5 Pioneers of Glam Rock in the 1970s

Glam rock in the 1970s helped give the decade a fashionable identity. With the colors the late 1960s brought to rock music, artists in the 1970s capitalized on it with the use of makeup and glitter. As more and more bands made their way to color television, the colors, glitter, and makeup made for lasting effects for viewers. Pioneers in glam rock made their influence lasting, as many hair-metal bands from the 1980s drew influence from these looks. Here are 5 pioneers of glam rock in the 1970s.

Todd Rundgren

Todd Rundgren first gained traction as a member of Nazz, a psychedelic rock band from Philadelphia. Nazz had a few minor hits, including “Open My Eyes” and “Hello It’s Me.” The latter would be a song Rundgren would re-record in his own solo career. After three albums, Rundgren sought a solo career and a new look. Rundgren’s debut solo album, Runt, spawned the hit single “We Got To Get You a Woman,” which hit No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100.

It was Todd Rundgren’s third studio album, Something/Anything?, that solidified his status as a glam rock pioneer. The album had multiple successful singles, including “I Saw The Light,” “Hello It’s Me,” “Couldn’t I Just Tell You,” and “Wolfman Jack.” To support the album, Rundgren made television appearances in full makeup and glitter, singing the soft ballad “Hello It’s Me.” The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1973.

David Bowie

By 1972, David Bowie had four albums released and multiple successful singles. Those include “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” and “Life On Mars?” It was Bowie’s fifth album in 1972 that saw him become the image of glam rock. The Rise And Fall of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars was a concept album and rock opera that saw Bowie take on a character, in full glam style. Ziggy Stardust was a fictional androgynous rock star who was sent to Earth to be a saviour. Beyond the successful singles “Starman,” Suffragette City,” and “Rock n Roll Suicide,” the album contains some of Bowie’s most iconic tracks. Those include “Ziggy Stardust,” “Star,” and “Moonage Daydream.”

Bowie followed up this success with Aladdin Sane in 1973, which featured his iconic red and blue lightning bolt face makeup. David Bowie had some of the most iconic appearances in emerging glam rock.

T. Rex

T. Rex was originally named Tyrannosaurus Rex in the late 1960s. Their sound was categorized as psychedelic folk, and they released three albums. In 1970, lead singer Marc Bolan took full control of the group and shortened the name for their fifth album. They began shifting into a more glam rock direction, becoming early pioneers of the genre. In 1971, T. Rex released “Hot Love,” which was their biggest hit at the time. It was promoted with a performance on Top Of The Pops, where Bolan first wore his shiny satin stage wear, along with makeup. This was a major influence on the emerging glam rock genre.

It would then be 1971’s Electric Warrior that would be T. Rex’s worldwide breakthrough, spawning the hit “Get It On.” The album peaked at No. 32 on the Billboard 200, and “Get It On” peaked at No. 10 on the Hot 100. T. Rex continued a string of glam rock hits, including 1973’s “20th Century Boy.”

Slade

The rock group Slade had some of the most electric sound in glam rock in the 1970s. Not only did Slade have a major influence on the 1980s, with bands like Quiet Riot covering multiple tracks and earning hits, but they also influenced groups in the same decade. Bands like KISS and Cheap Trick directly credit Slade for their 1970s sounds and style. 1972’s Slade Alive! was a direct influence on KISS’s decision to release their own live album, titled KISS Alive! in 1975.

Slade’s third studio album, Slayed?, generated the hit “Mama Weer All Crazee Now” which would later become a huge hit for Quiet Riot a decade later. The same goes for “Cum On Feel The Noize,” from 1973. Quiet Riot also covered this track a decade later, and it became a No. 5 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Slade also had one of the best-selling Christmas singles of the 1970s, “Merry Xmas Everybody.”

Sweet

Sweet is another pioneer of glam rock in the 1970s, emerging with vibrant colors and makeup on top of a catchy rock sound. The band came from the same London scene as T. Rex and helped popularize glam rock. They scored a huge hit with “Little Willy” in 1972, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. Their 1973 hit “Ballroom Blitz” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a defining song of the decade. They followed up that success with another No. 5 h