
> Birthplace: Albany, GA
> Runner-up: Don Ho

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1931
> Musician: Sam Cooke
> Spotify followers: 0.67 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.02 million
> Birthplace: Clarksdale, MS
> Runner-up: Brook Benton

1932
> Musician: Johnny Cash
> Spotify followers: 2.66 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.03 million
> Birthplace: Kingsland, AR
> Runner-up: Petula Clark

1933
> Musician: James Brown
> Spotify followers: 1.12 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.35 million
> Birthplace: Barnwell, SC
> Runner-up: Willie Nelson

1934
> Musician: Frankie Valli
> Spotify followers: 0.06 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.28 million
> Birthplace: Newark, NJ
> Runner-up: Johnnie Taylor

1935
> Musician: Elvis Presley
> Spotify followers: 2.20 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.88 million
> Birthplace: Tupelo, MS
> Runner-up: Johnny Mathis

1936
> Musician: Glen Campbell
> Spotify followers: 0.12 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.28 million
> Birthplace: Billstown, AR
> Runner-up: Roy Orbison

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1937
> Musician: Roberta Flack
> Spotify followers: 0.29 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.38 million
> Birthplace: Black Mountain, NC
> Runner-up: Nancy Wilson

1938
> Musician: Kenny Rogers
> Spotify followers: 0.49 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.19 million
> Birthplace: Houston, TX
> Runner-up: Gordon Lightfoot

1939
> Musician: Marvin Gaye
> Spotify followers: 2.34 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.93 million
> Birthplace: Washington, DC
> Runner-up: Tina Turner

1940
> Musician: John Lennon
> Spotify followers: 8.74 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.27 million
> Birthplace: Liverpool, England
> Runner-up: Dionne Warwick

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1941
> Musician: Neil Diamond
> Spotify followers: 0.48 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.51 million
> Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
> Runner-up: Bob Dylan

1942
> Musician: Paul McCartney
> Spotify followers: 8.74 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.19 million
> Birthplace: Liverpool, England
> Runner-up: Aretha Franklin

1943
> Musician: Mick Jagger
> Spotify followers: 5.10 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.60 million
> Birthplace: Dartford, England
> Runner-up: John Denver

1944
> Musician: Diana Ross
> Spotify followers: 0.66 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.85 million
> Birthplace: Detroit, MI
> Runner-up: Gladys Knight

1945
> Musician: Rod Stewart
> Spotify followers: 0.85 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.76 million
> Birthplace: London, England
> Runner-up: Eric Clapton

1946
> Musician: Cher
> Spotify followers: 0.69 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.53 million
> Birthplace: El Centro, CA
> Runner-up: Freddie Mercury

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1947
> Musician: Elton John
> Spotify followers: 1.71 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.03 million
> Birthplace: London, England
> Runner-up: David Bowie

1948
> Musician: Olivia Newton-John
> Spotify followers: 0.23 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.10 million
> Birthplace: Cambridge, England
> Runner-up: James Taylor

1949
> Musician: Billy Joel
> Spotify followers: 1.14 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.21 million
> Birthplace: New York City, NY
> Runner-up: Bruce Springsteen

1950
> Musician: Stevie Wonder
> Spotify followers: 2.86 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.05 million
> Birthplace: Saginaw, MI
> Runner-up: Tom Petty

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1951
> Musician: Sting
> Spotify followers: 0.90 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.91 million
> Birthplace: Wallsend, England
> Runner-up: Phil Collins

1952
> Musician: George Strait
> Spotify followers: 0.81 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.03 million
> Birthplace: Poteet, TX
> Runner-up: Paul Stanley

1953
> Musician: Michael Bolton
> Spotify followers: 0.44 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.76 million
> Birthplace: New Haven, CT
> Runner-up: Pat Benatar

1954
> Musician: Yanni
> Spotify followers: 0.18 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.59 million
> Birthplace: Kalamata, Greece
> Runner-up: Jermaine Jackson

1955
> Musician: Reba McEntire
> Spotify followers: 0.65 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.90 million
> Birthplace: Mcalester, OK
> Runner-up: Billy Idol

1956
> Musician: Kenny G
> Spotify followers: 0.36 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.53 million
> Birthplace: Seattle, WA
> Runner-up: Teena Marie

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1957
> Musician: Gloria Estefan
> Spotify followers: 0.22 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.08 million
> Birthplace: Havana, Cuba
> Runner-up: Vince Gill

1958
> Musician: Michael Jackson
> Spotify followers: 5.87 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 8.55 million
> Birthplace: Gary, IN
> Runner-up: Prince

1959
> Musician: Sade
> Spotify followers: 1.18 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.27 million
> Birthplace: Ibadan, Nigeria
> Runner-up: Bryan Adams

1960
> Musician: Bono
> Spotify followers: 3.14 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.42 million
> Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
> Runner-up: Amy Grant

