The Best Musical Artists From Connecticut

Ranker Music
Updated June 23, 2023 5.3K votes 485 voters
Over 400 Ranker voters have come together to rank this list of The Best Musical Artists From Connecticut
Voting Rules
Only artists born or raised in Connecticut or bands formed in Connecticut.

Here are the best artists and bands from Connecticut. Whether you like indie rock or synthpop, there is something for everyone in Connecticut. The New England state has spawned some of the most famous bands, singers, and rappers over the last few decades, and many of them got their start playing from Hartford to Cromwell. Connecticut is particularly noteworthy for having the fourth oldest orchestra in the United States. Connecticut has produced so much talent that it is easy to see so many talented Connecticut musical artists. 

John Mayer was born in Bridgeport. Before he made such hits as "Your Body Is a Wonderland" and "Waiting on the World to Change," he was just a normal kid being raised in Connecticut. Other acts that have come out of the Constitution State include Liz Phair, Moby, and MGMT. All of these artists barely scratch the surface of all the talent that has come out of the state, and no matter what genre you like most, there is an artist on this list for you. Other popular Connecticut artists include Michael Bolton, The Carpenters, Steelheart, and Fates Warning.

To determine who the best musicians from Connecticut are, you will need to vote for the acts you like most. This list is filled with rappers, singer/songwriters, guitarists, and plenty of Connecticuters who have gone on to take the world by storm. 

Most divisive: Rivers Cuomo
Ranked by
  • The Carpenters
    1

    The Carpenters

    Adult contemporary music, Pop music, Rock music
    113 votes
    • Albums: Christmas Portrait, An Old-Fashioned Christmas, Christmas Collection, Close to You, Lovelines
    The Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (b. 1946). They produced a distinct soft musical style, combining Karen's contralto vocals with Richard's arranging and composition skills. During their 14-year career, the Carpenters recorded ten albums, along with numerous singles and several television specials. The siblings were born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey, California, in 1963. Richard took piano lessons as a child, progressing to California State University, Long Beach, while Karen learned the drums. They first performed together as a duo in 1965 and formed the jazz-oriented Richard Carpenter Trio followed by the middle-of-the-road group Spectrum. Signing as Carpenters to A&M Records in 1969, they achieved major success the following year with the hit singles "(They Long to Be) Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun". Subsequently, the duo's brand of melodic pop produced a record-breaking run of hit recordings on the American Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts, and they became leading sellers in the soft rock, easy listening and adult contemporary music genres. The Carpenters had three number-one singles and five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100 and fifteen number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart, in addition to twelve top-10 singles. They have sold more than 90 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The duo toured continually during the 1970s, which put them under increased strain; Richard took a year off in 1979 after he had become addicted to Quaaludes, while Karen suffered from anorexia nervosa. Their career together ended in 1983 when Karen died from heart failure brought on by complications of anorexia. Extensive news coverage surrounding these circumstances increased public awareness of eating disorders. Though the Carpenters were criticized for their clean-cut and wholesome conservative image in the 1970s, their music has since been re-evaluated, attracting critical acclaim and continued commercial success.
  • John Mayer
    2

    John Mayer

    Blues, Pop, Rock
    173 votes
    • Albums: Continuum, Room for Squares, Heavier Things, Battle Studies, Born and Raised
    John Clayton Mayer (; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but disenrolled and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with Clay Cook. Together, they formed a short-lived two-man band called Lo-Fi Masters. After their split, Mayer continued to play local clubs, refining his skills and gaining a following. After his appearance at the 2001 South by Southwest Festival, he was signed to Aware Records, and then Columbia Records, which released his first EP, Inside Wants Out. His following two full-length albums—Room for Squares (2001) and Heavier Things (2003)—did well commercially, achieving multi-platinum status. In 2003, he won the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the single "Your Body Is a Wonderland". By 2005, Mayer had moved away from the acoustic music that characterized his early records, and begun performing the blues and rock music that had originally influenced him as a musician. He collaborated with blues artists such as B. B. King, Buddy Guy, and Eric Clapton. Forming the John Mayer Trio, he released a live album in 2005 called Try!, and his third studio album Continuum in 2006. Both albums received critical acclaim, and Continuum earned Mayer a 2007 Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. He also won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Waiting on the World to Change". That album was followed by Battle Studies in 2009, a return to pop, with a Battle Studies World Tour. After having several controversial incidents with the media, Mayer withdrew from public life in 2010 and began work on his fifth studio album, Born and Raised, which drew inspiration from the 1970s pop music of Laurel Canyon. However, the discovery of a granuloma on his vocal cords delayed the release of the album until May 2012, and forced him to cancel the planned tour. The album received a generally favorable reception, though was less commercially successful than his previous work. Mayer began performing as a singer again in January 2013, and that year released his sixth studio album, Paradise Valley, which incorporates country music influences. By 2014, he had sold a total of over 20 million albums worldwide. His latest album, The Search for Everything, was released in 2017. After developing an interest in the Grateful Dead and connecting with Bob Weir, Mayer formed Dead & Company in 2015 with three former Grateful Dead musicians. It is the latest of several reunions of the band's surviving members since Jerry Garcia's death in 1995. The band remains active and its tours have been well-received, with its next shows scheduled for January of 2020.Mayer's secondary career pursuits extend to television hosting, comedy, and writing; he has authored columns for magazines such as Esquire. He supports various causes and has performed at charity benefits. He is a watch aficionado (with a collection he values in the "tens of millions" of dollars), contributing to the watch site Hodinkee, and has been on the jury at the Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Genève.
  • MGMT
    3

