Do You Know Which Rock Stars Are Classical Music Composers?

Most everybody likes all kinds of music.

Most musicians in the entertainment business know that all kinds of music don’t always all kinds of record sales and a whole lot of cash!

Most successful rock musicians know that if they had started their career playing classical music, they would very likely not have a career.



Sharing this really cool link about rock stars who also write classical music. You probably already knew about Paul McCartney. Right?

Here is the complete list.

1. Paul McCartney
2. Roger Waters
3. Frank Zappa
4. Jonny Greenwood
5. Bryce Dessner
6. Glenn Danzig
7. John Paul Jones (???)

(???)  No doubt the former bassist for Led Zepellin has the skills but he has been writing an opera for several years.  (John Paul Jones Is Writing an Opera, UCR article dated June 2013).  Loyal fans who believe are wondering and waiting.  

♦ Reference:

DeGroot, Joey. “7 Rock Stars Who Also Write Classical Music: Paul McCartney, Frank Zappa, And More.” Music Times, February 03, 2018 / 12:05 AM, 17 June 2014, www.musictimes.com/articles/6855/20140617/7-rock-stars-who-also-write-classical-music-paul-mccartney-frank-zappa-and-more.htm.

Paul McCartney

• Rock: Paul McCartney rose to global fame as the bassist, singer, and co‑songwriter of The Beatles, later continuing with Wings and a long solo career. 
• Classical: He has composed major classical works, including Liverpool Oratorio, Standing Stone, and Ecce Cor Meum, establishing a parallel career in orchestral and choral music.  

Roger Waters

• Rock: Roger Waters co‑founded Pink Floyd and became the band’s principal lyricist and conceptual leader during its most influential years. 
• Classical: Waters has engaged deeply with classical music throughout his life, drawing on it as a major creative influence even beyond his rock compositions.  

Frank Zappa

• Rock: Frank Zappa led The Mothers of Invention and built a prolific solo career defined by experimental rock, satire, and genre‑blending innovation.  
• Classical: He composed orchestral, chamber, and musique concrète works from his teens onward, with pieces performed by ensembles such as the London Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Modern.  

Jonny Greenwood

• Rock: Jonny Greenwood is best known as the lead guitarist and multi‑instrumentalist of Radiohead. 
• Classical: He has written numerous contemporary classical works—including Horror vacui, Water, and Smear—and is widely recognized for his orchestral and film‑score compositions. 

Bryce Dessner

• Rock: Bryce Dessner is the guitarist for The National, contributing to the band’s distinctive indie‑rock sound. 
• Classical: He is an award‑winning classical composer whose works are commissioned by major orchestras worldwide and who has built a significant career in modern classical and film music. 

Glenn Danzig

• Rock: Glenn Danzig founded the Misfits, Samhain, and Danzig, becoming a defining figure in punk, horror‑punk, and heavy metal.  
• Classical: He wrote and performed the modern classical album Black Aria, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s classical chart.  

John Paul Jones

• Rock: John Paul Jones was the bassist and keyboardist for Led Zeppelin and is regarded as one of rock’s most versatile multi‑instrumentalists.  
• Classical: He has composed contemporary classical works, including a newly premiered song cycle performed at London’s Wigmore Hall.  

Here is a clean, MLA‑formatted source list for the information about rock stars who also write classical music, based on the material surfaced in the search results you requested. Each citation corresponds to a source that discusses at least one of the musicians on your list and their classical‑music work.

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 ✔️ MLA 9 Citations for Sources Used

Music Times. “7 Rock Stars Who Also Write Classical Music: Paul McCartney, Frank Zappa, And More.” Music Times, 17 June 2014. Music Times

“Paul McCartney’s Obsession with Classical Music and His Symphonic Works.” The Beatles – Today in Beatles History, 10 Aug. 2025. The Beatles - Today in Beatles History

“Paul McCartney’s Classical Works: Where to Start.” Classic FM, 18 June 2013. Classic FM

“Paul McCartney’s Remarkable Classical Works.” Steve Hoffman Music Forums, 16 Jan. 2021. Steve Hoffman Music Forums

The Paul McCartney Project. “Paul McCartney • Classical Albums.” The Paul McCartney Project, www.the-paulmccartney-project.com. The Paul McCartney Project

The Vintage Guide to Classical Music: An Indispensable Guide for Understanding and Enjoying Classical Music

Legal Quest or Question: You Wrote the Song. Why Not Get the Money?

Your Song Lyrics EQUAL Your Money. This is sound advice for budding new artists. Agree or Disagree.

Those aren’t the exact words that I heard the man say. But he sure did drive his point home.

Summary of the Story:

Here is what happened. One man had written a song and couldn’t remember the words to his own song. He searched for the lyrics on the Internet and found them. What else did he find? He found websites that were earning money by supplying the lyrics to the songs that he had written and he wasn’t getting a red cent! What could he do about it?

Here’s the report that tells the whole story:

Chace, Zoe. “When Lyrics Get Posted Online, Who Gets Paid? ” Planet Money ” NPR.” NPR, NPR, 9 May 2014, www.npr.org/blogs/money/2014/05/09/310462951/when-lyrics-get-posted-online-who-gets-paid. “Planet Money: The Economy Explained”. Clear explanations. Now nobody can say they don’t understand the economy.

Here’s what you need to take away from the report:

“… it’s unusual for the Internet to come along and figure out a brand-new revenue stream for musicians: Rather than making money off the music, the Internet has provided a marketplace for just the words.”

What I Have Learned:

I am much wiser now. Before listening to that radio report, I had never heard of David Lowery. He’s an interesting fellow. Did you know he filed a lawsuit against Spotify? Read on. Who is David Lowery?

Additionally, I had never heard of anybody or anything called Rap Genius. As it turns out there is a site called Genius.com where you can get song lyrics and if you visit that site there is a link to a page where you can find rap lyrics/beats. Rap Genius. Who knew?

Most of the time, I can usually find the words to a song at A-Z Lyrics Universe.

At any rate, I very much appreciate the representative for Rap Genius for explaining the difference between a “desirable website” versus an “undesirable website”. It’s a fine legal line indeed! But when you’re talking about your intellectual property and your money, those fine lines can add up to KA-CHING!! $$$

If you want to know your rights and how to survive in the music business, you need to read the Music Industry Survival Guide.

What Does This Mean to Me?

Although I am not a songwriter this means a lot to me. I truly believe people should do everything in their power to protect their intellectual property and work. I was very pleased that the matter was settled expeditiously and the legal understanding was explained in such a way that everyday people like me could get it!

My point of reference for being a little bit confused about who wrote the song versus who gets the money is Michael Jackson. The late Michael Jackson bought the publishing rights to The Beatles catalog of music. Sir Paul McCartney was not happy about it. (Furious is probably a better word.) Why wouldn’t he be? Sir McCartney’s anger might be justifiable, but the purchase transaction was perfectly legal. Mr. Jackson’s response or reaction was: “It’s just business, Paul.”

Business? Legal or not, it still seems downright WRONG!

If you’re alive, you should be reaping the benefits of your “labor”. It doesn’t matter if your labor is songwriting or one of your hobbies. It’s your work. Why shouldn’t you be compensated?

That’s why the radio report meant a lot to me. It cleared up the fog in my brain.

Do you agree with my understanding and analysis?

Source: RationalMind.club