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1961
> Musician: Toby Keith
> Spotify followers: 0.92 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.58 million
> Birthplace: Clinton, OK
> Runner-up: Enya

1962
> Musician: Garth Brooks
> Spotify followers: 0.50 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.44 million
> Birthplace: Tulsa, OK
> Runner-up: Sheryl Crow

1963
> Musician: James Hetfield
> Spotify followers: 7.45 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.95 million
> Birthplace: Downey, CA
> Runner-up: Whitney Houston

1964
> Musician: Lenny Kravitz
> Spotify followers: 1.21 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.84 million
> Birthplace: New York City, NY
> Runner-up: Eazy-E

1965
> Musician: Shania Twain
> Spotify followers: 1.09 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.33 million
> Birthplace: Windsor, Canada
> Runner-up: Dr. Dre

1966
> Musician: Janet Jackson
> Spotify followers: 1.05 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.24 million
> Birthplace: Gary, IN
> Runner-up: Martina McBride

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1967
> Musician: Tim McGraw
> Spotify followers: 2.31 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.29 million
> Birthplace: Delhi, LA
> Runner-up: R. Kelly

1968
> Musician: Kenny Chesney
> Spotify followers: 1.97 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.89 million
> Birthplace: Knoxville, TN
> Runner-up: LL Cool J

1969
> Musician: Jennifer Lopez
> Spotify followers: 5.00 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.99 million
> Birthplace: New York City, NY
> Runner-up: Ice Cube

1970
> Musician: Mariah Carey
> Spotify followers: 3.32 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.64 million
> Birthplace: Long Island, NY
> Runner-up: DMX

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1971
> Musician: Mary J. Blige
> Spotify followers: 1.49 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.20 million
> Birthplace: New York City, NY
> Runner-up: Snoop Dogg

1972
> Musician: Eminem
> Spotify followers: 18.51 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 8.43 million
> Birthplace: Saint Joseph, MO
> Runner-up: Brad Paisley

1973
> Musician: Nas
> Spotify followers: 1.31 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.11 million
> Birthplace: New York City, NY
> Runner-up: Akon

1974
> Musician: Nelly
> Spotify followers: 1.08 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 0.97 million
> Birthplace: Austin, TX
> Runner-up: Da Brat

1975
> Musician: Sia
> Spotify followers: 7.10 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.11 million
> Birthplace: Adelaide, Australia
> Runner-up: Enrique Iglesias

1976
> Musician: Blake Shelton
> Spotify followers: 3.55 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.55 million
> Birthplace: Ada, OK
> Runner-up: Luke Bryan

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1977
> Musician: Kanye West
> Spotify followers: 8.06 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.53 million
> Birthplace: Atlanta, GA
> Runner-up: Shakira

1978
> Musician: Usher
> Spotify followers: 6.27 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.21 million
> Birthplace: Dallas, TX
> Runner-up: John Legend

1979
> Musician: Adam Levine
> Spotify followers: 12.24 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.46 million
> Birthplace: Los Angeles, CA
> Runner-up: Pete Wentz

1980
> Musician: Christina Aguilera
> Spotify followers: 3.32 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.56 million
> Birthplace: New York City, NY
> Runner-up: Gucci Mane

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1981
> Musician: Justin Timberlake
> Spotify followers: 6.57 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.50 million
> Birthplace: Memphis, TN
> Runner-up: Britney Spears

1982
> Musician: Lil Wayne
> Spotify followers: 6.38 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 2.97 million
> Birthplace: New Orleans, LA
> Runner-up: Nicki Minaj

1983
> Musician: Future
> Spotify followers: 6.90 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.83 million
> Birthplace: Atlanta, GA
> Runner-up: Carrie Underwood

1984
> Musician: Katy Perry
> Spotify followers: 10.72 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.07 million
> Birthplace: Santa Barbara, CA
> Runner-up: Calvin Harris

1985
> Musician: Bruno Mars
> Spotify followers: 14.96 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.32 million
> Birthplace: Honolulu, HI
> Runner-up: J. Cole

1986
> Musician: Drake
> Spotify followers: 23.67 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.96 million
> Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
> Runner-up: Lady Gaga

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1987
> Musician: Kendrick Lamar
> Spotify followers: 10.03 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.32 million
> Birthplace: Compton, CA
> Runner-up: Wiz Khalifa

1988
> Musician: Rihanna
> Spotify followers: 25.40 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.61 million
> Birthplace: St. Michael, Barbados
> Runner-up: Adele

1989
> Musician: Taylor Swift
> Spotify followers: 13.90 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 7.09 million
> Birthplace: Reading, PA
> Runner-up: Chris Brown

1990
> Musician: The Weeknd
> Spotify followers: 11.51 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 3.19 million
> Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
> Runner-up: Iggy Azalea

