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14 Classic Rockers from the Midwest

Some of classic rock’s biggest names and influencers we know and love hail from the Midwest.

Robin Zander of Cheap Trick performs onstage.
Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Some of classic rock's biggest names and influencers we know and love hail from the Midwest.

From Cheap Trick being the pride of Rockford, Ill. to John Mellencamp's deep roots in Indiana, rock and roll isn't just born on the coasts. You can find it in what some might dub "flyover country," but these names prove this area of the United States should be anything but ignored.

Scroll below to see just a sample of the incredible rock and roll talent that came from the Midwest.

John Mellencamp

463231812-scaled.jpgAdam Bettcher/Getty Images

Seymour, Indiana


Cheap Trick - 'Are You Ready? Live 12/31/10979'

GettyImages-167734071.jpgNeilson Barnard/Getty Images

Recorded at The Forum in Los Angeles, this is the first time this Cheap Trick concert has ever been released, which features some of their biggest hits including “I Want You To Want Me,” “Surrender,” and “Clock Strikes Ten."


Styx

136971837-scaled.jpgSkip Bolen/Getty Images

Chicago, Illinois


REO Speedwagon

103068307-scaled.jpgEthan Miller/Getty Images

Champaign, Illinois


Three Members Of Guns N' Roses

53324725.jpgPhoto by Scott Harrison/Getty Images

Izzy Stradlin (far right) - Lafayette, Indiana

Three members of the American rock and roll group Guns N' Roses in front of a Hard Rock Cafe banner, Las Vegas, Nevada, 1992. From left, Duff McKagan, Gilby Clarke, and Izzy Stradlin. (Photo by Scott Harrison/Getty Images)


Guns N' Roses Perform In Sydney

107323373.jpgPhoto by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Axl Rose - Lafayette, Indiana

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - DECEMBER 04: Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses performs following the V8 Supercar Grand Finale at ANZ Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)


The Billboard Touring Awards

497930342.jpgPhoto by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

Bob Seger - Born in Detroit, Michigan. Grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 19: Musician Bob Seger speaks onstage during the 2015 Billboard Touring Awards at The Roosevelt Hotel on November 19, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)


Iggy Pop

494800994.jpgKevin Winter/Getty Images

Ypsilanti, Michigan


Bob Dylan

136948873-scaled.jpgChristopher Polk/Getty Images

Born in Duluth, Minnesota. Grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota.


Chuck Berry In Concert - January 1, 2011

GettyImages-107850233.jpgPhoto by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images

CHICAGO - JANUARY 01: Chuck Berry performs at the Congress Theater on January 1, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois.

CHICAGO - JANUARY 01: Chuck Berry performs at the Congress Theater on January 1, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images)


Chrissie Hynde

458780556-scaled.jpgTerry Wyatt/Getty Images

Akron, Ohio


Joe Walsh

521716086-scaled.jpgMike Windle/Getty Images

Born in Wichita, Kansas. Lived in Columbus, Ohio as a kid.


Steve Miller

493525676-scaled.jpgMike Coppola/Getty Images

Milwaukee, Wisconsin.


Glenn Frey

GettyImages-98899438-scaled.jpgAlberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Born in Detroit, Michigan. Grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights