10 Surprising Classic Rock Bands That Never Had a No. 1 Hit

When it comes to classic rock musicians hitting No. 1 on the charts, no group outclasses The Beatles. The Fab Four had 20 No. 1 hits in the United States. For all their popularity, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, and Michael Jackson don’t even come close. K-Pop superstars BTS matched The Beatles by having six No. 1 songs in a year, but they’re still writing their legacy. Several legendary classic rock bands never had a No. 1 hit on the Billboard singles chart. Here are 10 of them.

1. The Who

• Number of top-10 hits: 1
• Number of top-100 songs: 26

The Who’s greatest hits stand alongside some of classic rock’s best. “Magic Bus,” “My Generation,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” and “Pinball Wizard” are just a smattering of the band’s best tunes. Heck, “I Can See For Miles” was so good it made Paul McCartney jealous enough to write “Helter Skelter.” Who guitar maestro Pete Townshend was shocked his song never went to No. 1. “I Can See for Miles” rose to No. 9 on the Billboard charts in 1967, becoming the band’s only top-10 song despite a decades-long run of success and notoriety.

2. Jimi Hendrix

• Number of top-10 hits: 0
• Number of top-100 songs: 7

Hendrix makes the shortlist of the greatest guitarists of all time, but he never had a top-10 hit. The closest he and the Experience came was their rollicking cover of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower,” which climbed to No. 20 in 1968. Brevity is the reason the game-changing musicians didn’t have any No. 1 hits. Hendrix released three albums during his career. One of those, Electric Ladyland, rose to No. 1 in 1968, but he never had any chart-topping songs.

3. Bob Dylan

• Number of top-10 hits: 4
• Number of top-100 songs: 23

The famous writer Kurt Vonnegut called Dylan a terrible poet, but the singer-songwriter’s legions of fans didn’t care. He achieved decades of success despite being one of the preeminent classic rock musicians without a No. 1 hit. He came close with two No. 2 songs — “Like a Rolling Stone” in 1965 and “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” in 1966. The Beatles’ “Help!” kept him from hitting No. 1 in 1965, while The Mamas & the Papas kept him at bay in 1966. “Lay Lady Lay” and “Positively 4th Street” became top-10 songs for Dylan.

4. Robert Plant

• Number of top-10 hits: 0
• Number of top-100 songs: 8

Led Zeppelin shunned releasing singles during their career, so it’s not surprising they never had a No. 1 song. When the band broke up, singer Robert Plant avoided taking the same approach. He released several singles in the 1980s and into the 1990s, but only two ever cracked the top 25: “Big Log” in 1983 and “Tall Cool One” in 1988. The consolation prize? Plant seeing his solo songs doing what Led Zeppelin never could — win a Grammy.

5. James Brown

• Number of top-10 hits: 6
• Number of top-100 songs: 90-plus

The Godfather of Soul, the performer who influenced scores or musicians who formed classic rock bands, had more than 90 top-100 songs but never a No. 1 hit. “I Got You (I Feel Good),” which might be his most well-known song, came the closest when it went to No. 3 in 1965. 

“Living in America” climbed inside the top 5 (No. 4 in 1986). Brown’s other top-10 hits include “I Got the Feelin’” (No. 6), “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag (Part 1)” (No. 8), “Cold Sweat (Part 1),” and “It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World.”

6. Cream

• Number of top-10 hits: 2
• Number of top-100 songs: 5

Separately, guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker were three of the most talented and influential musicians on their instruments. Like Hendrix, their relatively brief time together in Cream inhibited their chart success. The groundbreaking trio never had a No. 1 hit, though “Sunshine of Your Love” (No. 5) and “White Room”(No. 6) both cracked the top 10 in 1968. George Harrison gave his friend an assist by writing a hit Cream song in 1969 when “Badge” landed on the charts. The tune peaked at No. 60 in America but rose to No. 18 in England, per the Official Charts Company.

7. Don Henley

• Number of top-10 hits: 5
• Number of top-100 songs: 14

Don Henley and his Eagles bandmates recorded five No. 1 hits between 1974 and 1979. The band’s best-selling record topped The Beatles and Led Zeppelin. Yet Henley never claimed the top spot with his solo work. The closest he came to the summit was “Dirty Laundry,” which peaked at No. 3 in early 1983. “All She Wants to Do Is Dance,” “Leather and Lace,” the delicate “End of the Innocence,” and power ballad “Boys of Summer” were also top-10 tunes.

8. Creedence Clearwater Revival

• Number of top-10 hits: 2
• Number of top-100 songs: 16

CCR’s laid-back, countrified rock produced a slew of memorable songs, but they never had a No. 1 hit. In fact, Creedence holds a record for the number of No. 2 songs without ever reaching the apex. It’s better than being anonymous but still a disappointing distinction for a beloved classic rock band. Between March 1969 and October 1970, Creedence Clearwater Revival sent “Proud Mary,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Green River,” “Travelin’ Band/Who’ll Stop The Rain,” and “Lookin’ Out My Back Door/Long As I Can See the Light” to No. 2. They had singles get to No. 3 (“Down On The Corner/Fortunate Son”) and No. 4 (“Up Around The Bend/Run Through the Jungle”) in the same span, but the No. 1 spot eluded CCR throughout its career.

9. Tom Petty

• Number of top-10 hits: 3
• Number of top-100 songs: 27

It’s hard to believe that a musician with such a long career whose music found a large and dedicated audience never had a chart-topping song. But Tom Petty still finds himself in good company among classic rock bands that never had a No. 1 hit. His collaboration with Stevie Nicks, “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” hit No. 3 in 1981, a year after he and the Heartbreakers had their first top-10 song with “Don’t Do Me Like That.” Petty reached the top 10 again in early 1990 with his solo song “Free Fallin’,” but he never had a No. 1 song among his 27 charting singles.

10. Bruce Springsteen

• Number of top-10 hits: 12
• Number of top-100 songs: 26

It’s a case of close but no cigar for the Boss. Times two. Bruce Springsteen sent “Dancing in the Dark” to No. 2 for four weeks in 1984, but Prince’s “When Doves Cry” held the top spot each week, per Billboard. His song “Blinded By the Light” went to the top in 1977, but that was Manfred Mann’s cover version, not the Springsteen original. 

Springsteen’s Born in the U.S.A. album produced several other top-10 hits, including “Glory Days,” “I’m on Fire,” “Cover Me,” “I’m Goin’ Down,” and the title track, but no chart-toppers. Still, looking at the other classic rock musicians without a No. 1 hit proves that being the runner-up doesn’t tarnish a legacy.

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