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1991
> Musician: Ed Sheeran
> Spotify followers: 29.10 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 7.43 million
> Birthplace: Hebden Bridge, England
> Runner-up: NF

1992
> Musician: Cardi B
> Spotify followers: 3.12 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 18.24 million
> Birthplace: The Bronx, NY
> Runner-up: Demi Lovato

1993
> Musician: Ariana Grande
> Spotify followers: 16.83 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.11 million
> Birthplace: Boca Raton, FL
> Runner-up: Meghan Trainor

1994
> Musician: Justin Bieber
> Spotify followers: 24.00 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 5.97 million
> Birthplace: London, Canada
> Runner-up: Lil Uzi Vert

1995
> Musician: Post Malone
> Spotify followers: 5.33 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 8.74 million
> Birthplace: Syracuse, NY
> Runner-up: Dua Lipa

1996
> Musician: Alessia Cara
> Spotify followers: 3.49 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.92 million
> Birthplace: Brampton, Canada
> Runner-up: 6IX9INE

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1997
> Musician: Kodak Black
> Spotify followers: 3.35 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.98 million
> Birthplace: Pompano Beach, FL
> Runner-up: Camila Cabello

1998
> Musician: Shawn Mendes
> Spotify followers: 10.55 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 4.88 million
> Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
> Runner-up: XXXTENTACION

1999
> Musician: Trippie Redd
> Spotify followers: 1.36 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 1.78 million
> Birthplace: Canton, OH
> Runner-up: YoungBoy Never Broke Again

2000
> Musician: Lil Pump
> Spotify followers: 3.58 million
> Wikipedia page views (1 yr.): 6.17 million
> Birthplace: Miami, FL
> Runner-up: Willow Smith

Detailed findings and methodology:

The most famous artists today who were active in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s were not necessarily the most popular musicians of their day. Tastes change, and the fame of many of the most popular artists in the mid-20th century did not last. For example, of the 10 artists who had the No. 1 song of the year from 1970 to 1980, three have fewer than 450,000 monthly Spotify listeners today. For context, there are thousands of artists with at least half a million monthly listeners.

The title of most famous musician born in a given year, as determined by our index, is more contested in some years than others. Some of the closest competitions were between artists in similar music categories.

For example, the top two contenders for the most famous musician born in 1978 are Usher and John Legend. Though Legend has eclipsed Usher in terms of daily average Wikipedia page views and monthly Spotify listeners, Usher’s appearance on Billboard’s Hot 100 Songs of all time with “Yeah!” and Billboard Top 200 Albums of all time with “Confessions” pushed his celebrity index score above that of Legend. Usher has spent a total of 1,010 weeks on the Hot 100 Songs chart, the ninth longest stay of any artist.

Other tightly contested years with musicians from similar music genres include 1947, when rock icons Elton John and David Bowie were born. Similarly, born in 1951, Sting and Phil Collins, former lead singers of rock bands The Police and Genesis who have fashioned successful solo careers, compete for the most famous musician that year.

Other years feature performers whose fame is enhanced by the news they make. Pop stars Cardi B and Demi Lovato were both born in 1992. This year has been a big one for Cardi B. She became the first female rap artist to post two No. 1 songs on Billboard’s Hot 100 list, and she also gave birth to her first child. Cardi B weighed in with more than 18.24 million Wikipedia page views. She topped Lovato, whose relapse into drug addiction made headlines earlier in July.

Whereas recording was once prohibitively expensive for many potential stars, today’s artists have access to a wider array of recording options and easier distribution platforms than their predecessors.

Drake and Lil Wayne, the most famous musicians of 1986 and 1982, respectively, have already surpassed the record previously set by the Beatles and Elvis Presley for the most songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Pop divas Rihanna and Taylor Swift are well on their way to accomplishing the same feat. Presley, born in 1935, still has the most Wikipedia page views with nearly 6.9 million.

With access to streaming technology and the ability to distribute their art across an increasing number of new mediums, the music stars of today may leave a larger and more enduring legacy than any artist before them.

To determine the most famous musician born each year since 1930, 24/7 Wall St. constructed an index based on Wikipedia page views, Spotify followers, and Billboard chart performance. The list of musicians within the index consists of the 818 artists that were listed among the most popular musicians listed by their birth year on celebrity profile aggregation website Famous Birthdays. The Wikipedia page view metric consists of annual page views over the period from July 29, 2017 to July 29, 2018. Total Spotify followers were also included in the index. For artists who have both been in a band or multiple bands and recorded as a solo artist, the career stage with the most monthly Spotify listeners is included in the index. Also included in the index are the total numbers of weeks each artist spent on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts going back to 1960. Due to these constraints, commercial success of artists prior to 1960 may have been overlooked. For artists who had greater chart success with their bands than they did with solo work – such as John Lennon – we considered the band only when looking at Billboard performance.

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