Music

List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Reference
Updated June 8, 2017 26.8k views 28 items

List of Milwaukee bands, listed by their level of fame. This Milwaukee musicians list includes both bands and solo artists. All famous Milwaukee bands are included, as well as many Milwaukee musicians of underground status. This list of Milwaukee musical artists includes information like what genre the artist falls under, what albums they've put out and more. If you want to know more about these famous Milwaukee bands you can click on their names to learn more about them. Bands from every genre are listed here, including rock, pop, hip-hop/rap, jazz, and more.

The list you're viewing is made up of a variety of different bands, including Violent Femmes and Al Jarreau.

If you're wondering, "What bands are from Milwaukee?" or "What is a list of Milwaukee bands?" then this list will answer your questions. (28 items)
1
Violent Femmes is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: Violent Femmes, Add It Up (1981–1993), Machine, Why Do Birds Sing?, Freak Magnet, + more

{{Infobox musical artist | name = Violent Femmes | image = Violent Femmes 8221.jpg | caption = Violent Femmes, 2006 | background = group_or_band | origin = Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. | genre = | ...more

More Violent Femmes ❯

The Best Violent Femmes Albums of All Time #232 of 415 Musicians Who Belong In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame #615 of 2,211 The Best Rock Bands of All Time

2
Al Jarreau is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Pop music, Rhythm and blues & Jazz; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Ricky Lawson & Friends: First Things 1st, Heart's Horizon, Al Jarreau sings Bill Withers, This Time, Breakin' Away, + more

Alwin Lopez Jarreau (March 12, 1940 – February 12, 2017) was an American singer and musician. He received a total of seven Grammy Awards and was nominated for over a dozen more. Jarreau is ...more

More Al Jarreau ❯

The Best Al Jarreau Albums of All Time #1,463 of 2,211 The Best Rock Bands of All Time #1,077 of 2,040 The Greatest Musical Artists of All Time

3
Woody Herman is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Cool jazz, Swing music & Big band; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Herd at Montreux, The Complete Capitol Recordings of Woody Herman, Quadromania Jazz Edition: Woody Herman: Saving Myself for You, Music for Tired Lovers, Big Bands: Woody Herman, + more

Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading various groups called "The Herd", Herman ...more

More Woody Herman ❯

#440 of 525 Which Artist Would You Bring Back From The Dead To Write One More Song? #7 of 88 The Greatest Clarinetists of All Time #20 of 189 Famous People Buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

4
Eric Benét is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Pop music, Neo soul & Contemporary R&B; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: A Day in the Life, True to Myself, Hurricane, Lost in Time, Love & Life, + more

Eric Benét Jordan (born October 15, 1966), known professionally as Eric Benét, is an American R&B and neo soul singer-songwriter and actor, who has received a total of four ...more

More Eric Benét ❯

#24 of 144 The Best Neo Soul Artists #80 of 100 The Best Musical Artists From Wisconsin #16 of 18 Celebrities Whose Spouses Left Them

5
Def Jef is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Hip hop music and Rap music; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Soul Food, Just a Poet With Soul

Def Jef is the stage name of Jeffrey Fortson (born September 27, 1970), an American alternative hip hop musician and rapper of the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was born in Harlem, New York ...more
6
Speech is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Hip hop music; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Speech, Hoopla, Peechy, Spiritual People, Down South Produckshuns, + more

Todd Thomas (born October 25, 1968), better known by the stage name Speech, is an American rapper and musician. He is a member of the progressive hip hop group Arrested Development and has ...more

More Speech ❯

#174 of 189 The Best Rappers From Atlanta #78 of 102 The Best Musical Artists From Tennessee #177 of 207 The Real Names of 150 Rappers

7
Davey von Bohlen is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Indie pop, Emo & Folk rock; Nationality: United States of America
Davey von Bohlen (born August 11, 1975) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for his roles as guitarist and vocalist in Cap'n Jazz, The Promise Ring, Vermont, and currently,
8
The Promise Ring is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: Wood/Water, 30° Everywhere, Nothing Feels Good, Very Emergency, The Horse Latitudes, + more

The Promise Ring was an American emo band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They gained an underground cult following and are widely regarded as one of the pioneers of second wave emo. Formed in 1995, ...more

More The Promise Ring ❯

#69 of 153 The Best Emo Bands #128 of 230 The Very Best Indie Pop Bands & Artists #34 of 100 The Best Musical Artists From Wisconsin

