Unexpected musical partnerships that rocked the charts
Some artists release one killer album then disappear, while others are in it for the long haul. Whether with their bands or flying solo, some musicians release album after album throughout careers spanning decades.
These artists want to keep sharing their musical gifts with the world, and more power to them! Click through this gallery to discover some of the most prolific bands and singers in the world.
Working by himself and with his backing band Crazy Horse, Neil Young has amassed an impressive back catalog. The Canadian rocker has released 43 solo studio albums to date.
That's in addition to three albums with Buffalo Springfield and one as part of supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. And somehow he still finds time to make films and engage in political activism in his down time.
In 2021, aged 79, Paul McCartney casually hit the number one spot on the Billboard Album Sales chart for the second time that year. His 'McCartney III' album had already topped the chart early in the year, but the prolific former Beatle followed it up with the top-selling remix album 'McCartney III Imagined.'
Since the Beatles' split, McCartney has released 26 studio albums, along with nine live albums, seven classical albums, and even five electronica albums.
The poet-musician has released 39 studio albums. And to that tally he can add 95 singles, 12 live albums, the 15-volume 'Bootleg Series,' 15 compilation albums, and 20 box sets.
They don't call him 'The Boss' for nothing: America's homegrown musical hero Bruce Springsteen has released 20 studio albums, 23 live albums, 73 singles, and eight EPs over the course of his career.
When his 2020 album 'Letter to You' debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, he became the first artist or band to score top five-charting albums in each of the last consecutive six decades—from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Leave it to Mimi to set the bar high for the ladies: the singer-songwriter has 15 studio albums and 86 singles in her career so far. That's in addition to two soundtrack albums, two EPs, and a remix album.
Since her self-titled debut album was released to great success in 1990, Carey has hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 a whopping 19 times—more than any other solo artist!
The Queen of Pop is no slacker either: she's released 14 studio albums, as well as three soundtrack albums. She's also released multiple live albums and compilation albums.
The Graceland estate estimates that over one billion Elvis records have been sold around the world. This is one musician whose career didn't end when he passed away.
The singer released 24 studio albums in his lifetime, and the successes have racked up posthumously. Graceland estimates that in America alone Elvis has had 150 different albums and singles that have been certified gold, platinum, or multi-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
The Godfather of Soul released 59 studio albums in a hip-shaking career that spanned decades. It wasn't without good reason that he famously declared himself "the hardest working man in showbusiness."
Of the younger generations of musical artists, Kanye West is among the most prolific. He has sold over 21 million albums.
Since his 2004 debut album 'The College Dropout,' he has racked up 10 studio albums and two collaborative studio albums. He even found time to collaborate with uber-prolific Paul McCartney on the 2014 track 'Only One.'
In a career that spanned from 1954 to his death in 2003, The Man in Black released a staggering 97 albums.
Of those many albums, 67 were studio albums, alongside several live albums, video albums, and more.
The Rolling Stones are a musical force to be reckoned with: the rockers have released 30 studio albums, 33 live albums, and 121 singles.
Since their eponymous debut album in 1964, the band haven't let up, and, despite the loss of drummer Charlie Watts in 2021, are still racking up hits and critical acclaim.
Since his 1969 debut 'Empty Sky,' Sir Elton has released 31 studio albums. That's in addition to nine soundtrack albums, three tribute albums, and 22 compilation albums.
Blues legend B.B. King began making music in 1949, and was still scoring hits until only a few years before his death in 2015.
Like his contemporaries, King released most of his early recordings as singles, until long-playing albums became popular in the late 1950s. Highlights of his impressive career included 43 studio albums and 138 singles.
B.B. King collaborated with British singer-songwriter Eric Clapton on a well-received 2000 blues album, 'Riding with the King.' Clapton himself is a hugely prolific collaborator: he's worked with everybody from the Beatles to Aretha Franklin as well as releasing 24 solo studio albums in his career so far.
Country music legend Willie Nelson currently trounces the competition when it comes to consistency. The singer-songwriter, actor, and activist has released 70 solo studio albums and 25 collaborative studio albums. And he shows no sign of stopping. Way to go, Willie!
Sources: (Graceland) (Billboard) (Forbes) (Ultimate Guitar)
Prolific artists: These bands and singers just can't stop making records
The most prolific musicians on the planet
MUSIC Curiosities
Some artists release one killer album then disappear, while others are in it for the long haul. Whether with their bands or flying solo, some musicians release album after album throughout careers spanning decades.
These artists want to keep sharing their musical gifts with the world, and more power to them! Click through this gallery to discover some of the most prolific bands and singers in the world.