Red Rocks Performers Hall of Fame
RED ROCKS HALL OF FAME
James Taylor
Six-time Grammy Award Winner and Red Rocks Hall of Fame inductee James Taylor shot to stardom in 1971 with his timeless recording of “You’ve Got a Friend,” and other Top 10 hits like “Fire and Rain,” and “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You).” His first appearance at Red Rocks was July 27, 1975, and he went on to play here for six more decades.
Stevie Nicks
Nicks’s first Red Rocks show in 1986 was among the first concert videos filmed here. As video sales went gold around the world, it showcased Red Rocks to millions of new fans. Nicks gained fame in the band Fleetwood Mac and then as a solo act. She is the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as both a member of a group and solo artist.
Michael Franti
In the early 1990s Michael Franti emerged from the worlds of hip-hop and reggae with his band Spearhead to combine those traditions with elements of funk, folk, and rock for positive celebrations of a more socially just world. He once remarked, “When I first saw Red Rocks, I thought, ‘It’s so beautiful, how could they build a concert venue here,’ and after playing here, I thought, ‘Thank God they built a concert venue here.’”
Lyle Lovett
Lyle Lovett began to sing and write while studying German and journalism at Texas A&M in the late 1970s. Working his way to stardom through the Texas singer-songwriter scene of the 1980s, he developed a witty, intelligent musical and lyrical style that drew fans from both country and pop audiences.
STS9 (Sound Tribe Sector 9)
The Georgia-based electro-jazz group formerly known as Sector 9 began in the late 1990s with their funky instrumental album Interplanetary Escape Vehicle. Modifying their name to Sound Tribe Sector 9, they established a reputation in the jam band community, made their Red Rocks debut as an opener in 2004, and soon became a favorite on their own.
Reggae on the Rocks
Reggae on the Rocks was created in 1988 by Bill Bass Concerts to bring the loving, exciting genre of reggae to the Rocky Mountains. Audiences have had the pleasure of enjoying classic reggae artists including Jimmy Cliff, Inner Circle, Burning Spear, The Wailers, Ziggy Marley and more.
Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett’s considerable talents as a singer-songwriter, applied to his affection for the “Margaritaville” beach lifestyle, earned him a devoted fan base of like-minded (and wannabee) followers who made him one of the world’s most successful musicians. After a 26-year absence, he noted the Amphitheatre was still his favorite place to perform. All in all, he appeared here 18 times from 1977 to 2021.
Steve Miller Band
One of the more polished and powerful artists to emerge from San Francisco in the 1960s, Steve Miller grew up listening to blues and jazz and never cast off his original blues-rock style even as he moved into a more pop sound with 1970s hits like “Fly Like An Eagle.” Red Rocks audiences witnessed his entire range of material in a series of sell-out performances from the 1970s through the 2020s.
Jackson Browne
Beginning his career in the 1970s, singer-songwriter Jackson Browne climbed the charts with hit albums like The Pretender and Running On Empty, and co-wrote the breakthrough hit “Take It Easy” with the Eagles’ frontman Glenn Frey. He is widely respected for the care he takes with the sound and musicianship of his bands.
Colorado Symphony Orchestra/Denver Symphony Orchestra
Orchestral music has a long history of outdoor performance. At Red Rocks, the tradition began in 1941, and since then the Colorado Symphony Orchestra (and its predecessor, the Denver Symphony Orchestra) have presented numerous concerts featuring classical favorites, as well as accompanying rock and pop artists.
Big Head Todd and the Monsters
Big Head Todd and The Monsters began in the mid-1980s when three long-time friends from southwest Denver came together at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The blues-funk band began to gain a following within the college town almost immediately and within a few short years they were touring across the U.S., appearing yearly at Red Rocks over several decades.
String Cheese Incident
String Cheese Incident formed in Boulder in 1993, and quickly joined the roster of jam band favorites at Red Rocks. They couple a high level of musicianship with a wide variety of sources in bluegrass, blues, country, funk, and jazz. Taking new approaches in each performance, they are notable for attracting audiences to multi-night runs.
Blues Traveler
The improvisational rock band Blues Traveler was formed in Princeton, New Jersey in 1987 and made famous by frequent appearances on the Tonight Show. Equally frequent were their Red Rocks performances on or around Independence Day for many years. John Popper’s high-energy harmonica playing is the centerpiece of the band’s sound.
John Denver
John Denver was an American singer-songwriter, actor, environmental activist, and poet. He was born Henry John Deutschendorf Jr., but adopted the surname “Denver” after his affection for Colorado. He celebrated the mountains that he loved in “Rocky Mountain High,” one of Colorado’s official state songs, and was named Poet Laureate of Colorado in 1977.
Tom Petty
Tom Petty first performed at Red Rocks in 1980, remaining a fan favorite ever since. With a characteristic brand of Americana-inspired roots rock songwriting, a distinctive voice, and a hard driving band notable for its musicianship, he established a definitive place in rock iconography. Starting in the 1970s he sold over 80 million records, ranking him among the highest in record sales.
Grateful Dead
Coming out of the San Francisco hippie scene of the 1960s, the Dead pioneered what is now known as the “jam band” genre. Drawing on a variety of styles and varying their improvised performances nightly, they acquired a devoted fan base that followed their shows to see what would happen next. Red Rocks audiences witnessed many of their marathon jams during their twenty performances from 1978 to 1987.
Widespread Panic
It’s no wonder the Red Rocks mainstay Widepread Panic has such a huge history of selling out the Amphitheatre. Their never-the-same-way-twice improvisational vibe and powerful southern rock sound kept audiences coming back to hear new takes on favorite songs. By 2016, they set the Red Rocks record for the most sold-out shows—51. By 2024, that number reached 72, with no signs of stopping.
Bonnie Raitt
Red Rocks favorite Bonnie Raitt was born into a musical family. But while her dad was a Broadway show singer, she brought a blues influence to her vocals and guitar work as she drew for her hits on material chosen from great songwriters of her time. She actively campaigned for the critical and financial recognition of earlier blues artists.
Sting
When the ska-influenced English rock band The Police disbanded in 1986, their singer, bassist, and primary songwriter Sting (Gordon Sumner) went on to have a tremendously successful solo career. Having first played the Rocks with The Police, he chose to return several times as a solo act instead of playing larger venues.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Five-time Grammy winner Stevie Ray Vaughan’s Red Rocks debut was oddly featured between two New Wave acts. The Dallas-born guitar wizard returned to Red Rocks five more times before his untimely death in August 1990. His style bridged the gap between blues and rock like that of no other artist since the late 1960s.
U2
With their potent lyrics and huge rock sound, U2 have captivated audiences with their passionate music since the early 1980s. Issued as Under a Blood Red Sky, their powerful, rain-soaked 1983 performance was the first concert video recorded at the Rocks. It solidified the Amphitheatre’s reputation as one of the premier concert venues in the world.
Dan Fogelberg
Dan Fogelberg was one of pop music’s most successful singer-songwriters coming out of the 1970s. He captivated local audiences not only with his angelic voice and soulful songs but as a Colorado resident with a special love for playing the Rocks. “It’s like looking at this huge, animated poster,” he said. “It’s like no other place on earth to perform…Red Rocks is in a class by itself.”
Carlos Santana
His breakthrough performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival introduced the world to Santana’s fusion of rock guitar virtuosity and Afro-Latin rhythms. One of the most influential musicians in rock history, he was born in Mexico and taught by his dad to be a mariachi violinist before he came to California and was exposed to rock guitar.
Allman Brothers Band
The embodiment of 1970s southern rock, the Allman Brothers Band made its Red Rocks debut on August 4, 1979, eight years after losing founding member Dwayne Allman in a motorcycle accident. The band’s tradition of virtuosity, showmanship, and blending the new and the old draw some of the most diverse and enthusiastic audiences in music today.
Willie Nelson
Singer, songwriter, actor, guitarist, character—all these words describe the “Redheaded Stranger.” From his early days penning country hits like “Crazy” for other performers to having a stellar performing career, originating the Farm Aid concerts, and empowering the songwriting profession, Willie Nelson has proven to be an American original.
The Beatles
In 1964, the “Fab Four” embarked on their first North American tour, performing 32 shows for screaming, enthusiastic audiences in 25 cities over 31 days. That tour was the first step in The Beatles becoming, arguably, the most popular and influential rock band in history, so it seems funny that their August 26th Red Rocks appearance purportedly didn’t sell out, despite eyewitness accounts of fans packing the house.
Lily Pons
The French-born soprano (1898–1976) established a solid American career at New York’s Metropolitan Opera and also became a popular celebrity for her stage personality and light-music performances in concert, film and television, and on tour for troops abroad. She typified the kind of popular classical entertainment prevalent at Red Rocks (and on TV) during the 1950s.
“It’s like no other place on earth to perform … Red Rocks is in a class by itself.” – Hall-of-Famer Dan Fogelberg
The Red Rocks Hall of Fame was dedicated when the Visitor Center was built in 2003 and has honored a new inductee each year since. Some, like The Beatles, are exceptionally noteworthy. Some have achieved unique accomplishments, like U2, who made the Rocks famous around the world by shooting the first DVD video of a performance here. Many earned their place here simply as audience favorites, drawing crowds show after show, year after year.
