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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
✔️ 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
