Rainbow › Similar Artists

Deep Purple - 100% match to Rainbow

Deep Purple evolved in 1968 following sessions to form a band around former Searchers drummer Chris Curtis (Christopher Crummey, 26 August 1941, Oldham, Lancashire, England). Jon Lord (b. 9 June 1941, Leicester, Leicestershire, England; keyboards) and Nick Simper (b. 3 November 1945, Norwood Green, Southall, Middlesex, England; bass), veterans, respectively, of the Artwoods Read more

Dio - 72% match to Rainbow

Uriah Heep - 62% match to Rainbow

The critics have scoffed and generally poured derision on Uriah Heep over the years, but the band have sold millions of records and have had five US Top 40 albums. A technically brilliant heavy rock band, they deserve most credit for continuing despite over 40 personnel changes and two deaths along the way.The band was formed by David Byron (David Gar Read more

Whitesnake - 59% match to Rainbow

This UK-based heavy rock band has been led throughout its career by David Coverdale (22 September 1951, Saltburn-By-The Sea, North Yorkshire, England). The lead vocalist with Deep Purple since 1973, Coverdale left that unit in 1976 and recorded two solo albums, Whitesnake and Northwinds. Shortly afterwards, he formed a touring band from musicians who had played on those reco Read more

Elf - 48% match to Rainbow

This US heavy rock unit was formed in 1967 by vocalist Ronnie James Dio (Ronald Padavona, 10 July 1940, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA) with cousin Dave Feinstein on guitar, plus Gary Driscoll (drums), Doug Thaler (keyboards) and Nick Pantas (guitar). They worked under the name Electric Elves until 1970 when the entire band was involved in a car crash, in which Pantas died a Read more

Black Sabbath - 47% match to Rainbow

Group members Terry ‘Geezer’ Butler (17 July 1949, Birmingham, England; bass), Tony Iommi (b. Anthony Frank Iommi, 19 February 1948, Aston, Birmingham, England; guitar), Bill Ward (b. William Ward, 5 May 1948, Aston, Birmingham, England; drums) and Ozzy Osbourne (b. John Michael Osbourne, 3 December 1948, Aston, Birmingham, England; vocals) were originally known as Read more

Judas Priest - 42% match to Rainbow

This enduring heavy metal outfit was formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969, by K.K. Downing (Kenneth Downing, 27 October 1951, West Bromwich, Warwickshire, England; guitar) and close friend, Ian Hill (b. 20 January 1951, England; bass). As another hopeful, struggling young rock band, they played their first gig in Essington in 1971 with a line-up completed by Alan Atkins (b Read more

Yngwie Malmsteen - 40% match to Rainbow

Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback, 30 June 1963, Stockholm, Sweden. This Swedish guitar virtuoso was the originator of the high-speed, technically precise, neo-classical style that developed during the 80s. Influenced by Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore and Eddie Van Halen, Malmsteen first picked up a guitar at the age of five and had formed his first band, Powerhouse, by the tim Read more

Accept - 37% match to Rainbow

This German heavy rock quintet originally comprised Udo Dirkschneider (vocals), Gerhard Wahl (guitar) and Wolf Hoffman (10 December 1959, Mainz, Germany; guitar), Frank Friedrich (drums) and Peter Baltes (bass). Formed in 1976 in their home town of Solingen, Jorg Fischer replaced Wahl in 1978. The band’s power metal sound was characterized by Dirkschneider’s guttur Read more

Nazareth - 37% match to Rainbow

Formed in 1968 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, Nazareth evolved out of local attractions the Shadettes. Dan McCafferty (William McCafferty, 14 October 1946, Edinburgh, Scotland; vocals), Manny Charlton (b. 25 July 1941, La Linea, Spain; guitar), Pete Agnew (b. 14 September 1946, Dunfermline, Scotland; bass) and Darrell Sweet (b. 16 May 1947, Bournemouth, England, d. 30 April Read more

W.A.S.P. - 35% match to Rainbow

This theatrical shock-rock troupe was formed in 1982 in Los Angeles, California, USA, their name apparently an acronym of We Are Sexual Perverts. Outrageous live performances included throwing raw meat into the audience and the whipping of a naked woman tied to a ‘torture rack’ as a backdrop to a primitive metal attack. The band, formed by singer Blackie Lawless (S Read more

Heaven & Hell - 33% match to Rainbow

Joe Lynn Turner - 32% match to Rainbow

Joseph Linquito, 2 August 1951, Hackensack, New Jersey, USA. This rock vocalist first came to prominence in 1977 with the band Fandango, who played typical AOR music. The band also featured a guitarist called Rick Blakemore which, with hindsight, may have been a good omen. Turner’s radio-friendly vocals graced all four of their albums between 1977 and 1980. In 1981 he w Read more

Alcatrazz - 31% match to Rainbow

This US band were heavy metal exponents in the Deep Purple tradition. Formed by ex-MSG and Rainbow vocalist Graham Bonnet (12 December 1947, Skegness, Lincolnshire, England) in 1983, the initial line-up featured virtuoso guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen (b. Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback, 30 June 1963, Stockholm, Sweden), former New England members Jimmy Waldo (keyboards) and Gary Read more

Scorpions - 31% match to Rainbow

This German hard rock band was formed at school in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker (31 August 1948, Savstedt, Germany). With younger brother Michael Schenker (b. 10 January 1955, Savstedt, Germany; guitar), Klaus Meine (b. 25 May 1948, Hannover, Germany; vocals), Lothar Heimberg (bass) and Wolfgang Dziony (drums), they exploded onto the international heavy rock scene with Read more