Rod Stewart

Few British singers have sold as many records as Rod Stewart. Sir Roderick David Stewart, born in Highgate, North London, in January 1945, has sold more than 120 million records worldwide, a figure built on his distinctive raspy voice. He started out in 1962 busking with a harmonica, drifted through several bands, and joined the Jeff Beck Group in 1967 before signing up with Faces in 1969. That same year he released his debut solo album, An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down. His early records blend rock, folk, soul and R&B, a mix that explains why he sounds at home almost anywhere.

The breakthrough came with Every Picture Tells a Story in 1971, which topped charts in the UK, US, Canada and Australia, carried by the single Maggie May. After Faces disbanded in 1975, he kept going with Atlantic Crossing and the ballad Sailing, and A Night on the Town gave him Tonight's the Night. The 1978 album Blondes Have More Fun brought Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, which reached number one in the UK. In 1993 he teamed up with Bryan Adams and Sting on All for Love.