Still Going Strong
by cobalt_s | created - 24 Feb 2012 | updated - 29 Dec 2016 | PublicIn light of recent celebrity deaths from drugs, here's a list of singers & musicians of a certain age that are still performing despite being the generation that coined the term, "Sex, Drugs and Rock n Roll."
1. Keith Richards
Soundtrack | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Keith Richards is an internationally recognized iconic figure in contemporary culture and popular music as a singer, guitar player, songwriter, film actor, and public figure. He was voted 10th greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone Magazine, and was elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of ...
2. Aretha Franklin
Actress | The Blues Brothers
Grammy-winning Queen of Soul and the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha Louise Franklin was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Barbara Vernice (Siggers) and C. L. Franklin, a Baptist minister, who preached at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Detroit for over thirty ...
3. Diana Ross
Soundtrack | The Wiz
Best known as the the lead singer of the popular 1960s singing group The Supremes, Diana Ernestine Earle Ross was born on March 26, 1944, in Detroit, Michigan, the second of six children of African-American parents Ernestine Lillian (Moten), a schoolteacher, and Fred Earl Ross, who served in the ...
4. Dionne Warwick
Soundtrack | Alive
Dionne Warwick was born on December 12, 1940 in East Orange, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Alive (1993), The Happytime Murders (2018) and Bird Box (2018). She was previously married to William Elliott.
5. Tina Turner
Soundtrack | Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
With almost fifty years in the music business, Tina Turner became one of the most commercially successful international female rock stars. Her sultry, powerful voice, her incredible legs, her time-tested beauty and her unforgettable story all contributed to her legendary status.
Born to a ...
6. Cher
Actress | Moonstruck
The beat goes on ... and on ... and as strong as ever for this superstar entertainer who has well surpassed the half-century mark while improbably transforming herself from an artificial, glossy "flashionplate" singer into a serious, Oscar-worthy, dramatic actress ... and back again! With more ups ...
7. Dolly Parton
Soundtrack | The Porter Wagoner Show
Dolly Rebecca Parton was born on January 19, 1946 in Pittman Center, Tennessee and raised in Sevierville, Tennessee to Avie Lee Parton, a housewife & Robert Lee Parton, a tobacco farmer. At 12, she was appearing on Knoxville TV and at 13, she was already recording on a small label and appearing at ...
8. Bette Midler
Soundtrack | Beaches
Multi Grammy Award-winning singer/comedienne/author Bette Midler has also proven herself to be a very capable actress in a string of both dramatic and comedic roles. Midler was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 1, 1945. She is the daughter of Ruth (Schindel), a seamstress, and Fred Midler, a ...
9. Mick Jagger
Soundtrack | Alfie
Michael Philip Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent on 26th July 1943. When he was 4 he met Keith Richards until they went into secondary schools and lost touch. But one day in 1960 they accidentally met on the Dartford train line and both realized that they had an interest in rock n roll combined ...
10. Ronnie Wood
Soundtrack | Almost Famous
Ronald David Wood is an English rock musician, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, artist, author, and radio personality best known as a member of the Rolling Stones since 1975, as well as a member of Faces and the Jeff Beck Group. Wood began his career in 1964, when he joined the Birds on guitar.He...
11. Charlie Watts
Music_department | Blue Ice
Charles Robert Watts (2 June 1941 - 24 August 2021) was an English musician who achieved international fame as the drummer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 until his death in 2021.
Originally trained as a graphic artist, Watts developed an interest in jazz at a young age and joined the band Blues ...
12. Paul McCartney
Soundtrack | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sir Paul McCartney is a key figure in contemporary culture as a singer, composer, poet, writer, artist, humanitarian, entrepreneur, and holder of more than 3 thousand copyrights. He is in the "Guinness Book of World Records" for most records sold, most #1s (shared), most covered song, "Yesterday," ...
13. Ringo Starr
Actor | A Hard Day's Night
Ringo Starr is a British musician, actor, director, writer, and artist best known as the drummer of The Beatles who also coined the title 'A Hard day's Night' for The Beatles' first movie.
He was born Richard Starkey on July 7, 1940, in a small two-storey house in the working class area of Liverpool...
14. Ronnie Spector
Soundtrack | Jingle All the Way
Ronnie Spector is an American singer. Spector was the lead singer of the rock/pop vocal girl group The Ronettes, who had a string of hits during the early to mid-1960s such as "Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", and "The Best Part of Breakin' Up". Subsequently, Ronnie Spector launched her solo career...
15. Mary Wilson
Actress | Golden Shoes
Mary Wilson, co-founder of The Supremes, helped garner an unequaled record of number 1 hits by a female group. Recording for Motown, Mary guided The Supremes into rock 'n roll history, turning her group into one of the three icons of the 1960's, alongside Elvis Presley and The Beatles. Mary never ...
16. Gregg Allman
Soundtrack | Jack Reacher
Gregg LeNoir Allman was NOT primarily known for being an actor, he was a musician, songwriter and singer that formed the Allman Brothers Band with his brother Duane in 1969. His music appeared in the movie soundtracks of films such as Walking Tall (2004) and Jack Reacher (2012) and in the ...
