12 great artists from the 1960s and 1970s still producing fantastic music

The number of new artists and bands seems to grow by the day, but that was always the case; we just get a better chance to be aware of that these days. Some make it, and quite a few of them don’t, but the great ones, like Bob Dylan, seem to be recording and performing even when some of their neighbors or school friends are deep in their pension years.

Some have stopped and started again, changed members, disbanded and then reformed, but the passion and the love of music (oh, money too) hasn’t left them. Yet. 

At the same time, some of these artists never took a break since they first appeared as a band or as solo performers and are still making good music. Along with that Nobel laureate in the header photo of this article, the dozen below just might have something more to say - some on record, some on stage, some both.

These 12 musical artists from the 1960s and 1970s are still churning out great music

Paul McCartney

Here’s a music legend who started playing back in the late fifties and has never stopped recording or playing on stage since. At the same time, he has proven his musical genius so many times, both live and in the studio, and the passion for creating music doesn’t seem to have left him yet, even when he plays surprise sets in small clubs when it hits his fancy.

Beach Boys 

When you start out as far back as 1961, you should have left the stages and recording studios long ago, particularly taking into account that Wilson brothers Dennis and Carl passed away, third brother Brian had health issues and isn’t in the band anymore, right? Well, not really if you ask Mike Love, who keeps holding the Beach Boys banner on stages around the world to this day.

Rolling Stones

It is sixty years or so since these "grandpas" started out, with original members Brian Jones and Charlie Watts passing, Bill Wayman leaving, and others like Mick Taylor coming and going, but Jagger and Richards and co. might look their age, but they still got it both on record and on stage, and it just seems that they might never stop.

Neil Young

It just might be a full day’s work for an ardent Neil Young fan to count all his record releases solo or with all the bands he played with, or even more so, how many of his concerts they attended. Yet, Young still seems to have enough creative power in him to do both in full swing and something substantive to say.

Steve Miller Band

Miller might not have been on Miles Davis’ favorites list after Miller’s band played opening sets for him at some point, but the early psych great who turned into the FM radio biggie in the seventies always had a musical ace in his sleeve both in the studio and on stage, up to this day.

Santana

From his band’s first self-titled album and a brilliant Woodstock festival appearance in 1969, Carlos Santana never left the stage, even though his recording output was not getting attention at some point. Yet, even then, when he was performing live, it was evident that he was, and still is one of rock’s greats.

John Cale

From modern classical music to Velvet Underground and then to a practically immaculate solo career, John Cale is still a brilliant musical presence, both in the studio and on stage, coming up with some excellent albums and great concerts recently.

Peter Gabriel

Leaving fancy stage costumes when he left Genesis in the late sixties, Gabriel had and still has a brilliant recording career that he is still able to transform into a great stage presence to this day, with an artistic flame that doesn’t seem to have left him yet.

Bruce Springsteen

Springsteen may have nagging health issues now, but as one of the greatest rockers in the studio, and particularly on stage, he is not giving up either of those. And, with the plethora of live recordings that he has been offering recently, he remains one of the key live attractions to this day.

Bonnie Raitt

When she started out in the early seventies, Raitt’s blues/soul/rock combination took quite some time to take off, but her slick guitar playing and excellent vocals were always there, particularly on stage, never leaving her to this day.

Eagles

Love them or hate them, or got sick of “Hotel California,” one of the key exponents of early 1970s country rock is still hitting the stages, even after all the member changes and passing of Glen Frey. The recording output has been getting thin, but the live shows are still something to see.

Human League

Whether it is the more experimental electronics they started out with or the electro-pop stuff they have pioneered and stuck with until now, this Sheffield, England band might not have been recording recently, but they are still hitting the stages across the world and not missing a beat.

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