9
Lights Out Asia is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: Tanks and Recognizers, Garmonia, Eyes Like Brontide, In the Days of Jupiter

Lights Out Asia is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin based post-rock and Electronic band that formed in February 2003.
10
Rico Love is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Hip hop music, Pop music & Rap music; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Discrete Luxury, The 5th Element

Richard Preston Butler, Jr. (born December 3, 1982), better known by his stage name Rico Love, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and record producer. He was born in New Orleans, ...more
11
The Frogs is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: Racially Yours, The Frogs, My Daughter, The Broad, Bananimals, + more

The Frogs were an American rock music band founded in 1980, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, by brothers Jimmy and Dennis Flemion. The brothers mainly wrote and performed short, catchy pop songs, but ...more
12
Keedy is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Keedy Genre: Pop music; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Chase the Clouds

Kelly Ann Keedy (born July 26, 1965), known by the stage name Keedy, is an American freestyle singer-songwriter best known for the 1991 Billboard Hot 100 top 20 hit, "Save Some Love", ...more
13
Coo Coo Cal is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Hip hop music; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Still Walkin', Disturbed, Walkin' Dead, All or Nothin, My Projects

Calvin Bellamy (born 1970), better known as Coo Coo Cal, is an American rapper from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He is perhaps best known for his number-one rap single "My Projects".Coo Coo ...more
14
T. J. Racer is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
T.J. Racer (born Anthony Brehmer) is a bassist born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Racer was the original bass player for glam metal band Nitro, and appeared their first album, O.F.R.. Racer appeared ...more
15
Yolanda ''La La'' Brown ... is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Yolanda ''La La'' Brown Genre: Rhythm and blues; Nationality: United States of America
Yolanda La La Brown was an American R&B singer best known for being featured on the track S.E.X. with Lyfe Jennings.
16
Lynne Arriale is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Genre: Jazz; Nationality: United States of America

Albums: Convergence, Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions

Lynne Arriale is an American pianist, composer and bandleader.
17
All Envy Aside is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
All Envy Aside
All Envy Aside, formerly known as Envy, is a five-piece rock band formed in Platteville, Wisconsin, USA, in 2001. The band came to national attention after winning MTVu's Best Band on Campus ...more
18
Rusty Ps is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Rusty Ps
The Rusty Ps is a hip hop/rap group based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Initially known as the Rusty Pelicans after forming in 1995, its membership currently consists of Phantom Channel, Count ...more
19
Maritime is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: We, the Vehicles, Heresy and the Hotel Choir, Human Hearts, Adios, + more

Maritime is an indie pop band formed in 2003 after the break up of The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan. Eric Axelson of The Dismemberment Plan and Davey von Bohlen and Dan Didier of The ...more
20
Since By Man is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: We Sing the Body Electric, Pictures From the Hotel Apocalypse, A Love Hate Relationship

Sincebyman was a five-piece band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin founded in 1999. Their debut full length album, We Sing The Body Electric, was released on November 30, 2002. This was followed by A ...more
21
Die Kreuzen is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: October File / Die Kreuzen, October File, Die Kreuzen, Century Days, Cows and Beer, + more

Die Kreuzen is a rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin formed in 1981. The name, which was taken from a German Bible, is grammatically incorrect German for "the crosses". The band ...more
22
7 Angels 7 Plagues is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee

Albums: Jhazmyne's Lullaby, Until the Day Breathes and the Shadows Flee

7 Angels 7 Plagues was a metallic hardcore band from Milwaukee, WI, United States.
23
Northern Room is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Northern Room

Albums: Last Embrace, Only Seconds EP

Northern Room was a rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. In 2006, Northern Room were the winner, among over 100 bands, of a contest to open for Bon Jovi at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. ...more
24
Decibully is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
Decibully

Albums: Sing Out America!, Decibully, Tour E.P. '06, City of Festivals, World Travels Fast

Decibully was an indie rock band based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin that formed in 2001 and played their final show early in 2011. The band was signed to Polyvinyl Records. However, Decibully's ...more
25
exiledfromVerona is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list List of Famous Bands from Milwaukee
exiledfromVerona

Albums: wherefore art thou Capulet?

exiledfromVerona's line-up is fueled by Milwaukee music veteran Adam Santiago (21st Place / Silver Screen Heroes / Taken Flight) and Michael Gerrity (Silver Screen Heroes). Together the two ...more