17. Smokey Robinson
Soundtrack | Big Time
Multi-talented performer/writer/producer Smokey Robinson's career, and life, is inextricably tied up with Motown Records' founder Berry Gordy (his first two children are named Tamla, for the Gordy-owned label Smokey recorded for, and Berry, for Gordy himself). He and Gordy have had a professional ...
18. Steven Tyler
Soundtrack | Be Cool
Steven Tyler was born on March 26, 1948 in Yonkers, New York, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Be Cool (2005), Wayne's World 2 (1993) and Epic (2013). He was previously married to Teresa Barrick and Cyrinda Foxe.
19. Elton John
Soundtrack | Kingsman: The Golden Circle
Sir Elton John is one of pop music's great survivors. Born 25 March, 1947, as Reginald Kenneth Dwight, he started to play the piano at the early age of four. At the age of 11, he won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music. His first band was called Bluesology. He later auditioned (...
20. David Bowie
Soundtrack | Labyrinth
David Bowie was one of the most influential and prolific writers and performers of popular music, but he was much more than that; he was also an accomplished actor, a mime and an intellectual, as well as an art lover whose appreciation and knowledge of it had led to him amassing one of the biggest ...
21. Barbra Streisand
Actress | Yentl
Barbra Streisand is an American singer, actress, director and producer and one of the most successful personalities in show business. She is the only person ever to receive all of the following: Oscar, Tony, Emmy, Grammy, Golden Globe, Cable Ace, National Endowment for the Arts, and Peabody awards,...
22. Patti LaBelle
Soundtrack | Miami Vice
Patti LaBelle was born Patricia Louise Holte on May 24, 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Patti began her career in the early 1960s as lead singer of the band Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. A decade later the group changed their name to Labelle and recorded the hit song "Lady Marmalade". Patti...
23. Darlene Love
Actress | Lethal Weapon 4
Born Darlene Wright in Los Angeles in 1938, she began her career as lead singer with the vocal trio, The Blossoms. After a spell as regulars on ABC TV's variety show Shindig! (1964) in the early 60s, the trio went on to sing backup on a variety of Elvis Presley recordings, and even backed him on ...
24. Stevie Nicks
Soundtrack | Sweet November
Stevie Nicks was born in Phoenix, Arizona. From an early age, she showed a love and aptitude for music, singing country and western duets with her grandfather when she was 4 years old. After moving to San Francisco, she began songwriting and performing at Menlo-Atherton High School, where she met ...
25. Mick Fleetwood
Actor | The Running Man
Mick Fleetwood was born on June 24, 1947 in Redruth, Cornwall, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for The Running Man (1987), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) and Triple Frontier (2019). He was previously married to Lynn Frankel, Sara Recor and Jenny Boyd.
26. Lindsey Buckingham
Soundtrack | Back to the Future
Lindsey Buckingham was born on October 3, 1949 in Palo Alto, California, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Back to the Future (1985), Twister (1996) and Vacation (1983). He has been married to Kristen Leigh Messner since February 15, 2000. They have three children.
27. Gladys Knight
Actress | Hollywood Homicide
Gladys Knight was born on May 28, 1944 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Hollywood Homicide (2003), The Butler (2013) and Licence to Kill (1989). She has been married to William McDowell since April 12, 2001. She was previously married to Les Brown, Barry Hankerson...
28. Pat Benatar
Soundtrack | Deadpool 2
Pat Benatar was born Patricia Andrzejewski in Brooklyn and raised in suburban Lindenhurst, Long Island. Her mother Millie had sacrificed her own career as an opera singer to bring up Pat and son Andrew. Years later, it was Pat who sang classically, honing the powers of her 4.5-octave voice as a ...
29. Tom Jones
Soundtrack | This Is Tom Jones
Tom Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales, to a traditional coal-mining family, the son of Freda (Jones) and Thomas Woodward. His father was of English descent and his mother was of Welsh and English ancestry. He began singing at an early age in church and in the school ...
30. Brian Wilson
Soundtrack | Love & Mercy
Brian Douglas Wilson was born on June 20th 1942 and has gone on to become one of, if not the greatest, musical geniuses in the world. It was while growing up, while being physically and psychologically abused by his father, that he discovered music as a way of shutting out all hurt and pain that he...
31. Mike Love
Soundtrack | Cocktail
Mike Love was born on March 15, 1941 in Baldwin Hills, California, USA. He is an actor and composer, known for Cocktail (1988), Love & Mercy (2014) and Vanilla Sky (2001). He has been married to Jacquelyne Piesen since April 24, 1994. They have two children. He was previously married to ...
32. Al Jardine
Actor | Home Improvement
Al Jardine was born in the summer of 1942 in Lima, Ohio. His parents moved the family to San Francisco, California then to Hawthorne, where they eventually settled permanently. He attended Hawthorne High School where he graduated in 1960 and then later went on to attend El Camino College, where he ...
33. Frankie Valli
Soundtrack | Grease
Frankie Valli was born on May 3, 1934 in Newark, New Jersey, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Grease (1978), Free Guy (2021) and Bumblebee (2018). He has been married to Jackie Jacobs since June 26, 2023. He was previously married to Randy Clohessy, MaryAnn Hannigan and Mary Mandel.
