Every Moment Has A Song

(via Business Insider) by Max Kalnitz and Amanda Geffner

Great music isn’t just found in a few iconic cities — it thrums through every corner of the United States. Each state has produced many bands that helped define its sound and leave a lasting mark on music history.

To figure out the most famous band from every state, Business Insider weighed reputation, record sales, and awards. Crucially, each act was judged in the context of its own era because today’s chart-toppers don’t necessarily eclipse the legends of decades past.

We focused exclusively on groups — no solo acts — but took a flexible approach to what counts as a “band,” including any musical act made up of more than one person. While we primarily looked at where each band was formed, we also considered where their music took off and the hometowns that shaped them.

So, which band puts your state on the map? Let’s find out.

Emmie Martin and Christi Danner contributed to a previous version of this article.

ALABAMA: Alabama

One of the most successful bands of all time, Alabama has sold over 56 million records, per the The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has scored 43 No. 1 hits. It also has 11 multi-platinum albums and two Grammys. The band, which formed in Fort Payne, Alabama, sold more records during the ’80s than any other band. Not only is their success impressive by any measure, but they also did a lot to make country music popular in the mainstream.

ALASKA: Portugal. The Man

Alaska was far away from the rock ‘n roll scene that defined the late 1960s and continued into the ’70s in the continental United States, and rarely have any bands found success beyond the state’s borders. That is, until Portugal. The Man exploded into the alt/indie rock scene.

Since releasing its debut album “Waiter: You Vultures!” in 2006, the band from Wasilla, Alaska, has become an indie-rock phenom, hitting major stops on the festival circuit and collaborating with artists including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Tom Morello, and Danger Mouse.

The band’s biggest claim to fame is its 2017 hit single “Feel It Still,” which dominated the airwaves and earned the group its first and only Grammy Award for best pop duo/group performance. 

ARIZONA: Alice Cooper

The first of the many shock-rock bands of the ’70s, Alice Cooper kept fans entranced with their gender-bending outfits and dark onstage theatrics — concert-goers could expect performances to include stunts like Cooper’s faux-beheading via guillotine.

But it’s the music that kept fans coming back for more, and their riff-heavy brand of hard rock produced a string of hits, including “School’s Out” and “Be My Lover.” Alice Cooper was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.

Read more: Most Famous Band From Every State – Business Insider