ROCK 'N ROLL Travel down the memory Lane of yesteryear's ROCK LEGENDS. I salute them and dig the music they created during all these years.
A great article by LEVI'S Jeans i'm sharing with all you denim lovers and Rock music fans. Fans of NIRVANA.............. Peace !
The legendary grunge outfit Nirvana recently received its official
induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame commemorating the 20
th anniversary of the band’s iconic
In Utero album. The band, in addition to producing universally lauded rock songs, was also known for making “angst” mainstream and defining an entire lifestyle of music—right down to the plaid and denim-addled wardrobe.
But Nirvana wasn’t the first rock act to don denim. Take a look at other royalties of rock who wore jeans while making music history.
THE ROLLING STONES
Image: Andrea Sartori via Flickr
Sympathy for the…denim? The Rolling Stones are about as rock and roll as they come—and the legendary band opted for denim during many of their world-spanning tours. Yes, Mick Jagger performed countless jumps and slides in blue jeans of all sorts. And in 1990, The Rolling Stones gave denim jackets with their notorious logo on the back to Prague’s President Vaclav Havel before
their historic concert in a newly post-Communist Czechoslovakia.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Image: Carl Lender via Flickr
There likely isn’t a soul amongst us who doesn’t recall The Boss’ infamous and now legendary cover of his album Born in the USA, which featured the dual-pocketed backside of an iconic pair of blue jeans. (Yes, they were Levi’s® 501® jeans.) And who could forget that same music video, with The Boss on a Harley Davidson, clad in a Levi’s® denim jacket? Now if that’s not rock, we just don’t know what is.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999, while the E Street band was inducted last week.
THE STROKES
Image: Dalton Reed via Flickr
The band that literally launched a thousand bands in its image, The Strokes redefined denim-rock-cool when they came onto the scene in 2001, with their hit debut album
Is This It. Often clad in equal parts denim, leather, plaid, and skinny tie, The Strokes set the style mold for scores of indie rock bands and Coachella crowds to come. In fact, there’s
an entire blog saluting the band’s signature style—and a rather
in-depth post on their particular penchant for denim jackets.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, if all goes well, in 2025.
JAMES BROWN
Image via WikiMedia
The ‘Godfather of Soul’ was also an avid arbiter of all things denim—be it blazer, bellbottom, or vest. After six decades of musical superstardom, it’s easy to understand why James Brown loved the versatility of denim. And while he opted for more spacious clothing for his prolific live performances, he often donned denim for photos and album covers, like his killer denim-on-denim getup on the cover of
In the Jungle Groove album.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.
DEBBIE HARRY, BLONDIE
Image: Jean-Luc Ourlin via Flickr
Before there was
Call Me Maybe, there was
Call Me by Blondie. The band Blondie made rock history for fusing genres of disco, new wave, punk, and pop—and for selling 40 million records worldwide. Front-woman and, later, solo artist Debbie Harry had a particular fondness for sporting denim, whether it was
double denim, jean shorts, or denim jackets. For a deep dive into Debbie Harry’s love affair with denim, check out
this terrific piece from DenimFuture, which showcases some of the pop star’s best denim looks.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006.
ELTON JOHN
Image: Rosana Prada, via Flickr
One of rock’s most regal royal members, Sir Elton John has sold more than 300 million albums during his five-decade-long career. Yes, one of the world’s best-selling musicians of all time has a soft spot for denim. Case in point: “Blue jean baby” is the lyric opening to the “Tiny Dancer” ballad and you can
find a pair of his infamous denim bellbottoms on display at the Hard Rock Casino & Hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi. We’re just hoping Elton John dons a seriously cool denim getup for his highly-anticipated performance at
Bonnaroo this summer.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.
JIM MORRISON, THE DOORS
Image via WikiMedia
While many might remember The Doors’ frontman Jim Morrison for his scandalous antics involving a
lack of clothes, the provocative musician also had a fierce collection of fashionable denim duds, which he interspersed with his iconic leather pants. From
denim shirts and skinny jeans to denim jackets and vests, Jim Morrison was one of the forebearers of
classic rock star style. And in case you were wondering, Jim Morrison was eventually pardoned for his indecent exposure case,
40 years posthumously. The rock star showed up to the initial hearing in 1969 wearing a black denim jacket, emblazoned with the Doors logo on its back.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
THE BEATLES
Image via WikiMedia
Any list on iconic rock denim would be amiss without a nod to four of the most legendary denim-clad rock stars of all time. Yes, The Beatles just wouldn’t be the same without their denim-centric wardrobe; a symbol of both the free-spirited 1960s and one of the biggest moments in rock history. The fab four evolved from the sparkle suits usually reserved for slick Britpop super-groups, to sporting cool, faded denim jackets, jeans, and button-ups. A
recent NPR story recalls a stateside visit from The Beatles, whereby the “Denim Council” was called upon to go meet the rock sensation at the airport with Beatles-decorated denim jackets.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
THE RAMONES
Image via WikiMedia
One of the biggest stateside punk acts of all time, The Ramones also happened to be some of the biggest denim-enthusiasts in rock. The nonstop tour-machines (they toured for 22 straight years, performing 2,263 concerts) paired a whole lot of ripped-up jeans with those legendary chain-adorned leather jackets. In fact, as
The Guardian pointed out last year, punk bands like The Ramones and The Clash might have been the first musicians to make the skinny jean mainstream.
Officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
