The issue with the history of rock music is that there is simply so much greatness in different subgenres that musical acts will inevitably be forgotten by some. People move on to the newest hot thing, and something that happened 20 years ago or more gets lost.
That isn't always the case, obviously. The Beatles and the Rolling Stones will always be fondly remembered by large masses of people. Excellent bands such as the Melvins might not be, but they deserve to be.
That is the case with the three bands that follow. One has a great catalog, overshadowed by one huge song. One is simply too Canadian, it seems. The third has political beliefs that not all will love. He wouldn't care.
Three musical artists who deserve to be heard now and forever
Thin Lizzy
If you have only ever heard "The Boys Are Back in Town" on your local rock oldies radio station, then you need to turn the channel. That track isn't even the best one on the album Jailbreak (which happens to be the title track). The title track is arguably much better than the only top-20 hit the band had in the United States.
The Irish band led by Phil Lynott was worthy of being so much more than just a UK wonder on the charts. At least Canadians got the group a bit, as Thin Lizzy charted better there than in the US. Maybe Americans didn't get the swift kick of shake-your-butt rhythm bouncing below the melody.
Lynott was so much more than a good bassist and singer; he could create massive hard rock gems that the best of the 1970s AOR bands would have been influenced by. In many ways, Thin Lizzy is the Irish answer to Kansas and Blue Öyster Cult, and in the best way. (And clearly, their song "Roisin Dubh (Black Rose)" influenced everything on the great early albums of Big Country.)
Tragically Hip
The Canadian band might not have made much of an inroad beyond the borders of their native country, but that isn't their fault. They certainly had the talent and produced the musical diamonds, worthy of being heard. If others were not welcoming, that is the listener's fault.
The Hip were basically the answer to Phish in terms of only being popular in the nation they came from, but the biggest difference is how much Gord Downie and his bandmates meant to their countrypeople. Phish tours a bunch and has a niche, though devoted, audience. The Tragically Hip were from Canada.
But the number of songs they created that were, and will remain, enjoyable is too many to count. "Bobcaygeon" is beautiful and poignant. "Grace, Too" is straightforward rock with elite lyrics. Those are just two tracks of the deep catalog you need to explore of these icons.
Billy Bragg
What would folk punk be without Billy Bragg? That is almost the point. Bragg doesn't want to sell millions of records, and his music doesn't lend itself to doing so. Instead, he prefers to create songs about things, and one never doubts his political stances.
Somehow, though, he churns out musical gems that become earworms that you might not want to sing on your subway or bus rides. That doesn't mean the theme is wrong; far from it. But people are so divisive politically currently. But if one can hear his recent, "City of Heroes," and not want to sing along to the chorus, then how one even heard the song has iffy origins.
He musically started in the early 1980s and has achieved respect, which is all an artist could ever want. But he has walked the walk of his songs, too. He might be heavily leaning left, but he does the work behind the songs. That is when music and the artist are fully and perfectly connected.