What’s more American than a group of friends taking up instruments in a garage and starting a band with dreams of making it big? And while not all of these groups become popular or even mildly successful, many have tapped into something special and gone on to find success both at home and abroad.
The music industry often lures bands to its hubs, including Nashville, Los Angeles, and New York City. Yet far fewer bands actually started in these cities. Every state in the country has produced great music groups, many of whom continue to show home pride as they ride the waves of success.
24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on musical popularity and artist legacy to identify the greatest band from every state. While not all bands have reached the same level of overall success, the bands on this list have risen above their in-state competition to become the musical ambassadors for their slice of the nation.
Click here to see the most famous band from every state.
Click here to see our methodology.
The states of origin of some bands may surprise casual fans. For instance, how many fans are aware that the rock band Poison got their start in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, before moving to Los Angeles early in their career? Similarly, the dark, brooding image of industrial rock giants Nine Inch Nails may not fit with the blue-collar image of their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
Yet the majority of groups on our list go the extra mile when it comes to hometown and home-state pride. The bands Alabama and Kansas named themselves after their respective states. New Orleans-based heavy metal band Down named one of its most popular records “Nola,” a reference to New Orleans, Louisiana. Texas heroes ZZ Top may be best known for the hit “La Grange” – named after a small town outside of the group’s home base of Houston.
Other artists have even found success singing about American locales that they didn’t personally come from. While most people identify Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with New Jersey – “E Street” actually referring to a street in Belmar, NJ – The Boss scored a major hit with his downbeat “Streets of Philadelphia.” Lynyrd Skynyrd, on the other hand, is perhaps best known for “Sweet Home Alabama,” yet the band actually hails from Florida.
Source: Rick Diamond / Getty Images
1. Alabama
> Band: Alabama
> City of origin: Fort Payne
> Biggest hit: Song of the South
> Top-selling album: Mountain Music
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Source: Michael Loccisano / Getty Images
2. Alaska
> Band: Portugal. The Man
> City of origin: Wasilla
> Biggest hit: Feel it Still
> Top-selling album: Evil Friends
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Source: Neilson Barnard / Getty Images
3. Arizona
> Band: Gin Blossoms
> City of origin: Tempe
> Biggest hit: Hey Jealousy
> Top-selling album: New Miserable Experience
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
4. Arkansas
> Band: Evanescence
> City of origin: Little Rock
> Biggest hit: Bring Me to Life
> Top-selling album: Fallen
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Source: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / Getty Images
5. California
> Band: Metallica
> City of origin: Los Angeles
> Biggest hit: Enter Sandman
> Top-selling album: Metallica (The Black Album)
Source: Ian Gavan / Getty Images
6. Colorado
> Band: OneRepublic
> City of origin: Colorado Springs
> Biggest hit: Counting Stars
> Top-selling album: Good Life
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Source: Evening Standard / Getty Images
7. Connecticut
> Band: The Carpenters
> City of origin: New Haven
> Biggest hit: (They Long to Be) Close to You
> Top-selling album: Carpenters
Source: Matt Cowan / Getty Images
8. Delaware
> Band: George Thorogood & The Destroyers
> City of origin: Wilmington
> Biggest hit: Bad to the Bone
> Top-selling album: Live
Source: Scott Harrison / Getty Images
9. Florida
> Band: Lynyrd Skynyrd
> City of origin: Jacksonville
> Biggest hit: Sweet Home Alabama