34. Phil Collins
Soundtrack | Tarzan
Phil Collins was born in Chiswick, London, England, to Winifred (Strange), a theatrical agent, Greville Philip Austin Collins, an insurance agent. He spent most of his early entertainment life as a young actor and model. He played the "Artful Dodger" in the West End production of "Oliver!" ...
35. Stevie Wonder
Soundtrack | Wild Wild West
Born Stevland Hardaway Judkins in Saginaw, Michigan, United States, to Calvin Judkins and Lula Mae Hardaway. Due to being born six weeks premature, Stevie Wonder was born with a condition called retinopathy of prematurity, which made him blind. Stevie Wonder, even with this disability, made his ...
36. Robert Plant
Soundtrack | The Song Remains the Same
Prior to Hobbstweedle (a pickup blues band formed to honour a gig at West Midlands College Of Education) Robert was the frontman for The Band of Joy - featuring Percy, John Bonham, Paul Lockey (bass), Chris Brown (keyboards) and Kevyn Gammond (guitar). The BOJ were on verge of making a record deal ...
37. Jimmy Page
Soundtrack | The Song Remains the Same
Jimmy Page was born on January 9, 1944 in Heston, Middlesex, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for The Song Remains the Same (1976), Godzilla (1998) and The Adam Project (2022). He was previously married to Jimena Gomez-Paratcha, Patricia Ecker and Charlotte Martin.
38. John Paul Jones
Soundtrack | The Song Remains the Same
John Paul Jones was born on January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, Kent, England, UK. He is a composer and actor, known for The Song Remains the Same (1976), The Adam Project (2022) and Small Soldiers (1998). He has been married to Maureen Jones since 1967. They have three children.
39. Jimmy Webb
Soundtrack | Heat
Acclaimed singer, songwriter and composer Jimmy Webb was born on August 15, 1946 in Elk City, Oklahoma. His father was a Baptist minister. An avid lover of music since he was a little boy, Webb made his first public appearance as a performer playing the organ at his father's church. He also ...
40. Todd Rundgren
Soundtrack | Dumb and Dumber
Considered by many to be the "Ultimate Rock Cult Hero", Todd Rundgren has maintained a legion of fans through four decades, rivaled only by Grateful Dead. Todd was raised in the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) area, and his first professional bands, Money and Woddy's Truckstop, achieved much regional ...
41. Nona Hendryx
Soundtrack | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Nona Hendryx was born on October 9, 1944 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. She is an actress and composer, known for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), The Paperboy (2012) and Coming to America (1988).
42. Sarah Dash
Actress | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sarah Dash was born on August 18, 1945 in Trenton, New Jersey, USA. She was an actress, known for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978), To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995) and Watch Your Mouth (1978). She was married to Sam Reed. She died on September 20, 2021 in Trenton...
43. Marianne Faithfull
Actress | Marie Antoinette
Daughter of Eva, the Baroness Erisso, and Major Glynn Faithfull, a WWII British spy. Recorded the first song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "As Tears Go By" (1964). Involved in a major drug scandal with Jagger, Richards, and others, which ultimately turned public opinion favorably ...
44. Petula Clark
Soundtrack | Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Petula Clark was a star at the age of 11. She starred in British concert halls and on BBC radio singing for the troops during WWII. She was a child star in a series of British films from the end of WWII through to the early 1950s,and by 1954 was having hit records. After a move to France in 1960, ...
45. Rod Stewart
Soundtrack | Innerspace
Rod Stewart was born on January 10, 1945 in Highgate, London, England, UK. He is a music artist and actor, known for Innerspace (1987), The Three Musketeers (1993) and No Way Out (1987). He has been married to Penny Lancaster since June 16, 2007. They have two children. He was previously married to ...
46. Lulu
Soundtrack | To Sir, with Love
Lulu Kennedy-Cairns was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Glasgow, Scotland on November 3, 1948. As a teenager, she toured the northern clubs with her band, the Luvvers. After her initial success with a cover of "Shout" reaching #7 in 1964, Lulu went on to establish herself as one of the ...
47. Ann Wilson
Soundtrack | The Golden Child
Singer, flute player, songwriter, and guitarist Ann Dustin Wilson was born on June 19, 1950 in San Diego, California. The daughter of Brig. Gen. John B. Wilson USMC, Wilson and her family moved around a lot, before eventually settling in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, WA. Ann attended Interlake ...
48. Nancy Wilson
Soundtrack | Vanilla Sky
Nancy Wilson was born in San Francisco, California and joined her sister Ann Wilson in the Seattle, Washington based hard rock-band Heart in the early-seventies. She sang lead vocals on the number one-hit "These Dreams" and on the top-twenty hit "Stranded". Ann performed on "The Battle of Evermore"...
49. Eric Clapton
Soundtrack | Lethal Weapon 3
Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey, England, on March 30, 1945. His real father was a Canadian pilot but he didn't find that out until he was 53. When he was 2 his mother felt she was unable to look after him, so Eric then went to live with his grandparents. When he was 14 he took up the ...
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