    MGMT

    Synthpop, New Wave, Dance-punk
    143 votes
    • Albums: Oracular Spectacular, MGMT, Flash Delirium, Congratulations, Daytrotter Session-live album
    MGMT is an American psychedelic rock band founded by Benjamin Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden. After the release of their first album, the members of their live band, Matthew Asti, James Richardson and Will Berman, joined the core band in the studio. Formed at Wesleyan University and originally with Cantora Records, they signed with Columbia Records and Red Ink in 2006. On October 5, 2007, Spin.com named MGMT "Artist of the Day." On November 14, 2007, Rolling Stone pegged MGMT as a top ten "Artist to Watch" in 2008. The band was named ninth in the BBC's Sound of 2008 Top Ten Poll. They were also named as Last.fm's most played new artist of 2008 in their Best of 2008 list. MGMT's first album, Oracular Spectacular, debuted at No. 12 on the UK album chart, No. 13 after 34 weeks in the New Zealand RIANZ charts, number six on the Australian ARIA Charts, and hit number one on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart. It has also been named the 18th best album of the 2000s by Rolling Stone magazine. It was named the best album of 2008 by NME.
  • Moby
    4

    Moby

    Electronica, Down Tempo, Ambient
    101 votes
    • Albums: Play, Everything Is Wrong, 18, I Like to Score, The End of Everything
    Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), better known as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the most important dance music figures of the early 1990s, helping bring dance music to a mainstream audience both in the United Kingdom and the United States". In 1989 he moved to New York City and became a prolific figure as a DJ, producer, and remixer. His 1991 single "Go" was his mainstream breakthrough, reaching No. 10 in the United Kingdom. Between 1992 and 1997 he scored eight top 10 hits on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart including "Move (You Make Me Feel So Good)," "Feeling So Real," and "James Bond Theme (Moby Re-Version)." Through the decade he also produced music under various pseudonyms, released the critically acclaimed Everything Is Wrong (1995), and composed music for films.
  • Vatican Commandos
    5

    Vatican Commandos

    Hardcore punk
    119 votes
    • Albums: Hit Squad for God EP
    Vatican Commandos is a hardcore punk band formed in Darien, Connecticut. The band features members James Spadaccini, John Farnsworth, Lindsey Anderson, Chip Moody, Chuck "Wheat" Weaver, and Richard Hall. The band was formed in 1982 and released its first 7" EP entitled, Hit Squad for God in 1983. Richard Hall is credited as "M.H." on the back cover of the release. Later members included Dave Hower, Mike Pollock, and Matt Craig. The band went on to release the Just a Frisbee 7" EP later in 1983 and Point Me to the End 12" EP in 1984. The "Just a Frisbee" 7" cover artwork was drawn by Rob Zombie, founder and lead singer of White Zombie. The Vatican Commandos disbanded in 1985. After 25 years, the band has reformed and played a reunion show July 17, 2010 at the Mercury Lounge in New York City with Up Front, Our Gang, Ed Gein's Car, and Loud Youth. The VC's played a West Coast reunion show on February 5, 2011 at The Dragonfly in Hollywood, CA with D.I.
  • Liz Phair
    6

    Liz Phair

    Hip hop music, Rock music, Pop rock
    66 votes
    • Albums: Exile in Guyville, whitechocolatespaceegg, Whip-Smart, Liz Phair, Somebody's Miracle
    Elizabeth Clark Phair (born April 17, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, composer, and actress. Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Phair was adopted at birth and raised primarily in the Chicago area. After graduating from Oberlin College in 1990, she attempted to start a musical career in San Francisco, California, but returned to her home in Chicago, where she began self-releasing audio cassettes under the name Girly Sound. The Girly Sound tapes led to her signing a recording contract with the independent record label Matador Records. Her 1993 debut studio album, Exile in Guyville, was released to critical acclaim; it has been ranked by Rolling Stone as one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Phair followed this with her second album, Whip-Smart (1994), which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance, and Whitechocolatespaceegg (1998). Ten years after the release of her debut, Phair's fourth album, Liz Phair (2003), was released on Capitol Records and her music began to move in a more pop rock-oriented direction, earning her a mainstream audience. The self-titled 2003 album spawned the single "Why Can't I?," which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100.After the release of her fifth album, Somebody's Miracle (2005), Phair parted ways with Capitol Records, and released her sixth album Funstyle independently in 2010. In 2016, she toured as an opening act for The Smashing Pumpkins. In 2018, it was announced that Matador Records would be releasing a retrospective set for Phair's debut album Exile in Guyville which includes remastered recordings from her original Girly Sound demo tapes. As of 2011, Phair had sold over three million records worldwide.