Do you enjoy listening to rock music? Did you know that a number of the rock bands that have gone on to have the most success in history were originally established by students at a university? Yes, you read that right. 

If you love rock music as much as these bands did in their university days, you may be thinking, “should I get assignment help online at studybay.com or any other service to do my university assignments so I can pursue my musical passions?”

Everyone enjoys music, or at least the vast majority of people do, given that music has a long history in the cultures of many different countries. But, many of these bands achieved worldwide fame and recognition while doing their assignments and pursuing their creative academic dreams. So, before you decide on your next action, let’s learn about some of these bands and how they began their journey in college. 

• The Beatles

Not many bands can blend different genres and influence into a unique and timeless sound, but the Beatles, formally called the Quarrymen, is one rock band that made it happen. This iconic group was formed in 1960 by three students, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison, while attending the Liverpool College of Art and studying painting and sculpture in Liverpool, England. 

What made The Beatles so special was they combined rock and roll, folk, blues, and even classical music, creating a musical tapestry that spoke to both the older generation and today’s Gen Z. Their lyrics were equally innovative, tackling everything from love and loss to politics and spirituality. After releasing their first single, “Love Me Do,” while in the university on 5th October 1962, the Beatles went on to become one of the most influential and best-selling bands of all time, with hits like “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be,” and “Yesterday.”

• REM 

If there’s one rock band that greatly influenced the rock music scene of the 80s and 90s everyone knows today as alternative or indie rock, it is REM. That’s right, REM started as a university band and was formed in 1980 by four students, Michael Stipe, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, and Bill Berry, at the University of Georgia. 

REM introduced a unique style of jangly guitar riffs with Michael Stipe’s haunting vocals and cryptic lyrics, which quickly captured the attention of college music fans and critics alike. In 1981, they released their first single, “Radio Free Europe,” which became a staple on college radio stations but had to say goodbye to their drummer, Bill Berry as he left the band after suffering from symptoms of an aneurysm in 1997. 

Berry might have dropped the band but REM still went on to release hit albums like UP, Reveal, Around the Sun, and Accelerate, which turned the rock music scene upside down. Unfortunately, in 2011, after 31 years as a band, REM announced their breakup. Still, one of REM’s most acclaimed albums, which received positive reviews from critics, is “Collapse into Now,” released in 2011, the same year the band announced their breakup.

• Coldplay

Musical taste is subjective, no doubt, but even Gen Z loves some of Coldplay’s most popular hits like Fix You, The Scientists, Adventure of a Lifetime, Hymn for the Weekend, and Paradise. But, most people have no idea Coldplay has its roots from way back in 1996 when four students met at University College London.

Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion initially started performing at local venues but signed their first record deal with Parlophone as a band in 1998. Their debut album, “Parachutes,” was released in 2000 and featured their biggest hit singles, “Yellow” and “Trouble,” which earned them a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2003.

You would think that as a college band, their engagement and sales would be on the modest side, but Coldplay is one of the few rock bands that have sold over 100 million records worldwide and won numerous awards thanks to their unique blend of rock, pop, and electronic music. 

• Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd is another popular campus rock band made up of Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Richard Wright, and Roger Waters. Unlike most bands, the group has very humble beginnings. They started out with the band name “Sigma 6” at London’s Regent Street Polytechnic in 1965, while studying art and architecture.

While they evolved from Sigma 6 to Pink Floyd, the band’s early years were marked by experimentation until they released their debut album, “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn,” in 1967. And guess what? Their experiment paid off as they were able to skillfully combine blues, pop, rock and roll, and psychedelic sounds. 

Over the years, Pink Floyd made some unparalleled rock music with classic albums like “Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here,” and “The Wall.” So the next time you listen to “Comfortably Numb” or “Another Brick in the Wall,” remember the band started its musical acts right from university. 

• Pixies

Pixies showcased the real definition of diversity and inclusion as they were one of the first bands with a female bandmate. The Pixies were formed in 1986 by Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis) and Joey Santiago, two students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but were later joined by David Lovering and Kim Deal, the only female bassist in the group who joined through a local newspaper ad. joined

One year after the Pixies entered the rock music scene, they recorded their debut album “Surfer Rosa,” a blend of surf rock, punk, and pop. Besides this, some of their albums like, Bone Machine, Gigantic, and Where Is My Mind, became instant hits that propelled Pixies into the forefront of college rock between the late ’80s and ’90s. The Pixies were one of the pioneers of the alternative rock movement and paved the way for bands like Nirvana, Radiohead, and the Smashing Pumpkins.

• Imagine Dragons 

Another band that truly made its mark on the music industry is Imagines. Formed in the Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, in 2008, Imagine Dragons consisted of four founding members Dan Reynolds, the lead vocalist, bassist Ben Mckee, guitarist Wayne Sermon, and drummer Andrew Tolman who attended Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. 

Like Pink Floyd, Imagine Dragons had smaller beginnings as they spent their early days playing small gigs around the Las Vegas area. Fortunately, they signed their first record deal with Interscope Records in 2011 and have since made their way to fame with hits like Radioactive, Demons, and Thunder. In 2014, they won their first Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance in the hit song Radioactive. 

Conclusion 

College is undoubtedly a place to gain higher-level academic insights, but it is also a place to hone most of your talents, especially in rock music. Therefore, if you have a deep love for music and the ambition to make it big in the industry, look to these rock bands for motivation, and remember to keep pursuing your passion no matter what. Who knows, you might very well end up being the next great thing in the world of music.