> Top-selling album: One More from the Road
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
10. Georgia
> Band: Allman Brothers Band
> City of origin: Macon
> Biggest hit: Ramblin’ Man
> Top-selling album: Eat a Peach
Source: Phillyist / Wikimedia Commons
11. Hawaii
> Band: Pepper
> City of origin: Kailua-Kona
> Biggest hit: Stone Love
> Top-selling album: Kona Town
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Source: Timothy Norris / Getty Images
12. Idaho
> Band: Built to Spill
> City of origin: Boise
> Biggest hit: Carry the Zero
> Top-selling album: Keep It Like a Secret
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Source: Ian Showell / Getty Images
13. Illinois
> Band: Chicago
> City of origin: Chicago
> Biggest hit: If You Leave Me Now
> Top-selling album: Chicago 17
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
14. Indiana
> Band: The Jackson 5
> City of origin: Gary
> Biggest hit: I Want You Back
> Top-selling album: ABC
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Source: Keystone / Getty Images
15. Iowa
> Band: The Everly Brothers
> City of origin: Shenandoah
> Biggest hit: All I Have To Do Is Dream
> Top-selling album: A Date With the Everly Brothers
Source: Andrew F. Kazmierski / Shutterstock.com
16. Kansas
> Band: Kansas
> City of origin: Topeka
> Biggest hit: Carry on Wayward Son
> Top-selling album: Point of Know Return
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Source: Taylor Hill / Getty Images
17. Kentucky
> Band: My Morning Jacket
> City of origin: Louisville
> Biggest hit: Wordless Chorus
> Top-selling album: Z
Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
18. Louisiana
> Band: Down
> City of origin: New Orleans
> Biggest hit: Stone the Crow
> Top-selling album: Nola
Source: NightThree / Wikimedia Commons
19. Maine
> Band: Rustic Overtones
> City of origin: Portland
> Biggest hit: Simple Song
> Top-selling album: Rooms by the Hour
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Source: Scott Barbour / Getty Images
20. Maryland
> Band: Good Charlotte
> City of origin: Waldorf
> Biggest hit: The Anthem
> Top-selling album: The Young and the Hopeless
Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
21. Massachusetts
> Band: Aerosmith
> City of origin: Boston
> Biggest hit: I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing
> Top-selling album: Toys in the Attic
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
22. Michigan
> Band: The White Stripes
> City of origin: Detroit
> Biggest hit: Seven Nation Army
> Top-selling album: Elephant
Source: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images
23. Minnesota
> Band: Prince & The Revolution
> City of origin: Minneapolis
> Biggest hit: Purple Rain
> Top-selling album: Purple Rain
Source: Al Bello / Getty Images
24. Mississippi
> Band: 3 Doors Down
> City of origin: Escatawpa
> Biggest hit: Kryptonite
> Top-selling album: The Better Life
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Source: Frank Micelotta / Getty Images
25. Missouri
> Band: Puddle of Mudd
> City of origin: Kansas City
> Biggest hit: She Hates Me
> Top-selling album: Come Clean
Source: Courtesy of Silkworm
26. Montana
> Band: Silkworm
> City of origin: Missoula
> Biggest hit: Nerves
> Top-selling album: Firewater
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Source: Amanda Edwards / Getty Images
27. Nebraska
> Band: 311
> City of origin: Omaha
> Biggest hit: Amber
> Top-selling album: 311
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Source: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
28. Nevada
> Band: The Killers
> City of origin: Las Vegas
> Biggest hit: Mr. Brightside
> Top-selling album: Hot Fuss
Source: Courtesy of RCA Records
29. New Hampshire
> Band: The Shaggs
> City of origin: Fremont
> Biggest hit: Philosophy of the World
> Top-selling album: Philosophy of the World
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Source: Jamie Squire / Getty Images
30. New Jersey
> Band: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
> City of origin: Belmar
> Biggest hit: Dancing in the Dark
> Top-selling album: Born in the U.S.A.
Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images
31. New Mexico
> Band: The Shins
> City of origin: Albuquerque
> Biggest hit: New Slang
> Top-selling album: Chutes Too Narrow
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Source: Keystone / Getty Images
32. New York
> Band: Ramones
> City of origin: New York City
> Biggest hit: Ramones
> Top-selling album: Blitzkrieg Bop
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Source: Ethan Miller / Getty Images
33. North Carolina
> Band: Corrosion of Conformity
> City of origin: Raleigh
> Biggest hit: Clean My Wounds
> Top-selling album: Deliverance
Source: Ninian Reid / Flickr
34. North Dakota
> Band: Bobby Vee & The Strangers
> City of origin: Fargo
> Biggest hit: Take Good Care Of My Baby
> Top-selling album: Come Back When You Grow Up
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Source: Christopher Polk / Getty Images
35. Ohio
> Band: Nine Inch Nails
> City of origin: Cleveland
> Biggest hit: Closer
> Top-selling album: The Downward Spiral
Source: Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images
36. Oklahoma
> Band: The Flaming Lips
> City of origin: Oklahoma City
> Biggest hit: She Don’t Use Jelly
> Top-selling album: Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robot
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Source: Scandore/Shayne / Wikimedia Commons
37. Oregon
> Band: The Kingsmen
> City of origin: Portland
> Biggest hit: Louie, Louie
> Top-selling album: The Kingsmen In Person
Source: MATT BECKER / Wikimedia Commons
38. Pennsylvania
> Band: Poison
> City of origin: Mechanicsburg
> Biggest hit: Every Rose Has Its Thorn
> Top-selling album: Open Up And Say … Ahh
Source: Hulton Archive / Getty Images
39. Rhode Island
> Band: The Cowsills
> City of origin: Newport
> Biggest hit: The Rain, The Park and Other Things
> Top-selling album: The Cowsills
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Source: Paul Hawthorne / Getty Images
40. South Carolina
> Band: Hootie & the Blowfish
> City of origin: Columbia
> Biggest hit: Only Wanna Be With You
> Top-selling album: Cracked Rear View
Source: Jeff Fusco / Getty Images
41. South Dakota
> Band: The Spill Canvas
> City of origin: Sioux Falls
> Biggest hit: All Over You
> Top-selling album: No Really, I’m Fine
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Source: Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images
42. Tennessee
> Band: Paramore
> City of origin: Franklin
> Biggest hit: Misery Business
> Top-selling album: Riot!
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Source: Mark Metcalfe / Getty Images
43. Texas
> Band: ZZ Top
> City of origin: Houston
> Biggest hit: La Grange
> Top-selling album: Eliminator
Source: Keystone / Getty Images
44. Utah
> Band: The Osmonds
> City of origin: Ogden
> Biggest hit: One Bad Apple
> Top-selling album: Crazy Horses
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Source: Scott Gries / Getty Images
45. Vermont
> Band: Phish
> City of origin: Burlington
> Biggest hit: Farmhouse
> Top-selling album: Junta
Source: Matt Roberts / Getty Images
46. Virginia
> Band: Dave Matthews Band
> City of origin: Charlottesville
> Biggest hit: Crash Into Me
> Top-selling album: Crash
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Source: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
47. Washington
> Band: Nirvana
> City of origin: Aberdeen
> Biggest hit: Smells Like Teen Spirit
> Top-selling album: Nevermind
Source: Rachel Murray / Getty Images
48. West Virginia
> Band: Asleep at the Wheel
> City of origin: Paw Paw
> Biggest hit: The Letter That Johnny Walker Read
> Top-selling album: Texas Gold
Source: Theo Wargo / Getty Images
49. Wisconsin
> Band: Violent Femmes
> City of origin: Milwaukee
> Biggest hit: Blister In The Sun
> Top-selling album: Violent Femmes
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Source: Ryan Taylor / Flickr
50. Wyoming
> Band: Teenage Bottlerocket
> City of origin: Laramie
> Biggest hit: Skate Or Die
> Top-selling album: They Came from the Shadows
Methodology:
To determine the most famous band from each state, 24/7 Wall St. considered lists of the greatest American musicians and rankings of the greatest musicians in the world. These lists were generated on Ranker.com, a crowdsourced list generator that produced a list of the greatest bands in the world. We also measured popularity based on total views of the artists’ Wikipedia pages over the last two years. While we generally relied on lists put together by Ranker, we included artists who had substantially higher Wikipedia page views than the top-ranked band on Ranker. For individual artists to count on this list they needed to often perform as part of a group that is billed along with the main performer, for example “Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band” or “Prince and The Revolution.” The state listed is not necessarily where an artist or group were born but where they got their start as musicians. The top-selling album is based on the Recording Industry Association of America certifications, excluding best of and other compilation albums. Because RIAA certification at the platinum level rounds to the millions of record sales, these do not necessarily reflect the top-selling album but rather one of the top-selling records.
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